Hot Water Recirculation Pump Installation in Phoenix

“It takes a full minute to get hot water in the master bath.”

Distance and cooled water in the pipe: the long-run problem.

Every time you open a hot tap, the water that cooled in the line since the last use has to run out first. The farther the fixture is from the heater, the more of it there is. That is a layout problem, and no repair to the heater will change it.

“We run a sink full of water down the drain every morning waiting for hot.”

That water is measurable, and so is what it costs you to send it to the drain.

EPA WaterSense estimates that the average home wastes more than 3,650 gallons of water each year waiting for hot water to arrive. A recirculation system keeps that water in the pipes and sends it back to the heater.

“Our tankless heater makes us wait longer than the old tank did.”

Cold pipes plus a cold start: the tankless trade-off.

A tankless unit starts from cold every time the tap opens, on top of the water sitting in the pipes. Navien built its ComfortFlow models with a buffer tank and a recirculation pump inside to address exactly this.

A dedicated return line

Some homes were built with a separate pipe running from the far fixtures back to the water heater. A pump on that loop keeps hot water moving without using the cold line. Taco describes its SmartPlus system as ideal for a tank water heater with a dedicated return line.

An under-sink bypass valve (no return line needed)

Most homes do not have a return line. A bypass system places a pump at the water heater and a valve under the sink farthest from the water heater. Watts describes the valve as thermostatically controlled, letting cooled water cross into the cold line at low volume. Watts and Grundfos both sell this type. Watts notes two catches: you may get a little warm water from the cold tap at that sink, and its kit is not designed for tankless water heaters.

Built into a tankless heater

Navien's NPE-A2 models include a buffer tank and a recirculation pump inside the heater, which Navien calls ComfortFlow. With Navien's NaviCirc valve, that recirculation works in homes without a dedicated return line, and a HotButton lets it run only when you press it.

Which of the three fits comes down to the heater you have, how your pipes run, and whether a return line already exists. Whichever it is, the system is built around the fixture with the longest wait, because fixing that one helps every tap along the way.

Two things: a pump on the lines at the water heater, and a valve in the cabinet under one sink. Watts says to place the valve at the faucet farthest from the heater in terms of piping distance. No new pipe runs through the walls.

Only the pump at the heater is new. The loop has to be intact and carrying water back around, so that gets checked before anything is set.

Mostly settings: the recirculation mode, plus a NaviCirc valve under a far sink where there is no return line, or a HotButton on the wall for on-demand control. Navien sells the push button, wall plate, and temperature sensor separately, so they belong in the quote when you want them.

This is pipework through the house, and a much bigger job than the options above. If your house would need one, that comes up during the layout check.

The heater is at one end of the house, and the bathrooms are at the other, or the home is large or two-story.

You own a tankless heater with a built-in or add-on recirculation option, and the delay bothers you.

The household is tired of watching water go down the drain while it waits.

The home is compact, and the heater sits near the kitchen and baths, so the wait is already a few seconds.

The long wait is at a fixture nobody uses much, like a guest bath.

Spread-out single-story layouts

Many Valley homes are single-story and spread out, with the heater in the garage at one end. A long run from the garage to the far bath is where the wait comes from, and it is also where a bypass valve does the most good.

Tankless conversions

A tankless unit can add to the wait. Planning recirculation at the conversion, when the heater is chosen, avoids buying a unit that cannot do it.

“My cold tap runs warm at one sink.”

Normal in short bursts; a timer problem if it lasts all day.

With an under-sink bypass, some warm water in the cold line at that sink is normal and clears quickly. If it happens all day, the timer is likely set to run continuously, and the fix is to schedule it to match when you use hot water.

“The pump is running, but I still wait.”

Work down the list in order because the simplest cause sits at the top.

A timer set to the wrong hours, a bypass valve that has stopped opening, or a pump that has quit will all bring the wait back. Each of the three can be checked before anyone talks about new equipment.