DHW Recirculation Systems Guide

The Problem:
Waiting for Hot Water
It’s a common problem: turn on the faucet or shower
for hot water, then wait for it to arrive. In fact, the
wait can be up to two minutes in larger homes with
multiple bathrooms and long runs of pipe between the
plumbing xtures and the water heater! With a Taco
Domestic Hot Water Recirculation System in place,
there’s no more wait. Instant hot water!
Waiting Means Wasting
Waiting for hot water sends millions of gallons of
cooled water down the drain each year. In fact, an
average family of four wastes up to 12,000 gallons of
water each year waiting for hot water.* Water con-
servation is so important that many US states and
municipalities routinely impose watering bans and
oer rebate incentives to help conserve this natural
resource.
*Source: Dept. of Energy study.
Domestic Hot Water Recirculation
Energy Down The Drain
Of course, all that “waiting water” contains some heat
energy (BTU’s), even if it’s only room temperature.
Wasting those BTU’s and starting over with fresh, cold
water to heat up requires even more heat energy.
So in addition to wasting water, millions of BTU’s
and energy dollars are wasted, too.
The Solution:
Install a Taco Domestic Hot Water
Recirculation (DHWR) Product
Provide your customers with the comfort and
convenience of instant hot water without the waste.
Taco DHWR circulators are designed to meet a variety
of DHWR system types, and oer customers a variety
of options to control hot water delivery to faucets
and showers.
System Types & Products
Dedicated return line piping.
This system is provided with a dedicated return line
installed between the end of the hot water supply pipe
and the water heater. A circulator is installed in the pip-
ing loop to move the hot water from the tank through
the supply pipe and back through the return pipe.
Taco provides three great options for this system:
• Plumb N'Plug®
• SmartPlus™
• On Command™
Piping without a return line.
A domestic hot water system without a dedicated return
line requires a "point of use" product that is typically
installed at the xture furthest from the hot water heater.
The cold water supply pipe is used as the return line to
the water heater. The new Taco On Command™ is
a great choice for this application.
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