Hello everyone!
Our plumber asked us if we would like to have a circulation pump installed in our hot water system.
The heating system is located in the attic.
- Is this considered standard practice nowadays? Or is it no longer necessary?
- What are the electricity costs and resulting gas costs for running such a pump?
- How much water can I actually save by installing it, and is the benefit really significant?
The additional cost for this would be 300€.
- Is it worth it or not?
I’m always excited about these kinds of “features” in the house. My wife is more skeptical because she doesn’t see much added value, and she thinks we should invest the 300€ elsewhere.
What do you think?
Our plumber asked us if we would like to have a circulation pump installed in our hot water system.
The heating system is located in the attic.
- Is this considered standard practice nowadays? Or is it no longer necessary?
- What are the electricity costs and resulting gas costs for running such a pump?
- How much water can I actually save by installing it, and is the benefit really significant?
The additional cost for this would be 300€.
- Is it worth it or not?
I’m always excited about these kinds of “features” in the house. My wife is more skeptical because she doesn’t see much added value, and she thinks we should invest the 300€ elsewhere.
What do you think?
I believe very few systems reach 40 degrees, but 45 to 50 degrees are more common. We have 50 degrees as well due to concerns about Legionella bacteria, but it’s probably just an overreaction. Looking at the cases in Germany, it’s more likely to be killed by your cat than to get sick from Legionella...
So, I just counted earlier. In the shower on the upper floor, I wait 8 seconds for warm water to come from the basement. That is more than acceptable for me.
At the other taps, there are practically never situations where I immediately need warm water.
A circulation system would be unnecessary for me.
At the other taps, there are practically never situations where I immediately need warm water.
A circulation system would be unnecessary for me.
Bookstar schrieb:
I think very few people have water temperatures of 40°C (104°F), more commonly between 45 and 50°C (113 to 122°F). We set ours to 50°C (122°F) because of concerns about Legionella bacteria, but it’s probably just unnecessary worry. Looking at the cases in Germany, you’re more likely to be killed by your cat than to get sick from Legionella…Sorry, I actually set it to exactly 42.7892°C (109°F). Have you ever bathed in 50°C (122°F) water? That’s really hot and wastes energy. Heating water is usually responsible for most of a household’s electricity usage, so by lowering the temperature, I’ve definitely saved several kilowatt-hours.Joedreck schrieb:
So, I counted earlier. In the upstairs shower, I wait 8 seconds for hot water coming from the basement. That’s more than acceptable for me.
At the other outlets, there are practically never situations where I immediately need hot water.
Circulation would be unnecessary for me. That sounds realistic with proper planning. We don’t have a basement, so one less floor and therefore probably an even shorter pipe run. In the upstairs bathroom, it takes 5–6 seconds for hot water to arrive (I just measured again). The kitchen and guest bathroom have shorter distances, so the hot water arrives even faster there.
How some arrive at 20 seconds in a reasonably normal single-family house is incredible. I would have also been convinced to install a circulation system in that case. For multiple floors or living areas well beyond 200 square meters (about 2,150 square feet), good planning alone eventually isn’t enough—then a circulation system becomes necessary.
...especially since the water from the tap is not really "cold," but in the worst case arrives at room temperature. I obviously can’t speak for others, but I also don’t wash my hands with hot water. And that is pretty much the only use case where I wouldn’t want to wait.
You can generally consider it a comfort feature, but usually, you don’t actually need the circulation system.
You can generally consider it a comfort feature, but usually, you don’t actually need the circulation system.
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