Hot water saving and innovation
Every morning before householders step into the shower, the cold water in the hot water pipes has to be expelled before the hot water arrives. If the bathroom is some distance from the heater, that represents a lot of wasted water. In fact, for the average four person dwelling, this can amount to 20,000 litres of water down the drain each year*.
The same applies to kitchens that might be some distance from the heater. There’s a lot of water cooling in hot water lines running through ceilings and down wall cavities, waiting for someone to turn on the tap.
Australia’s plumbing contractors now have a solution, one that is quick and very easy to install. Best of all, when they go to present their bill, they know that their customers will be very happy to pay it because the job will save them water for years to come.
The solution
A clever water innovation, a small recirculation pump and valve system from Grundfos, called the Comfort System, allows plumbing businesses to quickly retrofit existing homes – without needing to fit a return water line. The result is instant hot water from existing electrical water heating systems, no matter how far the kitchen or the bathroom is from the hot water tank.
The job only takes about 30 minutes and the benefits are instant to customers – hot water on tap with no waste.
For Jayson Webb, Branch Manager of Authorised Grundfos Dealer, McCracken’s Water Services Warwick (QLD), it was important to ensure the product was easy to install, and worked well.
“The first one we had, I installed at my place,” he said.
“I was very surprised that it was that easy to install,” he said.
Once an electrician had installed a power point on the outside wall by the heating unit, Jayson was ready to start.
“I installed the pump on the (water) line and then the Comfort valve kit under the vanity, and that was it – I had no trouble at all.”
For homes with roof cavity hot water systems, where there’s already a power point, an electrician isn’t even required.
The Grundfos Comfort System allows recirculation of cold water in the line via a valve, to be very quickly replaced by hot water just released from the hot water system. It uses the cold water supply line as the ‘return line’ to the water heater. The pump creates a pressure differential that allows the cooling water in the hot water supply line to bypass into the cold supply line through a thermostatically controlled valve.
Because the system uses the main supply line, there’s no need to install a new return line, saving four to five hours’ work.
Less time – less cost to the householder. The small circular pump is installed on the outlet pipe of the hot water storage tank. The valve provides the bypass. When the water temperature reaches a set temperature at the valve – around 38 degrees Centigrade – it closes and stops the circulation. The valve, near the tap, requires no electricity, allowing very quick fitting.
Jayson Webb is satisfied the innovation will prove to be popular. Within a few months of the installation in his own home, two others had been installed in private homes, and another two in an exclusive resort, where customers expect ‘state of the art’ bathrooms.
“From my own personal experience, I am happy to recommend the Grundfos Comfort System. Having had one at my own house it gives me the utmost confidence in selling them to our customers, and once you explain the benefits, they basically sell themselves.”
The Grundfos outcome
The outcome for private homes across Australia as well as motels, hotels and housing resorts is an instant hot water solution that is welcomed by users who usually expect a few minutes’ wait until the hot water starts flowing.
For plumbers and plumbing contractors the Grundfos Comfort System provides an easy and quick solution to a common problem, helping them build their businesses.
*Source: Report from Professor Hugo Feurich, professor of Engineering and member of VDI (Society of German Engineers).