Call Us Today To Learn More! 1-714-660-7501
Water Heaters Only, Inc. has been installing water heaters and recirculation pumps in Orange, CA for over 58 years. Living with drought conditions is a fact of life for many Californians, and residents of Orange are no exception. Most of us are already conscious about conserving water by cutting back on yard watering. But one thing homeowners often overlook is how much water gets wasted simply waiting for the shower to heat up.
One of the most effective ways Orange homeowners have found to cut down on this waste is by installing a hot water recirculation pump. A recirculation pump works by taking the water that’s cooled inside your pipes and sending it back to the water heater to be reheated, rather than letting it run down the drain while you wait for hot water to arrive.
On average, this can save around 1,000 gallons of water per person, per year, making it a great option for any household looking to make a meaningful dent in both water waste and utility bills.
How A Recirculation Pump Water Heater Works
How it works
Recirculation pumps are typically installed at the fixture farthest from the water heater. From there, the pump pushes the cooled water sitting in the hot water line back to the heater, either through a dedicated return line or by using the existing cold water line.
- Dedicated return line: A pipe built specifically to carry cooled water back to the heater. This option is less common since it needs to be planned and installed during original construction, with a recirculation pump already in mind.
- Existing cold water line (crossover system): The more common approach, where plumbers install a crossover valve at the far fixture, using the home’s existing cold line to route cooled water back to the heater.
Neither method is bad, but there is one key difference: because a dedicated return line keeps the hot water loop fully separate, there’s no crossover with your cold line at all. With a crossover system, since the pump is briefly pushing cooled hot-line water into the cold line, you may occasionally notice a short warm surge at the cold tap right after the pump cycles.
Activating the pump
Recirculation pumps can be set up to turn on in a few different ways: automatically once the water dips below a set temperature, manually via a switch, or on a preset timer.
Is a recirculation pump right for your home?
If you’re curious whether a recirculation pump makes sense for your Orange, CA home, give Water Heaters Only, Inc. a call at 1-714-660-7501! We’d love to help you get instant hot water at home.
