The main reason that a homeowner will want a recirculation system is that it increases convenience by providing virtually instant hot water. Homeowners notice a significant difference, especially in areas that take awhile to get hot water.

When that happens, it’s quite possibly due to sewer gas coming into your home from your floor drain. To keep that gas out, your drain requires a trap, and that trap needs a trap primer.

Hot water recirculatingpump installation diagram

In conclusion, trap primers are very important in your home. They prevent your p-traps from becoming dry so sewage gases have no way of leaking into your home. This can be especially helpful if you own a vacation home that you only visit around once or twice a year.

The system keeps hot water near your appliances. When someone opens the valve to one of the fixtures along the system, the hot water is ready to travel to the desired fixture more quickly than in the case of a conventional hot water heater.

Let’s discuss the trap first. A plumbing trap looks like a U-shaped pipe. This U-shaped pipe also looks like the letter P on its side. That’s why plumbers call it a P Trap. It can be made out of metal or PVC (a synthetic plastic polymer which has a white-plastic look). Take a look under your kitchen sink or bathroom sink to see one for yourself.

Cold water enters your home’s water heater through a cold water line, and the unit turns the system into hot water.  The hot water heater then must transport water from the unit to the different fixtures throughout your home. Closer fixtures receive the hot water much more quickly than fixtures positioned far away from the water heater.

Hot water recirculating systemcost

A recirculation system works by keeping water flowing through plumbing pipes made to reach the furthest points in the plumbing system. A pump ensures the continuous water flow. In dedicated systems, the pump is located at the water heater. For integrated systems, the hot water recirculation pump is located at one of the furthest fixtures in the house.

A recirculation system refers to a plumbing system that promotes the regular flow of hot water throughout the entire house in an attempt to speed up hot water production at remote parts of the house. Recirculation systems are especially common in larger homes and multifamily dwellings.

A recirculating system can benefit both a tankless water heater and a tank water heater. Some people mistakenly assume that since a tankless hot water heater produces hot water on demand that all fixtures receive the water instantaneously, too, but the water still has to travel to the desired fixture.

Hot water recirculatingpump

More so, each plumbing fixture “” from kitchen sinks to toilets to showers to water heaters and more “” is required to have a plumbing trap. The traps stop smelly sewer gases from coming up from the floor drain and into your home. However, in order for these plumbing traps to work “” by “trapping out the sewer gas emissions” “” water needs to drain into them to create a liquid seal.

In a dedicated loop, the pump connects at the bottom of the water heater on the return (or the cool side of the recirculation system). It continuously sends water through the circulation pipes. When someone needs hot water, it opens a valve, and a smaller pipe allows the hot water to reach the desired fixture in seconds.

Put another way, here’s what’s happening. Water is trapped at the bottom of the U-shaped P Trap. This trapped water creates a seal in your pipe, which prevents any sewer gas from coming up through the drain and into your home. Sewer gas can’t get past the seal of water at the bottom of the U-shaped trap. It’s a simple but brilliant solution.

A hot water recirculation pump will cost a new homeowner anywhere from $250 - $3000 depending on the distance the water must travel and the materials required.

A trap primer (or trap primer valve) is a good idea for all of your plumbing fixtures. But don’t hesitate installing them on any plumbing fixtures that aren’t being used regularly. This could be an extra bathroom sink, shower and toilet; or perhaps in a vacation home you only visit once or twice a year.

hot water recirculating systemwith built-in timer

Our professional plumbers can help you identify or install a trap primer. We can even show you where you have floor drains and plumbing fixture traps througout your home.

Not all water heaters are compatible with recirculation systems. Check your user manual to learn more about your particular water heater.

A sensor turns the system on when water temperatures fall below a certain temperature (usually 85°F) and turns it off when water temperatures exceed a certain temperature (usually 100°F).

Water heater recirculation systems can definitely be efficient when installed thoughtfully. Homeowners who must run the shower for several minutes before the water heats up will notice a difference right away. The system can also prevent the hot water from running unnecessarily, saving homeowners on both their water bill and energy bill.

Hot water recirculating systemdiagram

Integrated loops involve a pump installed at the furthest fixture from the water heater, as opposed to installing the pump at the water heater like in a dedicated loop system.

Wattshot water Recirculating System

At U.S. Water Heating Solutions, we offer comprehensive hot water heater services as well as basic plumbing services in select areas. We service both residential and commercial plumbing systems. We can even offer warranty services if your unit is still under warranty.

Why do you need to know what a trap primer is…or for that matter, what a trap is? Because homes, plumbing systems, electric systems, and even the ground can do weird things. Such as emitting a rotten odor you can’t ignore.

A recirculation system consists of a dedicated hot water line loop and a recirculating pump. A circulation pump must be a subversive pump designed to operate under water. To avoid expedited corrosion due to the constant rushing water running through the pipes, use plastic pipes that don’t corrode when possible.

Hot water recirculating systemwith dedicated return line

Sewer gas is not usually harmful in smaller doses. But sewer gas can be harmful over time, with prolonged, heavier doses, if the problem isn’t resolved. The primary gas in sewer gas is hydrogen sulfide. More so, studies have shown that large amounts are toxic to our oxygen systems, with the potential to damage organs and, in rarer circumstances, even cause death.

Hot water recirculating systemwithout dedicated return line

An electricity-powered subversive pump creates a continuous flow of hot water through the system’s piping until it’s requested.

If you notice that there is an unpleasant odor coming from areas of your home where there are floor drains, you may want to check to make sure you don’t have a dry trap and do have a functioning trap primer.

When used wisely, recirculation systems can also improve efficiency. Heated water decreases in temperature when traveling long distances, especially if the pipes don’t have proper insulation. In order to get the desired water temperature to distant fixtures, homeowners may need to increase the unit’s temperature at the thermostat, increasing energy costs. A recirculation system eliminates the need for higher temperatures, and it can actually decrease energy use by 15 - 25% .

Furthermore, getting hot water quickly prevents homeowners from running the water to wait for it to get warm, reducing water waste. Depending on the fixture in question and its flow rate, running water for 5 minutes waiting for the water to get cold can waste 10 gallons every time (assuming a fixture with a 2.0 GPM rate). If this occurs every day, that leads to about 300 gallons of wasted water every month (over 3500 gallons annually).

All plumbing fixtures in a home have floor drains. The floor drains allow water to flow from your house and into a city’s sewer or storm drains. This keeps your floors dry and safe from water damage.

Even the most efficient hot water systems struggle to get hot water to remote fixtures quickly. That’s where recirculation systems come into play. Learn more about hot water recirculation systems and how they can positively impact your hot water availability.

Simply provide us with the details of your water heater and explain the problem. We’ll get you on the schedule and restore hot water to your home, including service to your hot water recirculation system.

Just like the trap, a trap primer is relatively simple to understand. It’s a device that adds water to your plumbing trap. That’s it. And here’s why you need it.

Don’t hesitate to contact or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237). We will immediately handle any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning and drain clearing, and water damage problem, including excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines.

Do you want to install a recirculation system to your water heater, or does your current system require repair? We can help!

If liquid doesn’t go down your drain often enough, the liquid seal ““ the water at the bottom of the U-shaped trap “” will eventually evaporate. With the seal gone, sewer gas is now able to get through the drain pipe and into your home. That’s a serious problem, and can lead to a plumbing emergency (or even a health emergency; scroll down for more on that).