5 Tips For Designing An Efficient Hot Water System For Your Home

by John Griffith
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Having an adequate hot water system is a must-have around the home. After all you don’t want to hop in the shower after a long day at work just to be blasted with chilling icy waters or wash your dishes with cold water. It just ins’t right. However, in order to have a good supply of warm water running through your home you need to make sure to design an efficient system that is up to code. Nowadays, there is plenty of choice when it comes to water systems, you just need to make the right choice for you. But this can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why we are here to help you out and show you how to design an efficient how water system for you and your home.

Having an adequate hot water system is a must-have around the home

person washing hands under sink

How To Design An Efficient Hot Water System

Taking a second to plan and design your whole hot water system will save you a lot of trouble in the long run. You need to think about placement, system type, energy costs, and so on and so on. We’ve put together the most important points you need to consider before setting up your hot water system.

Planning and designing your whole hot water system will save you a lot of future trouble

sink filling with water

#System Type

There are four common types of systems – solar hot water systems, electric systems, gas systems, and heat pump system. Solar systems are a great green option, especially is you live in a sunny place. This system collect energy from the sun and heats the water. Electric systems heat the water like a kettle with an element inside a storage tank. Gas systems are similar to their electric counterparts. The difference is that they use a gas burner instead of an element. Finally, a heat pump is more expensive than the rest and louder, but is a lot more energy efficient. A heat pump extracts heat from the air and transfers it to the water.

There are four common types of systems

man installing solar panels on roof

#Floor Plan

Think about the floor plan when designing your system. It’s not a good idea to separate the areas of hot water usage by extensive runs of piping. This only impacts how efficiently the water is being distributed. While you may want to place your shower in one end of the house and the heater at the opposite end, it just isn’t smart.

Think about the floor plan when designing your system

bathroom tub in white

#System Configuration

There are multiple system design configurations to consider when designing your home’s hot-water distribution. There is the trunk and branch system, the core system, the central manifold system, the remote system, and the recirculating system. Plenty of choice. What you need to keep in mind, however, is that a good, efficient system design needs to minimize the amount of warm water stored in the pipes between uses.

There are multiple system design configurations to consider

person catching water in palms

#Insulation

In order for the water that is flowing in the pipes to both maintain heat and slow heat loss, it’s recommended you add an insulation layer. This will maximize the efficiency of your system with around 30 to 40% and can ensure you have hot water at all times and that you won’t have to wait for it to heat up too long. Another bonus is that the bills will be less. Insulation isn’t super expensive, so save your self some future money and stress by doing it now.

It’s recommended you add an insulation layer to your pipes

water flowing from a tap

#Piping Material

Last, but not least you need to think about the piping material. Choosing the right material can help save you energy losses, keep water warm, and save money. CPVS systems are recommended by most professionals as they have lower energy and water losses than other systems. You can also use PEX and copper piping, but they are not as effective.

You need to think about the piping material

system of pipes

These were all the tips we had for you on how to design an effective hot water system. We hope you found this article useful. Now you can start planning out your hot water system and enjoy the benefits that come with it.

These were all the tips we had for you on how to design an effective hot water system

water running from shower head

John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.