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Customer reviews for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
The Watts Plastic Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer provides instant hot water at your faucet or shower, eliminating water waste caused by waiting for water to heat up. The unique pump design offers quiet, maintenance-free operation and includes a programmable timer that activates the pump only when you need it.
Overall rating:
(64 reviews) 64
Rating breakdown 64 reviews
5 stars
42
4 stars
13
3 stars
2
2 stars
1
1 star
6
56 out of 64(88%)customers recommend this product.
Customer reviews for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Review 1 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
love this product
,PostedApril 17, 2012
jimmer
Age:65 or over
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 month
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
4
/
5
Value
4
/
5
have had one the last 10 years at other home. good .investment, not for water saving, but frustration waiting for hot water in bathroom .
Yes, I recommend this product.
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0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 2 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
This product reduces the wasted water that goes down the drain waiting for hot water to reach the faucet.
,PostedApril 10, 2012
Rich
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:6 months
Ease of installation
3
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Images for this Review
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This product reduces the wasted water that goes down the drain waiting for hot water to reach the faucet.
I installed it on the output of the internal hot water (tank less) coil in my oil burner. I cut the pipe and inserted it in series with the hot water output pipe. I also had to purchase a 3/4 in union and a 3/4 in male thread adapter to complete the installation. I also choose not to use the programmable internal timer or leave it on constantly. Instead I put it on a remote control wireless outlet and can turn it on and off remotely from the bath room. It works great. Prior to installing it three gallons of water would go down the drain before hot water reached the faucets. It take about 4 minutes before the hot water reaches the facet, but we just turn on the remote first and do some other thing until the hot water reaches the faucet I could still choose to use the programmable timer and have it automatically start before we get up or set it to go on and off during the day using the internal timer.
Reading the reviews before I bought this re-circulating pump people were complaining that the hot cold diverter valve that is at the heart of the system "wore out or failed and had to be replaced.
After installation I noticed even with the pump off hot water was still re-circulating in the cold water pipe. At first I thought the hot cold diverter valve had failed. So I ran the hot water until it reached the temperature that it was supposed to close at. The valve did indeed close so the valve was working properly. I discovered I was getting gravity feed through the system from the hot water side to the cold water side. I solved this problem by installing an anti-gravity (one way) valve above the pump. This solved the problem and stopped the siphoning. The system has been working great ever since.
We have been very happy with the system and are saving about 9 gallons of water a day on average that would be about 3285 gallons a year from going down the drain
I installed it on the output of the internal hot water (tank less) coil in my oil burner. I cut the pipe and inserted it in series with the hot water output pipe. I also had to purchase a 3/4 in union and a 3/4 in male thread adapter to complete the installation. I also choose not to use the programmable internal timer or leave it on constantly. Instead I put it on a remote control wireless outlet and can turn it on and off remotely from the bath room. It works great. Prior to installing it three gallons of water would go down the drain before hot water reached the faucets. It take about 4 minutes before the hot water reaches the facet, but we just turn on the remote first and do some other thing until the hot water reaches the faucet I could still choose to use the programmable timer and have it automatically start before we get up or set it to go on and off during the day using the internal timer.
Reading the reviews before I bought this re-circulating pump people were complaining that the hot cold diverter valve that is at the heart of the system "wore out or failed and had to be replaced.
After installation I noticed even with the pump off hot water was still re-circulating in the cold water pipe. At first I thought the hot cold diverter valve had failed. So I ran the hot water until it reached the temperature that it was supposed to close at. The valve did indeed close so the valve was working properly. I discovered I was getting gravity feed through the system from the hot water side to the cold water side. I solved this problem by installing an anti-gravity (one way) valve above the pump. This solved the problem and stopped the siphoning. The system has been working great ever since.
We have been very happy with the system and are saving about 9 gallons of water a day on average that would be about 3285 gallons a year from going down the drain
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
Review 3 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
good product
,PostedApril 10, 2012
Kevin
Ease of installation
2
/
5
Quality
4
/
5
Value
4
/
5
Seems well built.had a few problems installing as I was not sure which Pipe was the h hot water and I needed new hoses.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 4 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Complete package, easy to install
,PostedApril 1, 2012
cbkidder
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 week
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
4
/
5
Wow that was easier to install than I thought. Everything I needed was in the box, including the pipe adapters. It took me less than an hour to install both the pump and the sensor valve. I really like that it came with all the necessary hoses and fittings so I didn't have to spend time in the plumbing purgatory aisle. My house is two stories, and it looks like I will need an additional sensor for the downstairs, so you may want to just buy an extra at the same time you get the pump. My only disappointment is that when I installed the pump on my water heater, the dial is facing the corner, because the chimney is in the way and won't allow me to rotate the pump to make the dial visible. That's no fault of the product, though. And since I plan to run the pump 24/7 I'm not going to set the clock anyway. Highly recommend.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 5 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
So far still doing its job
,PostedMarch 12, 2012
tman
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Ease of installation
4
/
5
Quality
3
/
5
Value
4
/
5
Bought it on sale, installed in Nov/11, beginning of the winter. Hot water pump to the other end pretty quick, 5mins, about 100ft of pipe. Love it for washing hands in the middle of the night.
Drawbacks:
1. the cold water faucet is also warm, it took a few gallons to get cold water
2. If your hot water pipe is T off, somehow one T doesn’t get the pump warm water, not sure the logic yet.
I’ve decided also to put behind a Wireless Remote Control switch, to turn off easily while we’re away or at nights.
Drawbacks:
1. the cold water faucet is also warm, it took a few gallons to get cold water
2. If your hot water pipe is T off, somehow one T doesn’t get the pump warm water, not sure the logic yet.
I’ve decided also to put behind a Wireless Remote Control switch, to turn off easily while we’re away or at nights.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+1point
2out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 6 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Poor Quality Hot/Cold Diverters
,PostedMarch 2, 2012
cdhepcat
Home improvement profile:Professional
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
Ease of installation
4
/
5
Quality
1
/
5
Value
2
/
5
I have had this system in my house for over 10 years and while it is better than nothing, the hot/cold water diverters seem to wear out. We get warm water in our cold faucets. While this is a good price, I'm looking into the Taco D'MAND system that was on "This Old House" because it is set up closer to the need. I had really hoped these would work but after all these years and buying replacement diverters, I am giving up and looking for a new solution.
No, I do not recommend this product.
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+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
Review 7 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Aaahh hot water with no waste of water
,PostedFebruary 24, 2012
WestHillsHomeowner
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
4
/
5
I've been wanting one of these since I bought my house in 2008 but I decided to wait until I changed out the water heater. That was last weekend and I don't know how I ever lived without this. What used to take 6 pitchers of collected water before the hot water would reach the master bath, now takes only one. And that pitcher makes it either to house plants or the fish tank. I can see that if you don't use the timer that this could greatly increase your gas bills but the timer is easy to program and as far as installation, it looked easy enough. I just had the guys that were installing the new water heater do it.
Yes, I recommend this product.
Share this review:
+2points
3out of 4found this review helpful.
Review 8 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Hot water re-circulating pump watts
,PostedFebruary 24, 2012
johnny
Home improvement profile:Professional
Ease of installation
5
/
5
I've had my house now for 10yrs. I always have to wait 7 minutes or so for my furthest away shower to get hot and kitchen. I installed the Watts system and it works great. I now have instant hot water. I read about the senor problems and decided not to install it. It works great without it. I called Watts and they said if your house is plumbed with a "return line" or something like that it's not necessary which mine is." I think you can tell if it's hot instantly." I thought maybe that the senor valve might turn off the pump even when it is running which it doesn't. I can't believe I waited 10 years to install it. I also had to turn down my hot water heater. Although, I've only had it a week; it's great! I
Yes, I recommend this product.
Share this review:
+1point
2out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 9 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Good Investment
,PostedFebruary 21, 2012
Mickey
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 month
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
I should have put one in years ago. Nothing better than having warm to hot water almost immediately when you turn on the faucet. The installation of the pump is pretty straight forward. Make sure that you have an electrical outlet close. I used an extension cord to go around the furnace to plug mine in. The timer on the pump is not real intuitive. I had to read the directions to find that you pushed the pins away from the center to have it turn on, and you had to push all of them out for the period you want it on. Not like your lamp timer. Placed the one "mixing" valve under the kitchen sink, which happened to be the farthest "branch" off the hot water line. Now I have near instant hot water in both bathrooms and in the kitchen.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
Review 10 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Works as advertised.
,PostedFebruary 21, 2012
Ease of installation
4
/
5
Quality
4
/
5
Value
4
/
5
System was straight forward to install, all parts included for both 3/8" and 1/2" installations. I have it set to run when we are most likely to be using it. We used to run 3-4 gallons of water down the drain trying to get hot water, now it's instant.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
Review 11 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
This product worked great, for awhile
,PostedFebruary 17, 2012
Angus
Age:65 or over
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Other
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
Installed in Jan 2009. It worked very well until this week. Now it failed. Replacements for the pump only are not available.
I thing for a device such as this one should expect a longer life span than 3 years.Paid $200.00 for the system and $125.00 for installation
That's to costly to have to replace it every 3 years.
I thing for a device such as this one should expect a longer life span than 3 years.Paid $200.00 for the system and $125.00 for installation
That's to costly to have to replace it every 3 years.
Yes, I recommend this product.
Share this review:
-1point
1out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 12 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
This product will save a LOT of water!
,PostedFebruary 7, 2012
NECT
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
Installation was very easy, if you plan ahead and make sure you have any extra fittings, it can be done in the 1/2 hour claimed. Programming the timer is super simple, and we have already saved gallons and gallons of water due to not having to run the hot water for minutes until the hot water actually reaches the faucet. The only minor down side is that since this circulates through the cold water pipes as well, now if you want "cold" water, you have to run that. I also had to install 2 extra circulation valves as our house had several separate plumbing lines. All work well though.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 13 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
It does what they claim
,PostedFebruary 5, 2012
DIYWalt
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
Ease of installation
4
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
3
/
5
I have had this installed in my home for about a year. My morning shower is now hot in 10 sec rather than a minute and a half. I think the price is a bit high; if this were $125, I would give it 5 stars. Installation: no problem for an experienced do-it-yourselfer.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
Review 14 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
This product is easy to install and has great features
,PostedJanuary 31, 2012
justme
Age:65 or over
Gender:Female
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 month
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Great to have hot water when you need it with out wasting water waiting for it to get hot to do dishes or shower. Saves on your water usage. You don't run out of hot water taking a shower. Takes less than an hour to install and can be installed with out professional help. LOVE IT!
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 15 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Second one I've purchased
,PostedJanuary 30, 2012
RJHill
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
If you're tired of waiting for the warm water this is for you. I have installed this item twice in both homes I've live in over the past seven years. It saved water without raising my power bill. The pump comes with one sensor, but normally it will take a second sensor to keep the entire house system working properly. That means a second sensor kit purchase which cost around fifty dollars. I highly recommend this product if you are tired of waiting a couple minutes for the warm water to arrive at the faucet.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
Review 16 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Great product and easy to install.
,PostedJanuary 10, 2012
apextony
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 month
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
4
/
5
I installed one of these on my house a few years ago and installed this one at my parents' house in Dec 2011. They are very happy with this product and wonder now just how much water they have been wasting over the years without it!
No additional trips to Home Depot were needed to install this product...everything you will normally need is included. The pump itself is actually a very high quality german made one I'm familiar with from many years in the aquarium hobby.
The price has gone up quite a bit since I first installed mine which is the only reason I gave it less than highest rating for value. I still think it's worth it even at the higher price.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
Review 17 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
So Far, So Good
,PostedJanuary 4, 2012
BillRM
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Length of ownership:1 week
Ease of installation
4
/
5
Quality
4
/
5
Value
4
/
5
Installed it today. For an amateur, allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours for installation. About 30 minutes of that will be prep time in reading instructions, understanding how the system works, and locating optimum installation locations, etc. The only tools I needed were a crescent wrench and a pair of vise-grip pliers. - I have a plumbing manifold system, with five hot water branches. Ideally, I should put one of the sensors at each branch end, but I'm settling for one in the master bath under a lavatory for now. I may add more later.
Yes, I recommend this product.
Share this review:
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
Review 18 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Works good
,PostedJanuary 4, 2012
Ed15
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
4
/
5
Nice to have the warm water fast, saves on water, very easy to program timer, easy to install on water heater.
Yes, I recommend this product.
Share this review:
-1point
0out of 1found this review helpful.
Review 19 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Don't recommend
,PostedDecember 30, 2011
mj65
I have had 2 of these installed...both worked for about 1-2 months and then both burned out.....They need to make them more robust or something.
No, I do not recommend this product.
Share this review:
-1point
1out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 20 for Hot Water Re-Circulating Pump with Timer
Overall rating
Works well and easy to install
,PostedDecember 28, 2011
Will
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Other
Length of ownership:1 month
Ease of installation
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Once I understood that the pump and valve went at different points in the hot water system (pump goes at the water heater and the plastic valve at the farthest point in the hot/cold water system) the install was much easier.
Make sure you read the manual first. The timer setting is easy - if you've read the directions. Typical for most men, I didn't bother and just fiddled with the timer. It would have saved me a few minutes to read the instructions.
Watch that you have a 120 volt outlet near the pump. If you do, insure you put the pump close enough to reach with the cord.
The people at HD were helpful. I needed some help with the right plumbing fittings. I got the "Shark" brand connectors. They needed no soldering. They do cost a bit more, but they were easy to install. Make sure you get some Teflon tape for the threaded fittings on the pump.
Watch that you have a 120 volt outlet near the pump. If you do, insure you put the pump close enough to reach with the cord.
The people at HD were helpful. I needed some help with the right plumbing fittings. I got the "Shark" brand connectors. They needed no soldering. They do cost a bit more, but they were easy to install. Make sure you get some Teflon tape for the threaded fittings on the pump.
So far, we're happy and would recommend this pump. The pump comes on just before we get up and goes off at bedtime. No more wasted water or washing hands with 50 degree water! Our home is Flagstaff and the cold water (in the winter) is 45 to 50 degrees.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+8points
8out of 8found this review helpful.