Several Question Regarding Hot Water Recirculator

Sorry bear with me here...

I have a Grundfos UP15 Recirculator. It was in the house when I bought it...I recently did some remodeling and not sure if a temperature bypass valve was ever in place (I have to assume that yes at one point it was but I don't recall seeing it). After the remodeling, I do not see it. My guess is, that if it was there at one point, was removed and never reinstalled during the bathroom remodeling.

1) I will say that when it's on, I get hot water everywhere...when it's off it takes a long time for hot water to get to me...so is this one of those if it's not broke don't fix it? (don't go buy a valve and put it in?)

2) How do I determine what the farthest facuet is? I kind of assume it's the physically furthest valve...but piping could be different...

3) If I shut the main water off to do faucet work...does the recirculator have to be turned off too to avoid damage?

4) The instructions manual says 16 amp contact rating ... but it's plugged into a 15 amp outlet...be concerned? Swap it out for a 20 amp outlet?

Sorry for all the questions, thanks in advance...

 

Someone suggested I may have a dedicated hot water return line so no need for valve...if this is the case how would I verify?

 

Post a picture or two of your hot water heater setup.

 

For a recirc pump to work, you need a return line. It will keep the flow constantly running from the tank to all of the valves in line and back to the tank. Your tank itself will have the temp switch to keep up to temp. If you now have to wait for hot water then your pump is not working. 16 amps is very excessive and unreasonable for a home. Notice the amp rating for the pump motor I attached. That pump runs a 4 story building at 1.9 amps.

Edit: If you turn the water off, yes you should turn off the pump to avoid burning it up if the water loop is depleted of water.

System water off( main line to house)

 

My recirculating pump works without a dedicated return line. The cold water line serves that purpose. No extra valve required. It is connected between the hot and cold lines below the sink. The downside is that the cold water in the kitchen gets warm when the pump is on--it is thermostatically and timer controlled. It is simple to disconnect the pump while working on the faucet.

 

Interesting. Home units are definitely different that commercial systems then. I figured it would be the same design with a smaller pump. Thanks for the info.

Thinking about your system, it sounds like it is put in more as a booster pump. Does it only turn on when the faucet is open?

 

That connection between the hot and cold is where the valve I'm talking about is...the connection between the two is the valve.

 

Here's how it's setup...I assume given this, I do have a hot water return line?

 

BTW, with all that build up...should I be concerned what it looks like inside those pipes? Or the recirculator? The water is very hard here.

 

From your pics you have a cold water input into the top. A hot water output out from the top and you are using your drain as a return to tank. This is a closed loop system that flows 24/7 unless it is set on a timer. Like start at 6am when the household wakes up and off at 9am for energy savings. You "open" the loop at a faucet and don't have to wait for cold water that has set outside the tank to be purged before getting hot.

Do you have power where pump is plugged in?
Is there a timer where it plugs in? OR does it look like a timer is built into the pump?
Does the pump run at all? Can you hear or feel it?

 

Pump runs when it is on. I can feel it. Timer is built into the pump. Thanks.

 

Yes based on pictures you have a dedicated return/circulator loop. No need for a valve or bypass control at the end of the run. Also appears it operates on timer only. Make sure timer is set as close to your daily schedule as possible... no need to waste energy while you are not home. (While operating all of that copper pipe acts as a radiator dissipating heat to the surroundings)

 

Where does the t&p valve plumbing lead? Overall that's one of the more interesting water heater setups I've seen, never come across a recirculation system. What's the point in it?

Powerwise it's drawing about .8 amps, no reason to upgrade to a 20a circuit. The install says to use a minimum of 14ga wiring, that's standard(minimum) for a 15a residential circuit. I usually wire with 12ga/20a, a couple extra bucks today can eliminate a lot of headaches tomorrow. IF you have 14ga wiring you can't put a 20a outlet in without a code violation, if you have 12ga you can put either on.