Hot water - how long does it take to get out the faucet?

Question

Just got into a condo which was built in the 70's. I doesn't matter what sink I am at, the one closest to the water heater or the one farthest away - it takes at least a minute or two for the hot water to finally arrive. And the weather is warm now, what happens in the winter time? Is there anything I can do to make this situation better???

Answer 1

Heated water is much thicker than cold water. That's why it has that red, gummy texture and the metallic taste.

Answer 2

The real answer is not really.

You probably have some scaled up hot water pipes, meaning flow has become restricted, hence the long wait time for water to get in from your water heater. (You have your own water heater, right?). Scale is a build-up of mineral deposits on the interior of the pipe, decreasing the cross-sectional area where the water flows.

Insulation seems like a good idea, but it isn't. The water just takes longer to cool down once you turn off the water, but first thing in the morning, your situation will be exactly the same, no matter what. Save your money, don't worry with insulation. Insulation only helps when the water is much cooler coming out the faucet than leaving the heater (say like a crawlspace below house in winter).

Circulation pump is not a real viable solution either. You would have to install a recirculating line from the farthest sink back to your water heater. You can't just put a pump in without making a loop for the water to go around in. Recirculation pumps and piping is what is used in commercial buildings, so you don't have to run cool water out of 20 stories worth of pipe so hot water can get up from the basement to the top floor.

It will probably not be worse in winter. Well, the water coming out first might be colder, probably not though, and the wait time should be about the same.

Answer 3

Well, the good news is that it shouldn't take any longer in the winter to get hot water. If you have low water pressure and the pipe distance from the faucet to the heater is far, you're going to have a longer wait. There are several possible solutions, but they are all pretty expensive and time-consuming:

- Tear all the pipes out of the walls and reroute the piping in a manner that makes sense. The new copper pipes and shorter runs (overall) should mean a reduction in wait time.
- Install a supplemental heater near the faucet. Bosch makes great water on demand systems that do not use a tank. Prepare to pay lots of money, though, to have one installed. And it will only be good for one faucet.

Or you could just do what I do, turn on the faucet before you really need it, do something else for a minute, then come back to nice hot water. Of course, I'm on unmetered water.

Answer 4

The only, relatively inexpensive answer to your question is the insulation; not only the pipes, but also the space they travel through. Your problem is not the temperature but the ability of your system to maintain it. Another answer would be a hot water return line with a circulator. In any case clean water is a very precious resource and should never be wasted, also the cost of cleaning water makes everyone's taxes go up, so the more you save, the more you save.

Answer 5

You could install a circulating pump. This keeps the hot water moving through the lines at all times. I think it is better to have a switch installed so you push a button to turn the pump on so it is not running all the time.

Answer 6

Try insulating the pipes to keep them at a higher temperature. That way, it won't take as long for the water to travel, and you'll actually save on energy costs!

Answer 7

go turn up the temperature setting on the hot water heater - should be a knob on it to adjust - this will keep the water in the tank warmer longer and it should get to your sinks quicker also