Demand-Sensing Hot Water Recirculation Control
SMART aquastat RECIRCULATIon PUMP CONTROL for Homes with a dedicated recirculation loop
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The Smart Aquastat Control is an "On-Demand' smart hot water recirculating pump controller for homes with tankless water heaters and a dedicated recirculation loop (if you don't have a dedicated recirculation loop check out our Smart Thermostatic Control) . It is designed to sense when hot water is drawn from any plumbing fixture and to run the recirculation pump until the water in the recirculation loop reaches the programmed temperature. The microprocessor-based design monitors the temperature of the water returning in the recirculation loop to ensure the water in the loop stays hot while hot water is being used.
The Smart Aquastat Control will work with all types of water heaters but was specifically designed to work with tankless water heaters. While tankless water heaters are good at producing a never ending supply of hot water, they are only capable of increasing the temperature of the water at a certain rate. Even the large 200k BTU units, for example, are only rated as being able to increase the water temperature by 40F° at 6 GPM or 80F° at 3GPM. So if you are starting with 60°F water, you can get 100°F water at 6GPM or 140°F water at 3 GPM (this is just an example, home water heaters should never be set higher than 120°F to avoid scalding issues). But if your hot water line has sat and is cold and you want to get hot water out to your fixtures quickly your recirculation loop may employ a 12 GPM pump which only allows the heater to produce a 20F° rise in temperature. So the first time through the temperature will increase from 60°F to 80°F and on the second pass from 80°F to 100°F. The ultimate solution to this problem is to install a small 5 gallon tank water heater after the tankless water heater. Not only does this provide an immediate supply of 120°F water to recirculate, but it also acts as a buffer tank for the tankless water heater to eliminate the dreaded "cold water sandwich". Barring that, the best solution is to use the Smart Aquastat Control as it runs the pump until the temperature of the water at the end of the recirculation loop reaches the controller temperature set point.
To operate go to any faucet and turn the hot water on then off. The Smart Aquastat Control senses this minimal draw, checks the water temperature in the loop, and if necessary, starts the pump running. Within seconds the water loop is hot and you are able to draw hot water.
Because the Smart Aquastat Control uses the demand of hot water to know when to run the pump, it works even when your washing machine or dish washer need hot water. Unlike other on demand hot water systems, there is no need to install switches or sensors at each faucet location and run wires or maintain wireless transceivers.
The Smart Aquastat Control also has a set of "Smart Timers" TM that can be used to heat the recirculation loop on a schedule. The Smart Aquastat Control only runs the pump until the loop is heated up to the programmed temperature. Of course, outside of the timer periods the controller will still run the pump on demand. The "Smart Timers" TM are disabled if the controller doesn't sense a hot water draw within 24 hours. So if you go on vacation and forget to manually disable them, no worries, they will turn themselves of and re-enable as soon as it senses a hot water draw. The "Smart Timers" TM are set via your Android or iPhone smart device.
The Smart Aquastat Control will work with all types of water heaters but was specifically designed to work with tankless water heaters. While tankless water heaters are good at producing a never ending supply of hot water, they are only capable of increasing the temperature of the water at a certain rate. Even the large 200k BTU units, for example, are only rated as being able to increase the water temperature by 40F° at 6 GPM or 80F° at 3GPM. So if you are starting with 60°F water, you can get 100°F water at 6GPM or 140°F water at 3 GPM (this is just an example, home water heaters should never be set higher than 120°F to avoid scalding issues). But if your hot water line has sat and is cold and you want to get hot water out to your fixtures quickly your recirculation loop may employ a 12 GPM pump which only allows the heater to produce a 20F° rise in temperature. So the first time through the temperature will increase from 60°F to 80°F and on the second pass from 80°F to 100°F. The ultimate solution to this problem is to install a small 5 gallon tank water heater after the tankless water heater. Not only does this provide an immediate supply of 120°F water to recirculate, but it also acts as a buffer tank for the tankless water heater to eliminate the dreaded "cold water sandwich". Barring that, the best solution is to use the Smart Aquastat Control as it runs the pump until the temperature of the water at the end of the recirculation loop reaches the controller temperature set point.
To operate go to any faucet and turn the hot water on then off. The Smart Aquastat Control senses this minimal draw, checks the water temperature in the loop, and if necessary, starts the pump running. Within seconds the water loop is hot and you are able to draw hot water.
Because the Smart Aquastat Control uses the demand of hot water to know when to run the pump, it works even when your washing machine or dish washer need hot water. Unlike other on demand hot water systems, there is no need to install switches or sensors at each faucet location and run wires or maintain wireless transceivers.
The Smart Aquastat Control also has a set of "Smart Timers" TM that can be used to heat the recirculation loop on a schedule. The Smart Aquastat Control only runs the pump until the loop is heated up to the programmed temperature. Of course, outside of the timer periods the controller will still run the pump on demand. The "Smart Timers" TM are disabled if the controller doesn't sense a hot water draw within 24 hours. So if you go on vacation and forget to manually disable them, no worries, they will turn themselves of and re-enable as soon as it senses a hot water draw. The "Smart Timers" TM are set via your Android or iPhone smart device.
