4Aug/104
Is there any earthly reason why a hot water pipe would connect into a cold water pipe?
I've done serveral, extensive traces in the basement of my home. Preparing to galvanized pipes with copper a section at a time. I've found some hot water pipes that appear to be feeding back into the main cold water line that runs thorough the house. Can someone please tell me I'm seeing things and that all hot water runs should originate from the hot water heater.
August 4th, 2010 - 02:33
They should, unless what you’re seeing are return lines, still they should go to the heater. Are you sure that they are hot water lines, and you’re not confusing them somewhere along the way, when they go inside walls and such, it’s darn difficult to tell. All bathrooms and kitchens should have two lines, then everything take off from there, cold to all, hot to the sinks and tubs. Just do it right, forget what’s been done before. Many systems return the unused yet still warm water to the hot water heater, to save money. While you’re doing all that, (BTW getting rid of the galvanized for copper is a GREAT idea.) you should consider installing an on-demand water heater or two…maybe more if it’s a huge house. They also make ones for under the sink that are on demand, but heat only the water from a separate tap to near boiling, for making instant hot drinks and such. You’ll save enough energy by using on-demand heaters to off set their cost in a very short time. They are available to run on a variety of fuels, or electric. If you’ll oversize the lines by a quarter of an inch, then adapt them down just at they go into the fixtures, you’ll get better flow. Don’t forget to put in one of those devices for the showers that keeps the temperature constant, even if someone turns on the water somewhere else in the house. In new homes, they’re required by most all building codes.
August 4th, 2010 - 02:57
NO! U have 1 cold water line that feeds the Water Heater. The w/h heats the water and u have a hot water line just for the Hot water system. So it’s ur mistake. COLD is cold and Hot is hot got that?
August 4th, 2010 - 03:24
All hot and cold water lines should be separate and distinct and not connected to one another. Now there is one exception that I’m aware of however I’ve only seen it in copper and pex lines but not galvanized. A ‘cold water loop’ is a length of cold water line that ties into the hot water line but only above the hot water tank. This cold water loop returns hot water at far off faucets back to the hot water tank so you are not inclined to run the hot water a long time at one of the remote faucets before the water feels hot. In some areas I’ve know the cold and hot water line to the toilets in home to mix in order to avoid a “sweating” toilet. With this set up the water entering the toilet is tepid and not cold thus eliminating the dew point issue with sweating toilets.
August 4th, 2010 - 04:23
maybe some one tried to tie into the supply line for the toilets this is sometimes done to prevent toilet sweating in humid climates it warms water up alittle so no condensation will form on tank