This video was helpful in my situation. I married a widow who owns a 20-year-old house. In 2017, not long after her previous husband died, a plumbing contractor talked her into installing a Grundfos retrofit system along with replacing her failed water heater. The pump failed in September 2019 after being installed for only two years - The main pump body developed a water leak, which dripped down the heater into the catch pan, causing the heater to shut down. I had a plumber simply take out the pump (which I now realize I could have done easily myself), which fixed the leak. I was able to get the (high-end Ruud) water heater restarted. The contractor who had done the work in 2017 initially wanted to replace the water heater as an emergency visit on a Sunday, insisting that the leak from the pump would have voided the water heater's warranty. The estimate was north of $2,000. But they called back and told us that we were blacklisted so they would not come to our house. The whole deal seems pretty fishy. The timer on the failed pump was set to run on timer mode, with every other blue switch in the on position. I guess that would have prevented the schedule from getting messed up in the event of a power outage, but it seems like an odd setup to me, on and off at 15-minute intervals? The kitchen hot water was always taking a couple of minutes to heat up, and it seems neither better nor worse with the pump removed. I suspect that the pump and/or thermostatic valve failed some time in the past. The house is in an area with hard water, and there is no softening or RO system. The water in this area is notorious for clogging and generally destroying plumbing. There is no hot water faucet more than about 30 feet from the water heater. California current code requires a recirculating system if one or more is over 50 feet from the water heater. The contractor had told my wife at the time that they were required to install the retrofit system. That statement seems very dubious to me. This particular contractor spends a lot of money advertising in local media. Anyway, thanks again for the well-made video with clear explanation of how to configure that timer. I understand it a lot better now.
Moved to a new home with this installed next to a H/W tank and was wondering what at how it works... NOW I KNOW🤣😉😁... no cold water waste just to get warm bath in the morning... THANKS MAN!
Thank you for being a lifesaver. But I’m just confused with this device. Can anyone help. Do you set it to be on each and every time you think you will be needing hot water. So in other words most people in my household will be showering between 7 and 9 am. So do I need to have it on during that whole 2 hour block or can I turn it on for an hour at 7-8 and expect it to be hot still at 9am? Secondly during the evening we will be expecting hot water so do I have it running between 4pm to 9pm or do I turn it on for an hour and it then still delivers hot water for the remaining time. In other words when it’s not running so you get cold, lukewarm water? Do you waste water by waiting for it to be warm? Having it be on too frequently won’t that cost your gas bill to skyrocket since you’ll be having the water heater running to keep the water hot?
Exactly what I needed. The power was off for several hours and I couldn't figure out why I didn't immediately have hot water from the faucet. Turns out the timer was working but not during waking hours! Now I know how to set it. 😃
Hello, I have this same model, my question is what should the setting be on the little black knob on the side of the unit? Currently I have it set at about the halfway mark, should it be set a little higher, closer towards the max. setting, "clockwise to the right?? Thank you !
My water valve, near hot tank, is a little stiff. If it breaks or malfunctions, Do you have any video on working with the valve at the street curb location? Thanks
We just bought a new house, we were wondering why it sounded like the water was always running. This pump was set to always "on". What kind of timer schedule would you recommend just to prevent freezing in winter?
I was so excited when I found this, but--I followed it exactly, finally gave up and put it on “all the time” and still don’t have any hot hot water circulating out of the faucets unless I let them run for several minutes. What did I do wrong?
Hi Adam, my Grundfos recirc pump recently stopped working altogether, including the timer. The unit is only 3 yr old. My research suggested lightly tapping on the body with a screwdriver handle and bleeding the air from the center screw. I have no tripped breakers, and no functioning of the pump after all troubleshooting. I had to shutoff my water at the main to replace a broken sprinkler. Could this have something to do with it? Suggestions? The type is UP15. Thanks
Any idea why the timer stops after a few minutes? I’ve followed your instructions and it seems to be working but then just stops. I have it connected to a Navien on demand tank.
Is there any value to set this up to run say 15 mins every 2 hours in the evenings to keep the pipes from freezing? I am not sure how could it's getting in the crawl space and thought it may be a good idea to run when in sub-freezing temps.
It's been used for this kind of problem. The trick will be how long you need to keep it running, and how long to keep it off. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.....but once you find your proper on/off timing setting....keep that setting day and night around the 24 hr day. Or.....if (like me) you are always in an above freezing climate....but OCCASIONALLY get a cold snap....and say the forecast is for beow freezing for only the upcoming 3 days....then have it run all the time for those 3 days....etc......
@@ajarivas72 ....it is a low pressure pump, with enough "oomph" to be able to flow hot water into the cold water side.....normally the both sides are the same pressure when there is no pump installed. So short answer is "yes"....it does increase the hot water side, but it is such a small amount of increase, that you may not feel the difference.
Thanks for the video, just purchased and getting ready to install the system. In the video you mentioned with the switch set to "ON" the pump would run 24/7, I gather the pump is designed to run under that condition/load without issues? I won't run 24/7, but plan on running for a couple of hours multiple times per day.
My timer is very hard to turn. Actually I have to move it forward every few days cause it can't keep up. System is 7 years old. Is there some type of maintenance I could do to lose it up?
Thanks, very helpful. Unfortunately, mine installed in such a place, that it’s a two person operation. My wife holds the flashlight, while I try to adjust it by looking through my phone’s camera. Luckily, I don’t have to do this very often. Is there any recommendation for how long the pump should run. If I have it on for 15 minutes in morning/evening, would that suffice for optimal operation. Don’t want to run it if it’s not necessary, but at the same time i need to see the benefit of having it installed.
Thanks, Adam, that helped. My problem is that I can't tell 6AM from 6PM. I think I have mine (It's a Watts) set to go on from 1AM to 2AM, but I am not certain becuase the PM time isn't shaded gray or black. So, I am guessing that it will go on when I want it to. Suggestions?
I believe setting the small internal switch to constantly "on" ( the on /off /timer tab).....will not work if all the outside tabs are still in the "off" ( toward the inside of the dial) position....right?
I believe that is incorrect. The "on" setting overrides the timer. I learned this the hard way as my plumber was supposed to set the timer for me and did not. When my power bill went up $70 dollars per month due to constant circulation demand on the HW heater I investigated. These are great and do save water, but if not set to appropriate use intervals can drive power or gas Bill's up and also put extra wear and tear on your HW heater!
Yes. Your cold water will not be at ambient cold temperature. It will always be a bit warm...it can be a turn-off as tap water is not cold to drink. Also, having it run constantly (plumber left it set that way on installation) drove my electric bill up $70 per month!
Hi Adam, I got a Grundfos that you are trying to program. How would I know if this thing was working or not? I plugged it in and turn the timer off. Is it supposed to make a sound or something. I'm just not sure if my unit is working.
Thanks for the instructions Adam - i have the builder installing this into our new home because due to government regulations on water heaters efficiency, manufacturers stopped making 66 gallon heaters. So builder decided to install 50 gallon electric water heater and he claims this model of Grundfos will improve efficiency so we will not notice the difference. I doubt that, what is your opinion on a 50 gallon electric water heater with this pump for a 3.5 bath house and 3 people? Thanks again for your videos, they are very clear and informational.
+Daniel V I don't understand why he told you that. It makes no sense to me. If you barely got by with a 66 gal. you will likely not have enough water with a smaller one. But I guess it really depends on if you take long showers or not.
