i have an electric water heater in my garage...my home is built in
florida on a concrete slab and is five years old....how do i know if i
have a dedicated hot water return line in the plumbing schematic of
this home..is there a quick way of determining this since most all the
lines are underneath the slab etc..

thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 15 Sep 2005 15:27 PDT

Howdy cookiemonster1937-ga,

Please look at the following diagram to see if it answers your question.
http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/image.cfm?imageName=images/0402/metlundpseries.jpg&fileName=040208a.xml

According to the diagram, your electric water heater should have a hot
water return line coming into the base of the heater, if it was so
equipped.  Please advise if that is the case or not.  Thanks!

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 15 Sep 2005 15:29 PDT

Also, if all you have to reference is the plumbing schematic for your house,
it should show or indicate, in some fashion, as in the referenced diagram,
a hot water return line, if your house is so equipped.

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

Most residential applications do not have a dedicated hot water return
line. This is mostly found in commercial applications.

The purpose of a dedicated return line is so that hot water can
circulate to the farthest points in the system. This is done so that,
when you turn the water on, you don't have to wait 10 minutes for hot
water from the heater to reach you.

Most homes, especially those built on a slab in Florida, (Florida is
notorious, for shoddy construction practices) do not have a return
line. Hot water simply exits the boiler or hot water heater, and flows
to faucet or shower.

In a house on a slab it would be very difficult to add a return, but
instant hot  water can be accomplished in a number of ways. One is to
add a point of use type instant heater near the faucet, and there are
various other systems that use the existing plumbing to give you
instant hot water.

A good plumber (yeah I know how hard they are to get) should be able
to sell you or recommend a solution for your home.

I hope this helps.