I have a dedicated hot water return line, so I didn't use the blending valve. I have it plugged into a "smart" plug, so I don't use the timer on it. Pump is super quiet, and has the hot water lines charged within 2-3 minutes.

We live on one floor in a condo. Because I'm retired, I have my timer set to turn on at 8:00 AM and off at 11:00 PM. I have a bypass valve installed on only one master bathroom sink. Fortunately, the other sink and shower tee off of the hot water line before it reaches the sink with the bypass valve. The kitchen also tees off closer to the water heater with a 12-foot run to the kitchen sink.

Where we live, city water is expensive. Being in a condo, and normally careful with water, we were paying about $60 per month. In addition to having hot water quickly, our water bill has dropped to $50, or less. I have not noticed any change in the electric bills.

Some observations:

1. the pump is very quiet. I have to feel it to tell if it's running. For those experiencing a noisy pump, you either have a defective pump, or it might not have been installed in the correct orientation. It must be on a vertical pipe.

2. The pump does not move hot water through the pipes continuously. The bypass valve will close when the hot water in the supply line comes up to temperature. What temperature, I do not know, but at least 100 degrees. Below that, it opens and allow the cooled down hot water to return back to the pump. The pump is designed to run without trying to force hot water through the pipe. When is does, it moves it slowly, and as soon as the hot water reaches the valve, the valve closes.

3. Watts uses a Grundfos bypass valve. They might be the only source of bypass valves. The fail. Ours did after just over 2 years. Replacements are $65 to $75. I have seen several reviews about the plastic cracking and leaks at the connection. Your water lines must have a gasket, no plumber's tape. It's Teflon anyway and loaded with PFAS chemicals. Without a good gasket, the fitting could easily be over

4. I believe our bypass valve failed due to fine sand, calcium (hard water), and magnesium in the city water supply. I can see how this could easily be the cause of our valve failing, but there's no room to install a filter in our mechanical closet. Other plumbing valves have also had to be replaced in our condo. The valve had visible debris. There is a screen on one end and it was also not clean. It's just like an aerator screen on faucets. It might be possible to soak a valve that is not working in vinegar and reuse it.

Maybe a plumber can comment about installing a filter under the sink just before the valve. We had one on a steam humidifier that worked perfectly and took very little room. HOwever, the cartriges cost more to replace every year than a new bypass valve.

There is a simple test you can make to see if your bypass valve is not working. The steps are in the installation instructions -- troubleshooting.

Is it the valve, or poor water?

The packaging was very good, well protected. Been looking for a good well made pump for awhile. Was taking way to long for hot water to the kitchen sink. (Farthest from hot water tank) Everything I needed was in the box. Very easy to install the water lines and the manifold. The pump was super easy to install on water tankand the 10 foot cord easily accesed the outlet in the attic. The timer was very easy to set. I don't need it on while sleeping so I have it go off when going to bed and turn back on an hour before getting up.
Understand, this makes the hot water useable immediately. You still have to wait for the real hot water to reach the faucet. Much better than waiting almost 3 minutes for even warm water to reach the faucet. So, if you a well built pump and everything you need to install this is the one to get. I've had this installed for 3 months and it's been great.

I was today years old when I learned about hot water recirculator pumps from my brother. After putting up with long waits for hot water in certain faucets in our home for 28 years, I installed this Watts pump. All I can say is wow.

INSTALLATION: it's very easy if you can follow instructions, work a wrench, and maneuver the plumbing around under a sink. Installing the pump on top of the water heater took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I needed only a hose (to drain some water from the heater) and a crescent wrench. Installing the sensor valve under the sink took 40 minutes simply because of tight quarters. I needed only a wrench and a towel to wipe up some water drips from the disconnected plumbing. Also, because of the way the faucet was plumbed, I had to buy/use two 16-inch faucet connectors b/c the 12-inch connectors included with the pump were too short. Hint: be sure to read through all the instructions before you begin; I guarantee it will save you time during the install.

FUNCTIONALITY: we love it. We now have hot water in a few seconds in the kitchen and bathroom faucets (furthest from the water heater) rather than five minutes. We're going to love not wasting so much water going forward.

We highly recommend this pump!

I recently replaced my hot water tank because it was 14 years old and I thought it was time to be replaced. I purchased this WATTS Hot Water Recirculation System before replacing the old water tank and paid the installer a small fee to install this system. I also elected to leave the Timer set to the ON position and used the Apple Home app to set up times to have the hot water recirculated. I have times set for both weekdays and Weekends set so that hot water is available at those times of the days when either dishwashing is taking place or showers/baths are being taken. This device will save water and the cost of water in the future.