4 ms·

According to their actual website, you can set it up so that it feeds the warmed water back into the water heater, rather than straight back into the shower. Ap

According to their actual website, you can set it up so that it feeds the warmed water back into the water heater, rather than straight back into the shower. Apparently there are thermostatic mixing valves that would probably help with your problem as well (although I just read that in their FAQ and really don't actually know what that even means).

eru 18y ago
I have a thermostatic mixing valve in my shower. You have two knobs: One for volume and one for temperature. That's all you need to know to use it. The valve keeps adjusting the mixture of hot and cold water until the desired temperature is achieved. (Alas it can only achieve convex combinations.)
Retric 18y ago
Thermostatic mixing valves use a thermostat to control the ratio of hot and cold water to output a selected temperature. Basically you select a desired temperature and the system attempts to provide you with it. This let's you use the shower while the hot water pipes are still heating up even though the hot water's temperature is changing.
ars 18y ago
Of course you can feed it that way, but the plumbing would be very convoluted - up to the shower, through the machine, and back down to the heater. The loss in water pressure would be bad, and can you imagine having two showers? The plumbing would be nuts. I know about thermostatic mixing valves, but I'd have to break the wall of the shower, and redo all the tile. But I guess if I'm putting in this device I could do it at the same time. But all the thermostatic mixing values I know of actually work on water pressure - so if someone turns on a faucet it automatically adjusts to keep the temperature correct. I don't know of any that actually measure the temperature of the water, which is what is needed to help this device. If you want to do this properly you install a heat exchanger on your main sewer stack, and then route the incoming water line through it. They do exist, this concept is not new.

eru 18y ago

I have a thermostatic mixing valve in my shower. You have two knobs: One for volume and one for temperature. That's all you need to know to use it. The valve keeps adjusting the mixture of hot and cold water until the desired temperature is achieved. (Alas it can only achieve convex combinations.)

Retric 18y ago

Thermostatic mixing valves use a thermostat to control the ratio of hot and cold water to output a selected temperature. Basically you select a desired temperature and the system attempts to provide you with it. This let's you use the shower while the hot water pipes are still heating up even though the hot water's temperature is changing.

ars 18y ago

Of course you can feed it that way, but the plumbing would be very convoluted - up to the shower, through the machine, and back down to the heater. The loss in water pressure would be bad, and can you imagine having two showers? The plumbing would be nuts. I know about thermostatic mixing valves, but I'd have to break the wall of the shower, and redo all the tile. But I guess if I'm putting in this device I could do it at the same time. But all the thermostatic mixing values I know of actually work on water pressure - so if someone turns on a faucet it automatically adjusts to keep the temperature correct. I don't know of any that actually measure the temperature of the water, which is what is needed to help this device. If you want to do this properly you install a heat exchanger on your main sewer stack, and then route the incoming water line through it. They do exist, this concept is not new.