Pumps

What is a Hot Water Circulation Pump?

Eliminate the Wait for Hot Water When You Need It Most

One of the worst feelings in the morning is when you step into the shower to get ready for work – only to be sprayed with ice-cold water. If you're lucky, you catch yourself in time to not scream as you progress from bleary sleep to fully awake in half a second. If you're unlucky, your shriek wakes up your next-door neighbors.

Thankfully, you can avoid this situation and bask in warm water without delay by installing a device called a hot water circulation pump.

How does a hot water circulation pump work?

It's pretty simple. The pump keeps a small amount of hot water flowing through the pipes in your house so the water never gets cold. By having some hot water circulating in your pipes at all times, the warm-up time for your water is dramatically shortened.

What are the benefits of a hot water circulation pump?

The easy answer: you reduce water waste because you don't have to run the shower for five minutes in the morning just to bring the water temperature to a decent level.

In a more advanced pump system, the pump sits at the water heater, while a control valve is installed at a fixture that experiences heavy use but sits far away from the home's hot water heater. Such a valve can be programmed to work only to reach a certain temperature and during a specific time frame, since most homes don't need on-demand hot water 24/7. This sort of system helps you save energy and money because you're not heating up water in your pipes at times when people don't need it.

And in a demand-based hot water circulation pump, the system pushes any cold water sitting in the warm water pipes into the cold water pipes, and quickly pushes out water directly from the hot water heater to the shower or faucet you want to use. All you do is give the system a bit of warning via remote control or motion detector in your bathroom.

There are even ENERGY STAR rated models available to maximize the energy efficiency of how you heat the water.

How can I have one installed in my home?

Stop wasting water waiting for your shower to heat up in the morning! Contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing today to schedule a time when a professional and experienced plumber can install a hot water circulation pump in your home. Contact us at (800) 259-7705.

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