Product Review: WaterQuick Recirculation Pump by FasterHotWater.com

Greg Reviews the WaterQuick recirculation pump system by Faster Hot Water.com

This system accommodates all home plumbing setups: tankless or tank water heaters and both homes with and without a recirculation return line.

For Tankless setups, it promises faster delivery of hot water as conventional recirculation pumps aren't compatible with tankless systems. They offer a setup tailored for every home plumbing system.

For systems without a recirculation line, a high capacity automatic crossover valve is provided for installation at the point of use. This valve will then allow cool water to be pushed back into the cold water supply until the hot water arrives at the sink.

For the installation in the video, the system was deployed on a home with a conventional recirculation pump that ran on a daily timer. That pump ran during those times whether the residents were home or not, and didn't necessarily run at the times they would want hot water! The unnecessary running of the old recirc pump took energy to run the pump and heat the pipe and its path (attic, basement, or slab). While it conserved water, it wasted energy.

How it Works

Most recirculation systems sacrafice energy efficiency to save water by providing hot water faster than a system without one.

The WaterQuick system runs a slightly faster recirculation pump on demand, saving water, but also saving energy. When hot water demand is sensed, the system is triggered. Therefore, to take the best advantage of it, it is best to start hot water flow for about a second, about a minute before hot water use is actually planned. For example, trigger the hot water pump on the way TO the toilet, so it's ready when you're out.

We found the pump worked as claimed. While the difference is hot water performance was transparent in this installation (besides being more energy efficient) significant gains can be expected on a tankless system.

Personal Perspective

The existing pump in my home is like the one removed in this video, I do not operate that same pump because it runs by timer and thermostat and wastes heat. So, my existing circulation pump is a waste. Therefore I do not use it.

The new pump in the video by fasterhotwater.com is not only a better system, but it would be my best choice because when circulation pumps run all the time or too often, (like the pump removed in video), the heat loss is not only a waste of money, but the pipes can be damaged by the wear of the water flow velocity causing leaks. Also excessive circulation and velocity may cause water damage and or thousands of dollars in re-piping expenses.

In my home I have a solar thermal water heater system whereas the sun heats the water while the sun shines, but in the winter the sun shines less and the reduced gain of hot water causes the electric back up to heat the water. When the over circulation allows heat loss, my back up costs me money. When the heat loss from circulation is in the concrete slab, the lost heat warms the house and in summer that increases the AC expenses, because heat rises and the loss becomes a double expense. So in both winter and summer the operation of a poor hot water circulator is very bad. This is why the fasterhotwater.com pump system is better year round and on any hot water system. By pumping ONLY when you want hot water each and every time, you get the smartest use of hot water circulation.

As a plumber I am paid to remove many of the timer controlled pumps because the customers first paid to install a system then the water heating bill went up. This FasterHotWater.com pump system reviewed here is very smart, simple, cost effective and a best choice.