I installed a circulating pump in the far bathroom, since the length to the water heater made for a long wait. It takes 25 seconds for the hot water to arrive, which means 25 seconds of hot water wasted, once the water is shut off.Is it cheaper to, selectively(2 settings on timer) run the pump, or just wait on the hot water? And without the consideration, that time equals money. I imagine the more people that use it, the more efficient it gets.
In commercial applications it means hot water is there waiting on you rather than the other way around. It saves on lost time and water. In home use I would install a timer so pump runs only when it is needed.Insulation on the pipes will also lower the load on the hot water heater. So you can save time and money.
Hot water recirculation for domestic hot water is not so much for efficiency as for instant hot water. It does waste less water, but the hot water pipes should be insulated to minimize heat losses. I would not recirculate hot water into the cold water lines. Lukewarm water is yucky to drink and could be unsafe.
Depends on what is considered efficient. Is running the circulating pump efficient on the hot water end, but not on the electricity. To me a circulating pump is best efficient when you add a return line back to the water heater via the cold water input. Also needed in this routing is 2 flow control units, 1 at the end of the bathroom return line prior to the cold water input. And 1 above the bathroom return on the cold water line. Then by running the circulating pump for 1 minute per hour you will have hot water almost instantly. Or just cap off the hot prior to the sink an add a instant hot water heater just for the sink I would of first tried pipe insulation, or even a pipe wrap with a heating tape to keep the pipes warm.
If you mean your hot water heater is not heating as fast as it should be, is there anything wrong with the heater itself? Is the temperature setting proper? It sounds like you may mean it is just taking a long time for the hot water to get to the faucet. A lot of things can factor into that: --long pipe runs --colder winter temperature --less insulation of pipes The only things I can think of to reduce waste are: --making sure that all hot water tasks are done at about the same time, e.g., baths one after another, so the water cannot cool off in the pipes between bathers; --water heater timer or install a tankless water heater or two; --not running the water the whole time in the shower, e.g., wet down, turn off water, soap up, rrinse. --keeping buckets to fill with the cooler water, then using that water for plant watering, the first cycle in a clothes washer, or toilet flushing.
