Waiting for hot water to shave

heatwell

Have a customer who is renovating master bath who's has a gripe over how long he must wait to get hot water to shave. It's a big house and I would have to guess the hot water heater an oil fired bock 100 gal has to be 150-200 feet of pipe away. Can't do a recirc line don't want to disturb other parts of house. I know Bosch makes something that goes under sink of furthest away from hot water source. Do I put a 8-10 electric water heater in the vanity or closet and feed it with the hot water line? Do I try a electric tankless? Any advice especially someone who has had a similar situation with a successful outcome would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

SWEI

Tankless electric

will work if conditions are right -- pay attention to the minimum water temp after a long period of non-use.  Demand-based recirc will also work using something like http://unitedstates.xylemappliedwater.com/brands/laing-thermotech/plumbing-solar-pumps/autocirc-series-undersink-pump-for-potable-water-systems/

ChrisJ

Interesting

Interesting idea.

Though my concern would be pumping " nasty possibly leaded water heater water" through the cold line which people then drink from.



Or, is that moot as you're suppose to flush the line before drinking anyway in an older home?

icesailor

Signs:

I once saw a sign on a toilet:

Sit down and rest in peace. Our crabs can jump 10' high.

That said, if there is a single lever faucet in a home, they almost all pass a certain amount of hot water into the cold water. Fear not, The Crabs.

I have seen copper tube soldered in houses that were done 75 years before. If you compute the lead levels in the amount of lead in some effected drinking water, Times 75 years, and the fact that most average homes use about a half pound of 50/50 solder, that might mean that there is a 1/4 pound of lead in the entire plumbing system. Which should mean that the entire lead content of the copper soldered water supply system is gone. I haven't seen one that is. I've pulled apart old fittings that had the hole in the side to stick the solder wire and the solder was completely filled in the joint. I've seen 70 year old "Grapes" inside a copper fitting. It didn't leak. If you get up in the AM and flush the toilet, you have removed the available lead in the water. Normal use of water exposed to lead is over rated. Ingestion of lead is not. It is seriously bad for you. If your water has a low PH, it is a consideration. If it has a high PH and a lot of dissolved solids/hardness, the exposed lead grapes get encapsulated by the hardness solids.

The crabs jump 10'.

RobG

Not saying

I'm not saying that lead isn't bad for you, however if the normal doses from 50/50 solder could kill, most of us would be dead.



Rob

icesailor

Lead Levels in drinking water:

You missed my point.

If a private home (a normal home) is calculated by code to use 400 gallons of water per day, and the house uses 400 gallons per water per day for 75 years, and there is an estimated 1/4 pound of lead in the solder used to connect the copper water pipes, (.50# of 50.50 solder), and you take the EPA allowance for lead in drinking water, extrapolate it out over the 75 years @ 400 gallons of water per day, there isn't any solder left in the system.

My long time experience is that I have never seen any 75 year old buildings with 50/50 solder having failed. The joints are still filled like the day 75 years ago that they were soldered.

I don't in any way suggest that people should drink water from water contaminated with lead. I was trying to point out the absurdity of the limits in real life times.