Are you tired turning on your shower or sink faucet only to have to wait what feels like forever to get hot water? Do you just hate wasting usable water because it’s just too darn cold for the reason you need it? Did you think there was nothing you can do about these issues? Well, we here at Elk Grove Sewer and Plumbing are here to tell you that you can, and we will do something about it!

You should consider installing a circulating pump to your water lines. This special pump is designed to continuously circulate or move the water that sits unused in your pipes and maintain its temperature using an electric motor. On-demand hot water!

Once installed, the circulating pump will keep a small, steady supply of hot water running through your pipes, so when you wake up at 5am and are the first to shower, you can just jump right in! No need to waste precious cold water down your drain while waiting for it to warm up, as it will now be warm or hot water from the start!

With a circulating pump you will be conserving water; however, your energy usage may go up from keeping the heating element running. However, some circulating pumps come with temperature and timer gauges so that you can set your circulating water to a “warm water” instead of “hot water” temperature; and so that you can pick the time or times of day that you would like the circulating water to be available.

For instance, you may be mainly concerned about the freezing cold water you currently use to start off your 5am shower – you enjoy it to be more around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. With a circulating pump that is equipped with temperature and timer gauges you can set the water trapped in your pipes to be heated to 70 degrees Fahrenheit around 4:30am. When you turn on your shower at 5am, the water will flow out warm at a comfy 70 degrees, instead of cold at 50 degrees, and you can jump in right away and enjoy it warming up from there. This results in less wasted cold water, and less energy being used to circulate 70 degree water during the hours you are sleeping.

Circulating pumps are energy conscious and can be a great addition to your plumbing system. However, they are not recommended if your plumbing system is made of copper or if you have soft water, as those pipes are sensitive to heat and the hot water flowing through them would constitute greater energy to counteract the heat loss from the circulating pump.

If the idea of having warm or hot water on-demand is appealing to you, call our plumbing experts at Elk Grove Village Sewer and Plumbing. We can help keep your water flowing warm all year round!