Common Pitfalls in High-Rise Domestic Hot

Water Recirculating Systems

Miles Ryan, PE, CEM

Questions & Solutions Engineering
Chaska, MN
 AIA Quality Assurance

The Building Commissioning Association is a Registered Provider with The American

Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES). Credit(s) earned on
completion of this program will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of the
Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

This program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it
does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or
endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of
handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the
conclusion of this presentation.

BCxA Conference – Chicagoland, IL – 2019 2

 Learning Objectives

• Understand how pressure reducing valves (PRVs) are to be

appropriately accounted for in DHW recirculating systems.
• Identify best practices in the balancing of DHW recirculating
systems.
• Analysis high-rise DHW recirculating system design to
preemptively identify operational concerns.
• Apply the step-by-step approach presented to efficiently
analyze complex DHW recirculating system designs.

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 3

 Motivation – Why Should We Care?

• Why DHW recirculating systems?

• Why is such a system worth commissioning?
• What the sign of insufficient operation?
• Why don’t we hear about such insufficiencies more often?

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 4

 Closed Hydronic Systems: HVAC Application

Pump
Curve
Operating
Point

System
Curve

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 5

 Closed Hydronic Systems: DHW Application

Slightly
Oversized

Design
Flow

Slightly
Undersized

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 6

 Open Hydronic Systems: HVAC Application

Cooling Tower
Height

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 7

 Open Hydronic Systems: DHW Application
Common Pitfall #1:
Undersized recirculating
pumps; No flow

Design
Flow Slightly
Oversized

Undersized

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 8

 Case Study #1: Existing High-Rise Condo

 Lower floors’
DHW pressure
too high!

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 9

 Case Study #1: Existing High-Rise Condo

 History
◦ Installed PRV
◦ DHW no longer
available
System curve
changed

Same pump
curve

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 10

 Case Study #1: Existing High-Rise Condo

 How to fix:
◦ Bigger pump
◦ Keep it in Penthouse

Common Pitfall #2:

Inappropriate pump location;
Negative gauge pressures

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 11

 Case Study #1: Existing High-Rise Condo

 How to fix:
◦ Bigger pump
◦ Move it to lower floor

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 12

 Case Study #1: Existing High-Rise Condo

 How to fix:
◦ Additional pump
◦ Located at lower floor

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 13

 Case Study #2: New High-Rise Office Building

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 14

 Case Study #2: New High-Rise Office Building

Common Pitfall #3:

Same recirculating pump serving
different pressure systems

Will lower floors

DHW recirculate?
BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 15
 Case Study #2: New High-Rise Office Building

Common Pitfall #4:

Unequal pressures at fixture
mixing valves

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 16

 Recap: That Tricky Little PRV!

• Often needed to maintain appropriate fixture pressures

• Configure them to maintain roughly equal pressures with DCW
• Ensure loop with PRV has dedicated recirculating pump
• Ensure PRV is properly accounted for pump scheduling/selection
 ΔPpump > ΔPPRV at no flow
• Ensure pump placement does not create negative gauge
pressures

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 17

 Balancing The Risers

 More water flows

through path of
least resistance!
 Riser 3 may starve

Common Pitfall #5:

Inadequate balancing of DHW
recirculating system

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 18

 Balancing The Paths Within A Riser

 Direct Return Piping

Common Pitfall #5:

Inadequate balancing of DHW
recirculating system
BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 19
 Balancing The Paths Within A Riser

 Reverse Return Piping

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 20

 Higher-Than-Intended Flow

Slightly Oversized
Pump Designer Estimated
System Curve

Design
Flow Actual
System Curve

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 21

 Case Study #3: Church

Leaking after
fitting

Common Pitfall #6:

Excessive velocities due to
unthrottled flow
Piping
Replaced

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 22

 Scheduling

 Manual Enable/Disable
 Building Automation System
 Mechanical Time Clocks
◦ Are they reset after power outages?
◦ Are backup batteries ever replaced?

Common Pitfall #7:

Out of sync time clocks

Case Study #4:

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019
Elementary School 23
 Scheduling

 Demand Controlled Operation

◦ Aquastats

Common Pitfall #8:

Unnecessary (and often overridden)
aquastat control
Case Study #4:
Elementary School
BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 24
 Step-by-Step Approach to Analyzing Systems

• Step 1: Identify reference pressure(s)

• Step 2: Identify if PRVs are present
• Step 3: Are pressures available at each level of fixtures appropriate?
• Step 4: Is positive gauge pressure maintained throughout system?
• Step 5: Are various pressure systems served by the same pump?
• Step 6: Is pump serving PRV circuit appropriately sized?
• Step 7: Is the system balanced appropriately?
• Step 8: Does TAB specification call out balancing of plumbing systems?
• Step 9: Is the intended operation schedule sustainable?

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 25

 Applying the Step-by-Step Approach

• 14 ft stories
• Lower Level Pump
 3 GPM
 50 ft head
• Upper Level Pump
 3 GPM
 10 ft head

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 26

 Learning Objectives

• Understand how pressure reducing valves (PRVs) are to be

appropriately accounted for in DHW recirculating systems.
• Identify best practices in the balancing of DHW recirculating
systems.
• Analysis high-rise DHW recirculating system design to
preemptively identify operational concerns.
• Apply the step-by-step approach presented to efficiently
analyze complex DHW recirculating system designs.

BCxA Annual Conference – Chicagoland, IL – September 2019 27

Miles Ryan, PE, CEM
Questions & Solutions Engineering
Chaska, MN
Miles.Ryan@QSEng.com

28