Recirculating Pumps - New Build

last year

In the middle of building a new home. It is a decently wide ranch. We would like a recirculating pump to our master shower which is actually not super far from the water heater. We’re just impatient.

The “kids’” room is on the other side of the house - roughly 90’ from the water heater. One of the kids is in college and the other will be there in just over a year. So their bathrooms will not be used a lot after that.

The plumbers are wanting to put in a recirculating pump that serves our bedroom and both kids bathroom on a single pump. That seems inefficient to me as we would be serving hot water to their bathrooms even though they won’t be used. Am I thinking of this right?

Would it be a huge deal to NOT use a recirc pump to their bathrooms? Should we get a second pump for that room on a timer we can shut off?

Also, any issues with using recirc pumps with a well and water softener? I see some people online saying you should t, but then not saying why other than it might leak back and use more salt.

Appreciate opinions.

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Comments (6)

chispa
last year
We have a wide "ranch" and we have 2 tankless water heaters, one at each end of the house. Powered with underground propane tank.
Jake The Wonderdog
last year
This can be done easily with one pump.

Please be certain that all of the hot water lines and dedicated return loop are insulated. Don't let them put uninsulated PEX in a slab for sure. Don't try to do this without a dedicated return loop.

Put a valve on the return line from the "kids'" rooms and then keep it off if it's not needed.
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T T
last year
We have a natural gas tankless water heater with recirculating pump that goes with the specific heater. We also have a water softener. No issues at all and I would highly recommend a recirculating pump. It is really nice to have instant hot water at each faucet. The actual monthly cost is only about $15 month of total natural gas usage, so I don't think the recirculation adds much in total cost. It is a smart recirculator that learns your patterns so it doesn't run all the time. Ours typically runs for a few hours each morning and each night.
RNmomof2 zone 5
last year
Kids don't care about hot water anyway, do they?! Our shower is close to the water heater and I would say the water is hot within a minute of turning it on, maybe less.

Our gas company has a neighborhood comparision feature to compare your bill others nearby. I checked ours a year or two ago and could not believe that our bill was much higher than our neighbors. We are empty nesters, do maybe 3-4 loads of laundry/wk, run the dw maybe 2x.

We have a long house also with a long recirculating loop. We turned the pump off and down went our gas bill.

So I would say if you feel you need one, to not put the kids baths on your loop.
PRO
Bryan The Builder USA Inc.
last year
Have you considered installing a tankless water heater on either side of the house? I don't know the specifics of your project but based on the information you provided it sounds like it can be a good option for you.

Good Luck!
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
Given that the kids' bath is distant from main users and infrequently used including it in a circulation loop will add to both installation and to operating costs and provide little benefit. Ditto for installing a hot water heater on each end of your home. Simply limit the recirculation loop to main users and don't include the kids' bath on the loop.