There are some advantages, especially getting hot water sooner to fixtures you use all the time. There is always a possibility of leaks but a recirculation pump added to a copper system that did not have it before could potentially find weak areas in the system as noted by the other poster here regarding turbulence and bad copper sweat joints.
One thing I have always noticed is that customers don't program their recirc pumps so the pump runs all the time. If you do some research you can find programmable ones and even some that can detect motion through a sensor and turn on the pump when someone occupies a space such as your master bath. This way the pump does not constantly run and there is less likelihood of leaks. Just a few things to consider

Thanks for the info. Once triggered to start be it sensor or timer, I assume it's roughly the same amount of time to heat up as if you opened the line?

Yeah its got to get the stagnant cold water out of the line. Timer can be good especially if you're a creature of habit i.e. if you wake up everyday at 7 to go to work set it to run from 6:15 to 8:00 then do same for times when you come home. Keep it off during night that sort of thing.
I personally don't have any experience with motion sensor ones I saw a brochure for it once. It's funny because my house was built in 86 and same set up, master bath farthest fixture from water heater. Hot water takes forever I just have not addressed it.

The old saying applies to me "the carpenters house is never finished"....

Ha! Ain't that the truth.


A timer definitely seems to be the way to go. In thinking about it, it would really only need to be on for a pretty short period each day.

There are also recirculation pumps with a push button. It's a round, white, lighted button that looks like a button for a door bell. I've seen those with an optional remote control. Just wake up and aim it at your master bath, and you'll have hot water by the time you walk in there.

I'm still not a fan, though. Some people don't like running the water for a minute or so. My way of thinking is that the water will get treated and reused. The coal that was burned to power the pump is gone forever, and we don't have 200 million years to wait for more. That and the higher chance of leaks add up to no pump for me.

That's a great point. When I use my shower I kick it on, let it run while I'm tending to other business. By the time that's done, water is hot. Now my master bath lavatory faucet I have timed. It takes over 5 minutes to get hot water unless of course I've been running the shower or bathtub.
On top of that some of those retrofit pumps are well over $500 and I just can't justify it. I've been in this house over three years and have just come to live with it.
I like your point about energy that's something my customers ask about and I tell em yeah it will use electricity but now I can add your point. What part of TX are you?

You could probably make the argument that the energy used to get that water cleaned and back into the system outweighs the cost of recirculating the water. Not saying it is, just a thought.

Austin area. I work for a company in Austin.

Odd coincidence WRT this thread: I went to a house a few days ago for a bid to repipe a whole house. I had been there 6 weeks ago for a slab leak/reroute. My repair was their third or fourth slab leak. No leak this time. They want to go all PEX overhead before a remodel with hardwood floors. Stop a leak before it starts.

Recirc pump or pinhole leaks from electrolysis?

No pump, but unknown cause for leak. We don't repair lines under the slab. Just reroute overhead. Found the manifold pretty easily. Cut open wall in garage opposite worst buckling in dinning room laminate floor. Old cuts & couplings on lines coming up from floor.

The boss says no jackhammering slabs. Apparently a bad experience before I started working there. Can't say I disagree, though. Much less destructive/disruptive to just go overhead from the manifold.

Yeah my old boss did not repair leaks in slab. Cap at manifolds, reroute with Pex overhead. Definitely less intrusive to patch sheet rock and paint than flooring, concrete etc.
BTW I'm in Pflugerville. Maybe we'll run into each other at supply house!

I'd recommend you look for professional home repairing company Professional Home Improvement Team | Get it done NOW and improve your piping system and may be something ese too.
It's better to cooperate with real professionals because they provide high quality and offer long-term warranty.

I was always told that yes, repairing the point at which the leak is occuring will work fine, but there is a higher likelyhood of additional leaks after that. The pressure or stress will exacerbate on all the old pipe/fittings as new leaks are fixed. Just what I've always heard.

Repairing the house is responsible and troublesome. And as a rule, when there are emergencies, we are not ready for it. My house is seven years old. I'm already bothered by the pipes and the windows....
Last winter it took a lot of money to heat the house

These bots suck and now this topic is about pipes again.

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