Hello everyone!
I'm finally getting to do my own bathroom renovation (spend most of my time doing everyone else's). The bathroom is on the ground floor and the hot water cylinder is at the other side of the house on the first floor. The house isn't huge but I'm sick of running the hot tap and wasting considerable amounts of water to get hot coming out of the tap so I'd like to install a secondary hot return.
Access is limited. but I think I have a good run through the pitched roof rafters (above bathroom and kitchen) to get most of the run that way. I had initially planned to use 'Qualpex easy lay' pipe as I need the flexibility. But then after researching found out it must be done in copper or appropriate multi layer pipe. Copper would be near impossible to do I think or be a right PITA. It seems my only other viable option is to use 16mm multi layer pipe. This would then be meticulously lagged in Armaflex pipe insulation. I plan to fit an appropriate brass pump.
I will certainly not want the pump running constantly. The timer option doesn't really suit either so I was thinking of (tip from another plumber) connecting the power for the pump to a motion sensor in the bathroom, via a pipe stat on the return pipework.
If all that sounds okay (please tell me if I've missed anything fundamental) I'm then thinking of a few different set ups. I've attached a pic with options:
Option 1 (preferred): to install the pump and pipe stat under the bath (I can route the pipework to pass this way)
Option 2: install pump in cupboard with cylinder upstairs (although this is in my daughters room and pump noise may be undesirable!).
Questions:
I thought the pipe stat might be best positioned at the START of the return pipework (see pic) so it switches off sooner without filling the return pipe with hot water unnecessary?
My cylinder is 48" copper insulated vented and has no inlet for the return pipe so I plan to retro fit one. How easy is this to do? It there a special fitting for this (I can come in with 1/2" copper)? The cylinder has two side immersions.
Or is it an option for the return pipe to continue up into the attic and dump into the CW storage tank? or dump into the feed from CW tank to HW cylinder?
Do I need check valves or none return valves anywhere in the above set up?
Many many thanks for any sound advice.
Adam
I'm finally getting to do my own bathroom renovation (spend most of my time doing everyone else's). The bathroom is on the ground floor and the hot water cylinder is at the other side of the house on the first floor. The house isn't huge but I'm sick of running the hot tap and wasting considerable amounts of water to get hot coming out of the tap so I'd like to install a secondary hot return.
Access is limited. but I think I have a good run through the pitched roof rafters (above bathroom and kitchen) to get most of the run that way. I had initially planned to use 'Qualpex easy lay' pipe as I need the flexibility. But then after researching found out it must be done in copper or appropriate multi layer pipe. Copper would be near impossible to do I think or be a right PITA. It seems my only other viable option is to use 16mm multi layer pipe. This would then be meticulously lagged in Armaflex pipe insulation. I plan to fit an appropriate brass pump.
I will certainly not want the pump running constantly. The timer option doesn't really suit either so I was thinking of (tip from another plumber) connecting the power for the pump to a motion sensor in the bathroom, via a pipe stat on the return pipework.
If all that sounds okay (please tell me if I've missed anything fundamental) I'm then thinking of a few different set ups. I've attached a pic with options:
Option 1 (preferred): to install the pump and pipe stat under the bath (I can route the pipework to pass this way)
Option 2: install pump in cupboard with cylinder upstairs (although this is in my daughters room and pump noise may be undesirable!).
Questions:
I thought the pipe stat might be best positioned at the START of the return pipework (see pic) so it switches off sooner without filling the return pipe with hot water unnecessary?
My cylinder is 48" copper insulated vented and has no inlet for the return pipe so I plan to retro fit one. How easy is this to do? It there a special fitting for this (I can come in with 1/2" copper)? The cylinder has two side immersions.
Or is it an option for the return pipe to continue up into the attic and dump into the CW storage tank? or dump into the feed from CW tank to HW cylinder?
Do I need check valves or none return valves anywhere in the above set up?
Many many thanks for any sound advice.
Adam
