What is a secondary hot water return?
Secondary hot water returns are generally used in domestic hot water applications where the point of usage (i.e. taps) are a distance away from the hot water cylinder. They are used to remove the need to draw off a large quantity of cool water, ( left in the pipe run), before hot water actually reaches the tap.
How does a hot water return system work?
In a traditional hot water recirculating system, there is a dedicated return line for the hot water pipes, which runs from the furthest bathroom or fixture back to the water heater. Near the water heater area, a recirculating pump pulls the water from the furthest fixture back into the water heater, creating a loop.
What is hot water return pipe?
A return circulation pipe is sometimes provided in a hot-water system where it is desirable to have hot water available continuously at the fixtures. Typically for systems where the distance from the hot water heater to the consumption fixtures exceeds 25 – 30 m.
What is secondary return for?
Secondary returns connect to your household water supply lines to recirculate hot water back to the water heater or point of use. This recirculation by the return ensures hot water is always available at the point of usage.
What is the purpose of hot water return?
A hot water recirculation system is a plumbing system that moves hot water to fixtures quickly without waiting for the water to get hot. Rather than relying on low water pressure, common in most water lines, recirculating systems rapidly move water from a water heater to the fixtures.
What is secondary flow and return?
Description. Secondary plumbing returns are a hot water recirculation system that typically consist of a copper pipe and tee system. Secondary returns connect to your household water supply lines to recirculate hot water back to the water heater or point of use.
What minimum temperature is recommended for the secondary hot water system?
In terms of the final point of supply, hot water temperatures at an outlet should reach 50°C (55°C in healthcare premises) within one minute of turning on the tap, and in the case of a thermostatic mixing valve – which are increasingly used as a means of preventing scalding – the temperature should also be at least 50° …
What do you need to know about hot water return lines?
Homes built before 1980 usually use a one-pipe system. This means one hot-water pipe feeds every sink, and it stops at the last sink in the home. A dedicated return line system uses a return pipe from the last sink back to the hot-water tank or tankless heater.
Can a circulation pump be used as a hot water return line?
A hot-water circulation system with a demand-controlled pump can save both water and energy. These systems work best in older homes with trunk-and-branch plumbing layouts. In retrofit installations, the circulation pump uses the cold-water supply line as a temporary hot-water return line.
Do you need a return loop for instant hot water?
This type of recirculating system does not require a dedicated hot water return loop, it can be installed and used in any house. Instant hot water systems come in many different varieties, so choose what is best for you. The two main pump locations are over-the-water-heater and under-the-sink.
How to install a dedicated hot water recirc line?
Join the two 1/2″ lines to a single 3/4″ line back to your cold water input to the water heater. Install a circulating pump with a built in check valve in the line to prevent reverse flow. Put the pump on a timer, motion detector or both to suit your families needs. Never have to wait for hot water again.
Do you need a hot water return line?
This type of installation is more common in new buildings. Pumps located at a point of use (e.g., under a sink) do not require or use a dedicated hot water return line. They return the non-hot water into the cold water supply line until the hot water is sensed at the fixture (the water is returned to the hot water heater via the cold line).
A hot-water circulation system with a demand-controlled pump can save both water and energy. These systems work best in older homes with trunk-and-branch plumbing layouts. In retrofit installations, the circulation pump uses the cold-water supply line as a temporary hot-water return line.
This type of recirculating system does not require a dedicated hot water return loop, it can be installed and used in any house. Instant hot water systems come in many different varieties, so choose what is best for you. The two main pump locations are over-the-water-heater and under-the-sink.
How does the cold water return to the hot water heater?
They return the non-hot water into the cold water supply line until the hot water is sensed at the fixture (the water is returned to the hot water heater via the cold line). Because the pump is located right at the fixture, hot water is available to that fixture very quickly.
