Nestled within a 20+-year-old home, deep in the heart of the Houston suburb of Klein, Texas, the Stansifer family faced a familiar homeowner problem: a painfully long three-to-five-minute wait for hot water every time they turned on a faucet.
Richie Stansifer recounts his daily routine, "In the mornings, I used to turn on the shower, go into the kitchen and get the coffee started, and then come back to the shower, and it would just start getting hot.” Despite having two tankless water heaters, the long wait times were caused by the distance the water needed to travel, coupled with the time for the tankless heaters to kick in.
The 20+-year old Stansifer home was waiting three to five minutes for hot water every time they turned on a faucet. Photos courtesy of Grundfos
The challenge
Myron Grimes from PMI Sales & Marketing explains, “This is a common homeowner problem when even after running the water for some time, you still get that unpleasant slug of cold water that's still in the line."
The Stansifers’ patience was wearing thin as they watched perfectly clean water go down the drain, and energy and time adding up.
Richie, who works for Ferguson, a national plumbing distributor, recognized the inefficiency of their current system and knew that installing a recirculation pump offered a solution to their hot water woes. But older homes like the Stansifers' present unique challenges for creating a hot water bypass system. The family sought an energy-efficient, cost-effective solution to enhance their home's water heating efficiency while ensuring a quick and reliable hot water supply.
Grundfos' ALPHA are high-efficiency variable speed circulators designed for circulating liquids in heating and domestic hot-water recirculation systems. The pumps are simple, fast and easy to install and operate. Photos courtesy of Grundfos
Solution and results
Enter the perfect solution: the Grundfos ALPHA COMFORT SYSTEM hot water recirculation pump. This innovative system, compatible with both tank and tankless water heaters, offered the Stansifers an efficient way to get hot water in seconds. The system's unique design allowed for an easy installation in the family's older home, creating a simple loop system and bypassing the previous inefficiencies.
Grimes explains the concept behind the Grundfos ALPHA COMFORT SYSTEM.
"We’re adding a small pump, not much bigger than a grapefruit,” he says, “We also add a small T crossover valve that goes under a fixture in the cabinet out of sight. So, we’re creating a loop for the hot water to transfer from fixture to fixture and back into itself.”
The system's unique design allowed for an easy installation in the family's older home, creating a simple loop system and bypassing the previous inefficiencies. Photos courtesy of Grundfos
He praised the system for its water-saving technology and simplicity, adding, “There’s not a lot of plumbing involved. You’re changing out some supply lines and connecting a pump. Not too many modifications. People don’t realize how simple of a fix this can be – probably a two-hour job, and your comfort level will be through the roof.”
Since installing the Grundfos ALPHA COMFORT SYSTEM, the Stansifer family enjoys the benefits of nearly instant hot water.
“I turn on the shower, and hot water flows out in less than 10 seconds,” Richie says. This new hot water recirculation system increased the family’s comfort level and contributed to lower water and energy bills by saving thousands of gallons of water annually. Richie says, “For me, it’s all about money. I love to save money any way I can. I love the comfort. I love that I can jump in the shower on a cold morning and not sit there and freeze for five minutes. But if I can save money on the water bill, that’s what it’s all about.”
Since installing the Grundfos ALPHA COMFORT SYSTEM, the Stansifer family enjoys the benefits of nearly instant hot water. Photos courtesy of Grundfos
The Grundfos ALPHA COMFORT SYSTEM hot water recirculation pump proved to be a game-changer for the Stansifer Family. Its easy installation, compatibility with various water heating systems and remarkable energy efficiency make it a versatile solution for homeowners seeking to improve their hot water supply while reducing their environmental footprint.
Learn more about the benefits of the Grundfos ALPHA COMFORT SYSTEM at grundfos.to/HWR-EXPLORE.
