Control Hot Water Circ Pump With X10?

Use a relay switch rated for high inductive loads, like the XPS3. Check with an electrician or the vendor if you're unsure. Or use a dedicated timer like the Instamatic ST01C.

Steve

I do exactly this by having the pump powered though a flying lead with a 110v plug and then use an X10 appliance module in a 110v socket.

If your schedule is fairly regular and you do not need remote control from outside the property then a simple socket timer instead of using your X10 system would give a more robust and reliable solution.

E.g:

Thanks Steve, the XPS3 is the one I use for controlling some of my fluorescent lights. I agree that it would be a better choice than the WS467 I mentioned. I just couldn't recall the other model number.

I presume you meant the Intermatic timer (rather than instamatic). That is an option. But since I already have an X10 ActiveHome automated home control module running lights on the house, it just seemed easier to use that single point of control rather than having another timer and backup battery to deal with. I neglected to point out that I already had the home system running.

"David White" a écrit dans le message de groupe de discussion : snipped-for-privacy@whidbey.net...

Whats this pump is for? Hot wather for heating or for shower or the like?

Cause if it for heating, I wonder why its not controled by some temperature sensing device that would start it and stop at a fix temperature..

If its for shower or the like ( I supposed its for holding up a constent pressure????) well just controle it by a pressure switch, if its too low, just start the pump, and at a set level stop it..

I wonder why you would need x10 if thats any of the case I describe.

This sort of pump is not for the purposes you describe. See for an explanation. I am not sure but this may now be code in some locales if the hot mater run length is beyond a certain point.

Ok got it.. all this to save water.. Here we dont have that problem ;-)

so your problem is that to save water you spend electricity.. So you want to save on electricity, but to do so, you will now start loosing water with the use of a switch, making this whole system useless....

I think you should start looking at the problem from an other angle..

Could you use some solar panel to supply electricity to some battery pack that could provide power to an inveter that would feed the pump, saving money, and water while keeping the system working and still respecting any code....

Not just to save water - also to improve comfort by having hot water available immediately at points of use (e.g. showers, taps, laundry appliances) without any delays.

Where is "here"?

The switch will stop water circulation at times that hot water is not needed, such as in the middle of the night and when the property is empty. That will tend to save fuel without wasting any water.

Tony

That was my thinking too, Tony. I have ordered a relay switch for this and hope to get it installed soon. They all I have to do is update my active home routine and download it into my controller. I figure I can turn the thing off over 12 hours a day since this feeds only our guest bath. My only concern is if the on/off will impact the life of the pump.

Cheers and thanks to all who responded.

Well, switch received, installed, and tested. I wonder if/when the savings will cover the $11 cost plus my time? Cheers!

In Quebec.. we have water to waste..But I dont waste it..

thats ok I understood the system, of course all this hot water circulating in pipes all day long will heat the house as a draw back, and at the same time consume fuel for heating the water back to level, and electricity for the pump, and we need to cool that house down.. all this to save some water, and have a little bit of comfort... Geee.. really I think this whole Idea is a damn lost of resource..

One's level of comfort and whether to have any running hot water or whether to have it available immediately, will depend on one's level of affluence and where one chooses to allocate it. That you can't afford or don't choose to afford such a system is no reason for you to denigrate the choices of others.

Tony

I dont denigrate, In fact I have a spa that run all year long.. and when its minus 25 here the water is still at 100... But I dont try to save a few cent a day, if I chose to have some confort. its either, you understand that its will cost you to have the comfort, or you can save some money and have to wait 10-15 secound to have hot water in the guet bathroom..

trying to cut down on such small amount is purely trying to squeeze a few drop of juice from an old orange when you have a good supply of it and wont be in shortage soon..

When I added a recirc system to my house, I added low voltage wiring from each room needing hot water, with a push button there. Push the button, and it turns on the pump long enough to get hot water to that fixture. So the pump almost never runs, but hot water is fully available half a minute or so after you enter the room and push the button. Ypu could use X10 commands to do the same thing, I suppose, avoiding the low voltage wiring.

I checked with my sister who has a nearly identical system to yours in her house. I agree that this is an ideal solution to the problem. Now that I have the pump on X-10, I could put a controller some sort in the guest bathroom to provide a manual, on-demand run of the pump. I would just need to find an X-10 controller that can send an on signal followed by an off signal after an appropriate delay. I could use Active Home to do this sort of thing, I think. But I do not want my computer running all the time monitoring for this.

Don't some of the X10 motion detectors do that - send an on signal followed by an off signal.

That's an interesting idea. Thanks!