Translating…
Do you get hot water quickly or do you wait “forever” while watching it go down the drain?
Studies show that 8 out of 10 homes have long waits at 1 or more fixtures such as a faucet or shower head. There are several reasons that may be causing this problem. Some of them have little to no cost to fix, some have a moderate cost and in a few cases the entire house must be re-plumbed.
First, the low to no cost problems / solutions:
- Clogged aerator and / or shower head – remove and clean out your aerator and shower head. Replace if necessary.
- Low water pressure – find your pressure regulator and adjust it to allow higher pressure. It should be near the valve that shuts off the entire house.
- Uninsulated pipes – insulate hot water pipes
Moderate cost problems / solutions:
- Hot water heater located a long distance from where hot water is needed – Install a circulation pump with a flow monitor that utilizes a bridge valve between the hot and cold water lines to push cool water in the hot line back through the cold line to the water heater.
High cost
- Clogged / restricted water pipes – re-pipe entire house
Note : If you choose to install a circulation pump do not use a pump with a timer. During hours when the timer is set to allow the pump to run, you will get hot water quickly without wasting water.
But because the hot water lines will always be hot during these times, your energy bill will go up – a lot. The reduction in water costs will be more than offset by higher energy costs.
Water heaters are typically located in garages or attics or on the side of the house. Many times the kitchen or one or more bathrooms are located on the side of the house.
The water pipes that run from the water heater to the various fixtures are under the floor, in the attic and in the walls. The have many angles and turns that restrict how fast the water can move.
And with modern aerators and shower heads the amount of water that can come out of a fixture is restricted to 1 or 2 gallons per minute. If you have 3 or 4 gallons of cool water that between your sink and the water heater a wait time or 3 or 4 minutes can be expected.
With the right circulation system wait times can be reduced to a low as 10 to 30 seconds. But you will not be wasting water while you wait.