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| EMagazine Volume 5 Issue 2 April / May 2000 |
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Toys Article - April 2000 - [HTI Home Page] |
HomeTech Hot Products Continuously Updated [Click Message To Learn More] |
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The Chilipepper is a small electronically controlled pump that mounts under your sink. When you want hot water, you simply push a button at the sink, and the Chilipepper pumps hot water from your water heater to your fixtures without running water down the drain. The cooled off hot water in the hot water pipes is pumped back to the water heater through the cold water line. When hot water reaches the Chilipepper it shuts off. |
HWS Ltd., the manufacturer of the Chilipepper has a website that includes explantions of how all types of hot water circulating systems, including comparisons of the various "under the sink" models. The URL is http://www.chilipepperapp.com . HWS Ltd. can be reached at 1 800 914-9887, or by emailing to denmet@aol.com |
Standing with my hand in the cold stream of water from the shower head waiting for the hot water to arrive is not my idea of a good time, especially at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. Watching all that water flow down the drain was no joy either. It was time to do something about this vexing problem.
After investigating a number of hot water circulating systems I found adding a return loop to my hot water system would be prohibitively expensive. There are a number of systems on the market that can be installed under the sink, using the cold water line as the return. I settled on the Chilipepper pump as it was by far the least expensive and easiest to install.
The Chilipepper is a small electronically controlled pump that mounts under your sink. When you want hot water, you simply push a button at the sink, and the Chilipepper pumps hot water from your water heater to your fixtures without running water down the drain. The cooled off hot water in the hot water pipes is pumped back to the water heater through the cold water line. When hot water reaches the Chilipepper it shuts off.
Before
installing the Chilipepper I decided to check how long it took for hot water to
reach the various fixtures, and how much water was being wasted. I timed how
long to took to get hot water from each fixture and then waited a couple of
hours before taking my next measurement so the pipes would have time to cool off
completely between measurements.
At the master bathroom sink it took 114 seconds to get hot water and 2.9 gallons of water went down the drain while waiting.
At the guest bathroom sink it took 68 seconds and 1.75 gallons of water.
The kitchen sink took 38 seconds and 1.25 gallons of water.
And finally the 3rd bathroom sink took 32 seconds and .75 gallons.
I reasoned that once the hot water had reached the master bathroom that hot water would arrive at the other fixtures more quickly since much of the hot water piping would already be full of hot water. I rechecked the time to get hot water from the various fixtures right after running the hot water tap in the master bathroom until I got hot water. This would be the same as if the Chilipepper had run till hot water arrived at the sink where the Chilipepper was to be installed. At the guest bathroom sink it now took 19 seconds, at the kitchen sink it took 7 seconds, at the 3rd bathroom sink it took 3 seconds.
After running the hot water till it gets hot in the master bathroom, the time to get hot water at the other fixtures was dramatically reduced. Since the Chilipepper can be controlled from anywhere in my home using the optional X-10 remote control system. I was considering putting a button at the kitchen sink and guest bathroom as well as the master bathroom.
It
was time to install the Chilipepper. After cleaning out several years worth of
accumulated cleansers, shampoos, and other mysterious bottles, sponges, etc.
from under the sink I was ready to begin the installation. I rolled up my
sleeves and called the local handy man to have an outlet installed under the
master bathroom sink. Cost me $45.00.
According to the instructions, the Chilipepper is designed to be installed with hoses. The use of compression fittings can damage the Chilipepper. My sink faucets were plumbed with plastic tubing and compression fittings. I would have to purchase four hoses to hook the Chilipepper up. The Chilipepper comes with a rubber mounting lug with a wood screw through the center. The lug must be screwed into a stud. I used an ice pick to locate the stud by stabbing the ice pick through the sheet rock until I found the stud. I do not recommend this method. Use a stud finder or something.
I held the Chilipepper up to the place where I planned on mounting it and measured how long the hoses would need to be. I made a quick trip to Home Depot where I purchased the four hoses, two 18 inch hoses with a 3/8 compression fitting on one end and 1/2 fitting on the other end, and two 24 inch hoses also with a 3/8 inch fitting on one end and a 1/2 inch fitting on the other end. After laying one of my wife's best towels under the sink, I turned off both shut off valves (angle stops) and removed the tubing connecting the angle stops to the faucets. I then loosely connected the 3/8 in. fittings of the 24 inch hoses to the angle stops and the 1/2 inch ends to the side fittings on the Chilipepper.
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Now I again held the Chilipepper up to the position where I was going to mount it and checked the hoses for clearances. The hoses looked fine, no tight bends or kinks. Next I screwed the rubber mounting lug through the wall and into the stud. I hung the Chilipepper on its mounting lug, hand tightened the hose connections and then gave them each 1/4 turn with a wrench. I turned the angle stops back on and checked the hose connections for leaks. The hot and cold taps were turned on briefly to eliminate any accumulated air. This completed the plumbing portion of the project. Time spent under the sink: 45 minutes.
The Chilipepper comes complete with a push-button for mounting flush with the front surface of the cabinet. My wife however, forbid me to drill any holes in her bathroom cabinet. Fortunately I had obtained the "remote option" and two extra transmitters since I had planned on controlling the Chilipepper from more than one location.
Hooking
up the remote system was just as easy as hooking up the plumbing. The
Chilipepper comes with a push-button and a cable for connecting the included
push-button to the Chilipepper. One end of the cable plugs into the Chilipepper
and the other end has two terminal lugs. I placed the two terminals under the
screws on the remote receiver and tightened them. It doesn't mater which lug
goes where. I set up the switch settings for the transmitter and receiver as
described in the installation instructions that come with the Chilipepper.
First making sure that the angle stops were turned on, I plugged the Chilipepper's power cord into the outlet and I plugged the remote receiver into the lower outlet. My installation was complete and ready for testing in a little over an hour. My kind of home improvement project!
I crossed my fingers and pressed the button on the remote transmitter. The Chilipepper came to life! It sounded like a vacuum cleaner was under my sink, but it only ran for about 55 seconds. After it stopped I reached down an opened the hot water faucet. Hot water in 3 seconds. Woo Hoo!
Again measuring the time to get hot water at the other sinks I found it took 19 seconds to get hot water at the guest bathroom, 7 seconds at the kitchen sink, and 3 seconds at the 3rd Bathroom sink.
I
put a remote transmitter next to the alarm clock by my bed, and in the morning
when I switch off the alarm, I press the Chilipepper button. By the time I get
to the shower I just turn it on and hot water is there in about three seconds.
We have a remote transmitter on the kitchen counter too, and use it frequently. I don't have to feel guilty about running all that water down the drain!
I kept track of our hot water usage for a week to see what kind of water savings I was getting. According to my log, the Chilipepper was used from the master bath 31 times per week, the kitchen sink 19 times per week, the guest bath 23 times per week. The 3rd bath is almost never used. Totaling the uses I found that I was saving almost 7,000 gallons of water a year!
