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Jeff Wisnia
 
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Default Hot water recirculation

wrote:
Jeff Wisnia wrote

...if you have to have this, I'd add a tankless unit in the bathroom.

They cost a lot and keep a small amount of water hot all the time.
You might compare the capital and energy costs of the tankless and
Taco solutions, with a motion detector that moves hot water for 30
seconds, using actual numbers.


Yes, but if it's in a john, howya gonna keep that motion detector from
causing it to waste energy for 30 seconds every time you go in the to
take a leak?



You aren't, and the pump would only run long enough to warm the pipe
to the distant fixture, which might be less than 30 seconds. I suggest
you compare that energy to the standby energy used by a typical tankless,
over a day, using actual numbers. This might require an actual phone call
to an actual tankless manufacturer. It's my impression that most tankless
heaters keep a small volume of water hot 100% of the time, so the standby
loss is not zero, and it may be more than the energy lost by pumping a
half-gallon of hot water 6X(?) per day.



Well, you are wrong about that Nick, or Bosch is guilty of saying what
the native americans used to call, "that which is not so".

Take the "Interactive tour" and you'll see that they confirm there's NO
standby energy use.

http://www.globecomsoftware.com/vend...ess/index.html

They use FLOW to trigger the heating, so, except for the little bit of
heated water left in the coils when you close the faucet, there's
minimal "standby losses".

Here's another one for you if you are still a disbeliever.


Then, you might compare the non-recurring costs.


That probably would tip it in favor of the cheapo "jam it down the cold
pipe" designs from an overall cost perspective, but that wasn't my
original point. I was saying that I think those cheap systems are a
stupid way to solve what isn't a very big problem anyway. And, that if
you want to do it "right" then a separate return pipe with insulation or
a tankless heater is the proper engineering solution.

Nice meeting you,

Jeff

Nick



--
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"