Laing Thermotech E Series 0.02 HP E1-BCTVNNNW-01 Circulating Pump with Adjustable Speed and Plug

A:  This pump circulates hot water. It pushes water in the hot water line, which has cooled, back to the water heater. Recirculating hot water insures that there is always hot water at the faucet. The pump has nothing to do with the production of hot water. However I suspect I know what is wrong in your installation. It is piped wrong. It is a common mistake I have seen many seasoned plumbers make. You have a hot line that goes from the hot water heater to the faucet. That pipe continues back to the hot water heater to form a big circle. The pump is located on that return line close to the hot water heater. When you open a faucet you create a pressure drop and water moves to pressure drop. You want the water to come to the faucet up that hot line and only up that hot water line. However water takes the path of least resistance. I am pretty confident, that you are also getting water flow backwards through return line. That water is coming from the bottom of the hot water heater so it is cold. That cold water is diluting the hot water. If I am right you can solve this by fixing the installation. When you have a system that has a dedicated return line, you need a check valve; on the return line. This insures that water only moves in one direction. Back to the hot water heater. The check valve prevents water from going backwards through the return line. If you Google “water recirculation diagrams” in Google images you will see this check valve in many of the illustrations. The check valve needs to be on the return line. The location is important. A check valve on the hot water line going to the faucet will not stop backwards flow through the return line. Lastly the speed has nothing to do with what you are experiencing. The speed adjustment has to do with calibrating the flow to work with some tankless hot water heaters. If I am wrong and you want to talk further please feel free to call. Chris 978 651 3301

A:  It all depends on the piping layout in the home. As each home is piped differently I cannot give you a definitive answer. Some houses are pipe in series and everything is on one line and it that case yes. Others have baths that are spread out on long branches that would require multiple pumps.