EcoDrain aims to reclaim heat from used shower water

[Shawn Knight]

Conserving water is a great way to save some money on your utility bill and is also good for the environment but let's face it: sometimes you just want a nice, hot shower and aren't interested in trying to be as green as possible.

Some estimate that up to 90 percent of the energy used to heat water (via hot water heater) ends up going straight down the drain and into the sewer. When you consider the fact that heating up water is one of the biggest energy drains (no pun intended) in a common household (alongside heating / cooling needs and appliances like dryers), there's a lot of energy literally going down the drain each time you take a shower.

The good news is that there's now something that can be done to help recycle this spent energy. As Digital Trends points out, a new device called EcoDrain aims to reclaim heat energy from used shower water.

While heat recovery systems and drain heat exchangers aren't a new concept, they've traditionally been difficult and expensive to install - especially if you want to retrofit your existing home with such a system. Part of the problem has to do with the fact that systems needed to be installed vertically. For most homes, space is limited and that's simply not an option.

EcoDrain, however, is designed to be installed horizontally. This means users can install it much closer to the source of hot water, or in other words, closer to the shower drain. Best yet, the device is said to be easy to install and doesn't require additional assistance so long as you are the handy DIY type.

The company claims a single EcoDrain system can recover up to 45 percent of the waste heat from your shower. Given the $440 base price, one has to think that you'd make your investment back over time and then some - especially if you're keen on long, hot showers.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/57365-ecodrain-aims-to-reclaim-heat-from-used-shower-water.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I like the sound of this, I don't like wasting energy unnecessarily and even less my money.

 

[captaincranky]

Well, if you don't have an on demand hot water heater, you're wasting a whole lot more money than goes down the drain in hot water, keeping 30 or 40+ gallons of water hot 24/7.

But wow whee, the price for an on demand hot water heater is 3 or 4 times the price of a tank style. I wounder why that is?

If I didn't need hot water, I practically wouldn't even have a gas bill.

I think they tried something like this with chimney scrubbers. Trouble there is, you get all the heat out of the exhaust, and it becomes heavier than air, and sinks.

But really, they should stop all this nickel and dime nonsense, and start planning communities around geothermal wells.

The hypocrisy of this is legendary. People drive 30 miles back and forth to work in a 3 ton SUV, then they're supposed to come home and start worrying about the heat loss from a shower.

 

[VitalyT]

Wow, that sounds so exciting.... better go take cold shower...

 

[Guest]

What happens if you take a bath?

It seems like other solutions would be insulate pipes, on demand systems, solar energy, shorter showers, etc.

 

[captaincranky]

The company claims a single EcoDrain system can recover up to 45 percent of the waste heat from your shower. Given the $440 base price, one has to think that you'd make your investment back over time and then some - especially if you're keen on long, hot showers

OK then, would somebody mind telling me what you're supposed to do with the recovered heat during the summer?

Mail it to poor people in cold climates?

 

[Guest]

Give me a break! Of course the idea sounds great. Its the little annoyance of actual implementation that's the problem. There is a reason they advertise "saving the world" in a cute little graphic and not the actual cost of retrofitting a house with this technology. Unless you tare up nearby plumbing which could result in a complete remodel of your bathroom, the heat loss in travel to and from the device would be worthless. We already have real world technology that for the most part solves this issue. Tank less water heaters only heat what you use. Hot water recycling would only help (MAYBE) if you lived in an extremely cold climate. And if you implemented it at the construction of the property. If not, don't waste your money.