Hot Water Demand Systems & Tankless Water Heaters – Home Improvement Products

If you own a tankless water heater then you should have a hot water demand system.  The tankless hot water heater is energy efficient but water wasteful, and by adding a hot water demand system your hot water plumbing system will be both energy efficient and water efficient as well. It will make your hot water plumbing green. Both are good home improvement products.

Tankless water heaters are more energy efficient than standard tank type water heaters because they don’t lose a steady stream of energy as the heat leaks out of the big tank of hot water all day and all night long.  By not having the standby losses associated with tank type units they can save as much as 20 percent of the energy consumed for heating water when compared with tank type heaters.

However, the tankless units also take longer to deliver hot water to your fixtures.  Since in order to be heated to full temperature the water must pass completely through the heat exchanger.  The water in the middle of or near the outlet portion of the heat exchanger doesn’t reach full temperature.

This means tankless hot water takes longer to reach the fixture. More water gets run down the drain while you wait. That is why tankless water heaters need a hot water demand system.

Hot water demand systems typically consist of a pump located at the furthest sink from the water heater and connected to the hot and cold water lines.  When hot water is desired at the fixture one pushes a button which starts the pump.  The pump sends the water from the water heater to the fixture at high velocity and when the hot water reaches the pump it shuts off.

The cooled off hot water left over in the hot water pipes from the last use gets returned to the water heater through the cold water lines. Now you have instant hot water when you turn on the tap, and you didn’t run any water down the drain.  How many home improvement products can save you money and provides you with a convenience?

Most traditional hot water recirculation systems won’t produce enough flow to turn on a tankless hot water heater, and most tankless water heaters were not intended to work with traditional hot water circulating systems and can void the warranty.

Hot water demand systems however are another story. Since demand systems are only activated when hot water is demanded they do not cause the tankless heater to turn on and off over and over again like the traditional recirc pumps.  Demand systems therefore do not invalidate the warranties for the tankless units. 

Not all demand systems are created equal and there are models that are not powerful enough to turn on the water heaters. Be careful to get a pump that has enough power to send more than the ½ to ¾ gallons per minute typically required to turn on the heater.  Longer pipe runs require more horsepower from the pump to produce the required flow, so take that into account as well.

By adding a hot water demand system to your tankless water heater your will be conserving energy, water, and money. At the same time you are turning your hot water plumbing system green, and reducing your carbon footprint.  You will feel good every time you use hot water. 

Finally, water conservation without inconvenience! Keep that in mind when looking for home improvement products.

Chilipepper Sales    1380 Greg St., # 221     Sparks Nevada,      89431       PH (775)-359-1223