Of our three bathrooms, the Master bath is almost 100 feet away from the water heater, so I have to let it run for 30 seconds before it's comfortably warm. This is wasteful. The other bathrooms get their hot water very quickly. That's all... Harry
@Hal Pollner I got quite an education on this sort of thing when I began working Maintenance at a big Sears store. Hot water is constantly pumped in a loop from the water heater to every faucet in the building, through uninsulated pipes! Thus, instant hot water at the tap! Crazy! Frank
My bathroom in my master bedroom suite is farthest from the water heater and it takes the longest to get hot water there. I get it quickly in the kitchen.
@Hal Pollner Hal, you could try a Hot Water recirculation system for your problem. Our home in Nebraska had a problem with the distance from master bath and the water heater. I installed one made by Watts, fixed the problem and saved us from all that wasted water waiting for it to get hot. The newer ones come with a timer if you want to set it for certain times. Easy to install. Hope this helps.
This is great if the pipes are insulated, but otherwise it is like running a hot water heating system all the time and can be very energy hungry.
I wouldn't mind having mine set up so that it wouldn't heat the water until I needed heated water. I am sick of paying for the oil that it burns keeping water hot when I'm not using it. I wouldn't mind waiting.
With some of the replies do wonder why you just don't install a Combi Boiler. https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/archive/boilers/what-is-a-combi-boiler
There is a "hot water on demand" unit which mounts under a vanity or sink, I believe, and supplies hot water in small quantity very quickly. Electric, I think, but know nothing more about them. Frank
When I lived in Japan, each sink had a little on-demand hot water heater. It was very nice, but it was obvious and not "decorative". Very efficient, though. The toilet tanks had sinks built into the tops, so you washed your hands in the cold water that filled the toilet tank.
In our cozy Acadiana Cottage our hot water heater is located at a distance almost equal from the kitchen and bathroom...so I am happy to say we don't have this problem. The problem we do have is that the hot water heater is not a large one so when I had my hair real long I often found I was pretty much out of hot water by the time I finished shampooing and conditioning my hair. I fixed that problem though by just cutting my hair to shoulder length.
Well Sir...the reason I don't install a Combi Boiler is because I never heard of a Combi Boiler until this minute! Hal
We went tankless about 6 or 7 months ago but there is still a wait. I am going to install another unit in the bathroom which will be much quicker and easier on the water bill. They do not cost that much if you shop around but the downside is that the one we have and the one I am going to buy is 220vts electric. If you have some extra room on your box, to me it’s the only way to go. You’re not constantly heating up water nor constantly eating up a bunch of electric or gas that comes with a standard water heater.
To all: It is my understanding that the hot water supplied to our 4 bathroom sinks, kitchen sink, dishwasher, 2 bathtubs, 2 showers, and our washing machine is all supplied from a single copper pipe from our 50-gallon water heater in the garage. I never heard of a return line that keeps the water circulating from the water heater to all those points of use. I'm a retired engineer, so feel free to explain this miracle to me in your most technical terms! As ever, Harold
The Watts system I have installed, works with a Bridge sensing valve placed under the farthest sink and returns a small amount of hot water to the cold water pipe when it senses the hot water temp goes below 98°. ( tankless shown, but will work on tank water heaters ) The timer is set for the periods the room is most used, or just leave the pump on all the time. The operational cost, to me, was minimal. The ease of installation and the instant hot water to the bathroom sold me. Had one in my house for about 5 years. Never a problem. How the sensing valve is installed under the farthest sink: Hope this makes sense. Lots of videos and better explanations out there.