Installation Day

2/17/15 Tuesday

Installation day.  Unfortunately, it is supposed to rain this afternoon so the install may not be completed today.  Two techs arrived at around 10:15.  They turned off the water supply to the old tank and then drained the old water tank and cut off the pipes.  They figured they could at least get the tank installed today.  I verified that they were going to install the recirculation system.  In our house, we waste a lot of water waiting for it to get hot.  Wayne’s Solar also installs water recirculation systems that deliver hot water to the taps almost immediately.  There are some trade offs.  With these systems, you waste less water, but you increase your energy usage slightly. 

However, because our water will soon be provided by solar heat, the increase in energy usage is minimal.  

One guy worked on the tank and the other guy climbed up on the roof to figure out where the best placement of the panel would be.  He is drilling and installing the brackets to support the panel. I hope the rain holds off for a while.

1:00 PM - They are just about done with the tank and the rain has started.  The pipes are running up to the ceiling and the guy is working on them in the garage attic.  They said they will need an electrician to install an outlet for the pumps.

2:30 PM - The techs said they did all they could today.  We have hot water and the circulation system is installed, but without electric, we can’t test it.

3:00 PM- I called the sales rep and left  voicemail re the electricians.

3:30 PM- The electricians showed up and installed an outlet in the ceiling.  I turned on the circulation pump and tested hot water in the kitchen.  Very fast.  I turned it off.

4:00 PM- The sales rep called to verify that the electricians showed up.  He also said that the rain screwed up all their install schedule and that they couldn't finish until Thursday.

My wife and I had discussions about how to setup the water recirculation system. She wants immediate hot water any time throughout the day. The system comes with a timer that you can set to turn the recirculation on or off. I suggested we just turn on the system at certain times during the day. The more the system runs, the more energy it uses. Once the solar is up and running, we will have to figure out the best way to set the system up. We usually take showers in the morning. We have low-volume shower heads, but if you turn the shower on, it is usually warm by the time you are ready to step in. We don't really need the recirculation in the morning.