Water Heaters - Hot Water Recirculator
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hawks13
04-14-05, 11:46 AM
We have an old Hot Water heater that probably has a lot of sentiment built up in it. I have tried to drain it and nothing comes out. We live in a one-story house and the hot water heater is in the basement. It takes a long time for the hot water to come trough the sinks. My question is will a hot water Recirculator help or are those gimmicks? Because the hot water takes a long time to get to the sinks, does this mean my hot water heater is going? Thanks for your feedback.
lefty
04-16-05, 08:35 AM
hawks13,
You are talking about 2 seperate issues.
First, are you trying to drain the WH, or flush it? To FLUSH it, connect a hose that is routed outside or to a drain to the drain ****, then open the drain ****. DON'T turn the water to the WH off, and there is no need to turn off the power or gas to it. See if that helps it start flowing. If you are trying to DRAIN it, flush it first, then shut off the power or gas and turn off the water to the WH. Open a hot valve someplace in the house. (I use a tub valve usually.)
A recirculating system will get hot water to the sinks quickly, as long as it's installed properly. There are basically 2 kinds. One is a self-contained unit that installs under the farthest sink from the WH and is thermostatically controlled. The other involves running a return line (water pipe) from the farthest valve back to the WH and having a pump on that line.
You are talking about 2 seperate issues.
First, are you trying to drain the WH, or flush it? To FLUSH it, connect a hose that is routed outside or to a drain to the drain ****, then open the drain ****. DON'T turn the water to the WH off, and there is no need to turn off the power or gas to it. See if that helps it start flowing. If you are trying to DRAIN it, flush it first, then shut off the power or gas and turn off the water to the WH. Open a hot valve someplace in the house. (I use a tub valve usually.)
A recirculating system will get hot water to the sinks quickly, as long as it's installed properly. There are basically 2 kinds. One is a self-contained unit that installs under the farthest sink from the WH and is thermostatically controlled. The other involves running a return line (water pipe) from the farthest valve back to the WH and having a pump on that line.
jay_myself
04-17-05, 03:15 PM
the condition of your hot water heater is irrelevant to the time it takes for hot water to get the faucet. As an exaggeration, if you lived in 5 story apartment building and the hot water heater was in the basement, the pipe would be mighty long. Overnight the water in the pipe will pretty much be the same as the air around the pipe.
when you turn on the hot water, the pressure from the water supply "pushes" water into the tank and out the hot pipe. however long it takes to get to your faucet depends on the length of pipe. Even a brand new water heater would not get water there any sooner.
As for the condition of the heater, flushing helps make it more efficient, but doesn't do anything for the wait.
now, to your second question about recirculators, they do work, but unfortunately the cold water will be hot or at least warm for a bit and you will have to wait for the cold to come out of the faucet. the reason is the undersink units pump water from the tank in the hot water pipe and return it to the cold side through the cold water pipe. the thermostat tells it to turn on and off based on the temperature of the water.
the benefits are not having to run the water down the drain. however, running the pump brings hot water out of the tank and pushes cold water back into the tank. when the tank cools off, the gas comes on to bring it back to the set temperature. you're not saving anything in gas cost, but your are gaining convenience of having hot water sooner.
I had an undersink unit and it did work. However, I disconnected it because it took so long for the cold to get cold. This was a problem when getting into the shower. at first, the water was really hot cause I was mixing hot water with the warm coming from the cold line. when the cold actually got to the faucet, the water temp dropped and my butt began to get cold. I will be resintalling it soon, but will run a separate line.
when you turn on the hot water, the pressure from the water supply "pushes" water into the tank and out the hot pipe. however long it takes to get to your faucet depends on the length of pipe. Even a brand new water heater would not get water there any sooner.
As for the condition of the heater, flushing helps make it more efficient, but doesn't do anything for the wait.
now, to your second question about recirculators, they do work, but unfortunately the cold water will be hot or at least warm for a bit and you will have to wait for the cold to come out of the faucet. the reason is the undersink units pump water from the tank in the hot water pipe and return it to the cold side through the cold water pipe. the thermostat tells it to turn on and off based on the temperature of the water.
the benefits are not having to run the water down the drain. however, running the pump brings hot water out of the tank and pushes cold water back into the tank. when the tank cools off, the gas comes on to bring it back to the set temperature. you're not saving anything in gas cost, but your are gaining convenience of having hot water sooner.
I had an undersink unit and it did work. However, I disconnected it because it took so long for the cold to get cold. This was a problem when getting into the shower. at first, the water was really hot cause I was mixing hot water with the warm coming from the cold line. when the cold actually got to the faucet, the water temp dropped and my butt began to get cold. I will be resintalling it soon, but will run a separate line.