What is a Recirculating Pump?
A recirculating pump is the integral portion of a hot water recirculation system. These systems are installed either during the construction of new homes or shortly afterward as a method of increasing the amount of available hot water in the home while decreasing the overall cost of running the home’s hot water heater. Design Hot water recirculating pumps are designed as centrifugal pumps. These are similar if not identical to those water pumps used in cars and swimming pools. The pump itself is disc shaped, made of cast-iron or steel. There is an inlet and outlet on either side of the disc. Inside is a turbine of finned blades like a fan which sits around a central spindle. It connects to a water-tight electric motor attached bolted to the back of the disc. In order for this system to work, a set of redundant pipes and valves must be installed connecting to all the drains and water waste pipes of the home. The pump itself is attached to the combined outlet of all these redundant pipes