Archive for December, 2011
Comparing The Watts Premier Recirculating Pump To The Chilipepper Hot Water Pump
The Watts Premier Hot Water Recirculating System
According to Watts the Premier Recirculating system gives you hot water instantly at every faucet. Here’s the quote from their website: “Watts Premiers Hot Water Recirculation Pump brings convenience and saving to your home giving you hot water instantly at every faucet when you need it.”
Technically thats not really true
A lukewarm water circulating system
The Watts Premier system is what I like to call a lukewarm water circulating system. The system consists of a valve for placement under the sink and a pump located at the water heater. The pump creates a pressure difference between the hot water faucet and the cold water faucet.
The valve connects between the hot and cold water faucets and when the temperature drops to below 98 water flows through the valve bringing hot water towards the sink/faucet/valve installation.
When the valve senses a temperature above 98 the valve closes and water stops flowing. In other words it operates identically to a traditional temperature controlled hot water circulating system except instead of hot water it circulates warm water and of course uses the cold water line as the return line.
Wasting energy
The water may not be hot but it is much warmer than with no premier system consequently your water heater will have to consume more energy to keep the water in that big heat exchanger you call your hot and cold water plumbing system warm.
One nice thing about the Watts pump is that you can place a valve under every sink if you wish and get faster hot water to any or every fixture. However you will at the same time increase the energy consumption of your system.
Won’t work with tankless water heaters
The pump is very small and does not consume much energy however as a result it can’t pump much water either. It’s unlikely that the Watts Premier will be able to turn on even a small tankless water heater. According to the pump curves on the Watts website the pump cutoff pressure is about 1.5 psi.
Watts uses a Grundfos UP1510SU7/TLC pump with a 1/25 horsepower motor which consumes 25 watts. The pump runs continuously so running it for say 16 hours a day would consume 25 watts/hour x 16 hours/day x 365 days/yr = 146000 Watt/hours per year in electrical energy consumption. Thats 146 kWh and at say 13 cents per kWh would be 19.00 per year. This would be substantially less than the energy lost due to circulating warm water.
The hot water will of course arrive more quickly than if the pipes were allowed to cool down completely because being colder they would suck more heat out of the oncoming cold water as it flowed to the faucet. But it certainly can not be called “Instant Hot Water”. Maybe “Instant Warm Water”.
The listed price for the Watts Premier system on its website is 225.00
The Chilipepper Model CP6000 Demand Hot Water Pump
The Chilipepper CP6000 is a demand type hot water delivery system. It only pumps the water to the fixture when you “demand it” by pressing a button. The Chilipepper pump mounts under the sink and connects to the hot and cold water supply valves like the Watts valve. A power outlet is needed to plug the pump into.
When the button is pressed the pump begins pumping the water to the fixture returning the cooled off hot water in the hot water pipes back to the water heater through the cold water pipes. When the pump detects hot water arriving it shuts off so hot water does not get into the cold water line.
Faster hot water
The CP6000 pump has a powerful 1/3 horsepower high rpm motor with a cutoff pressure of about 50 psi. That gives it the ability to pump the water to the fixture more quickly than the hot water would arrive if you just turned on the faucet fullblast.
No wasted energy
Since all it does is fill the hot water pipes between the fixture and the water heater with hot water just as you would do by running the faucet you don’t use any additional energy from the water heater with the system. Since the pump runs for a very brief time it uses far less electricity than the Watts pump about 2.00 per year.
Works with any tankless water heater
The powerful motor also means it will work with any tankless water heater on the market…no problem. Since tankless water heaters typically take 10 to 20 seconds longer to get water to the fixtures the CP6000 is a very nice accessory for any tankless water heater gas or electric. You get your hot water very quickly with no additional energy penalty and you save a lot of water.
Easier installation
The CP6000 is easier to install since all you need to do is connect up the hoses under the sink. You don’t have to shut down the water heater and disconnect the existing plumbing connections and you don’t have to turn off the water supply or purge the hot water lines of air etc.
The CP6000 retails for 179.99 and comes with a button a six foot control wire and two T fittings with adaptors for 1/2″ or 3/8″ hoses.
The CP6000 can be purchased bundled with a remote control receiver and transmitter for 215.99.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Metlund Dmand System compared with Chilipepper CP6000 pump: Metlund Dmand InfoUseful information about water heaters including tankless hot water heaters: Storage Water Heaters Instant hot water systems.
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Comfortable Furnishings Are Finding Place Everywhere
While the renovation of my home was on I was looking for the most elegant option for my home furnishings. I must give credit to two unforgettable events of my life which coincidentally appeared during those days. These events guided my decision to purchase bean bags and similar accessories for different segments of my refurbished house. It was like my introduction to an unfamiliar world of comfortable furnishings. Also I came to know about the fact that these admirable pieces are discovering their essence at different places like .
A Fruitful Visit To Friend’s Party
I must thank my friend for inviting me to party at his home which was recently purchased by him. It was a delight for my eyes to watch modern furnishings including beautiful chairs and sofas. While I became curious to know about these furnishings my friend introduced these trendy items as love sac to all eyes guests present in the party. I was deeply impressed by the color and sturdiness of these furniture accessories. When I made myself comfortable on one of those captivating pieces I felt myself flying on cloud 9 as I had never experienced anything like this before in my life.
My Uncle Inaugurated His New Store
The memories of comfortable furnishings remained in my mind for few days and time was set for other inspirational event. The occasion was inauguration ceremony of my uncle’s furniture store. I was more than happy to see similar range of beanbags and sacs included in the collections. It was a nice experience to locate these furnishings in different shapes and sizes. Also I got to explore furnishings fabricated from different types of materials.
Now I was undoubtedly heading towards purchase of worthy furnishings for my reinvented home. Amongst other items the one I liked the most was a beautiful lovesac . My family supported my decision and equally appreciated the potency of our new furnishings to offer a different look for various parts of the home.
The good news is that these accessories are great options for distinct types of atmosphere prevailing at one’s home. With large variations in the form of size shape and color these furnishings are no less than miracles for home dcor options. And I can myself feel the difference while sitting upon one of these chairs and writing these words of appreciation for the designers of these modern day furnishings.
About the writer: For a guided information on bean bags and purchasing them have a look at authors site. His observation on lovesac are found on his website.
Bidets: The Mystery Bathroom Fixture
Often just an object of shock and wonder in a North American bathroom the bidet is slowly becoming a more accepted element in bathrooms outside of Europe and Asia. Hopefully this trend will continue to the point where prospective buyers are pleasantly surprised to see a bidet in a home instead of embarrassed or confused. The first step to acceptance is understanding so let’s see what this bidet thing is all about.
The biggest benefit to installing a bidet in your bathroom is cleanliness. Consider the bidet as a minishower for after you use the toilet as well as any time in between that you might need freshening up. However in North America the bidet has a sordid mystique probably because the main focus of the fixture is to clean the genital region.
With the current trends to luxurious spa type master bathrooms a bidet can fit right in with that highend European hotel atmosphere. Consider one also if you’re looking to make a house more accessible to residents or buyers who might be elderly or disabled. A bidet particularly one that’s built into a toilet works well with the philosophy of universal design by helping anyone with less than optimal mobility to use the washroom on their own.
There are quite a few bidet options if you’re looking to join the modern era of hygiene. There are two types of stand alone bidet which is what most people imagine when they think of a bidet. The classic style of bidet is basically a low sink that resembles a seatless toilet that is utilized by filling the bowl up and straddling it to wash. The more frequently seen French bidet is similar but instead of filling the bowl to wash it has a spout that shoots water upwards. Either type can be used as a rinse or with soap.
If you don’t have the space or the money to install a stand alone bidet don’t fret there are options that you can incorporate to your existing space as well. There are a variety of bidet seats that you can install on your existing toilet that range from very simple and inexpensive to very fancy and pricey. There are Japanese versions of bidet seats called washlets that have an amazing array of extra options like warm air drying music fans heated seats and massage. Another option that’s a little different is the hand held bidet. This basically is a spray nozzle that you plumb into your toilet’s plumbing. It looks and works just like a sink sprayer you might have in your kitchen.
Europeans have been using bidets for over a hundred years but we have been very slow in picking up this hygienic habit. Any of the bidet types will improve your hygiene routine; just take the time to decide what options are most important to you before you make your decision.
About the writer: Carolyn Capalbo is an expert military relocation specialist and real estate agent serving Northern Virginia real estate. Visit Just4Real.com to find updated market information about areas in Prince William including Chantilly VA real estate.