APCOM UT1 Hot Water Recirculation Pump For Under Sink - Instant Hot Water Recirculating System For Tank Type Water Heaters

I installed the APCOM UT1 Hot Water Recirculation Pump under my sink, and I’m honestly amazed at how well it works. No more waiting for hot water – it’s instant! The installation was straightforward, and the results were immediate. I only wish I had known about this product 15 years ago; it would have saved me so much time and water. If you have a tank-type water heater and hate waiting for hot water, this is a must-have. Highly recommend!

I have a kitchen sink that is quite far from the tank-top water heater located in the garage. It takes up to 2 minutes to get the hot water. Recently I learned about recirculation pump idea. After doing some research and given that I have a power outlet underneath the kitchen sink, I purchased APCOM UT1. The unit is quite heavy, which I'd personally interpret as being well-made. The installation takes like an hour but not difficult. I just need to make sure all connections are carefully tightened to avoid water leak. I also used a smart power socket so I can control the on-time from my phone instead of using the built-in timer. This unit works beautifully. For example, I set my smart socket to turn on between 7am to 9am in the morning. When we get to the kitchen in the morning after 7am, the hot water is available almost instantly (in contrast to 2 minutes wait as before). I'm also very satisfied with the very low noise level when it runs (I have pretty sensitive ears to noises). The built-in timer is also super quiet (even though I don't use the timer, it keeps running when the power is on so the noise level matters). The only 4-star (instead of 5-star) I gave is the price. $350+ feels a bit pricier than I hoped. I went for it for the brand. I definitively don't regret paying for it.

It installed very easily. I hope it lasts. I run the pump 16 hours a day. It comes on about 8 times and hour for about 35 seconds and runs at 66 watts. I don’t use the built-in clock. I’m using a smart plug instead. The installation instructions recommend that you put thermostatically controlled blending valves on you showers. Today I got to feel why. As I was showering all of a sudden the shower water became very hot when the pump kicked on and suddenly there was hot water in the cold water line. Unfortunately my water pipes are not insulated. There is a three year warranty on the pump and a one year warranty on the rest of the assembly. I suspect the clock will be the weak point but since I don’t use it I don’t care. The last pump I had was half the price but only lasted 6 months. It was a different brand. The manufacturer is APCOM which is a recent acquisition of AO-Smith.

It worked well at first but failed less than a year later. Tried to contact support on their website for a replacement or refund and got no response.

Update: After working great for 7 months, one of the brass tee fittings started to leak. No idea why this happened, but it was leaking in the threads. I called Apcom customer service to see if i could get a replacement fitting. After a long hold, the person did not know what i was asking for and transferred me. I was immediately put into an after call survey. I called back and got the same person and the same exact thing happened. I called a 3rd time, got a different person and they said someone would call me back within 24 hrs. Never got a call, days later i starting searching for a replacement part and it was hard to find. I found this Lasco tee that was pretty much and exact match. "LASCO 06-9123 Angle Stop Adapter Tee for 3/8-Inch OD Compression x 3/8-Inch OD Compression x 1/2-Inch Slip Joint". Installed it and am back up and running. I realize now what others have said about Apcom is true and their Customer Service is not good. So easy to install, instant hot water now, i mean instant! Got the 10 MM silicone pads that are suggested in other reviews and some small stainless steel locking bolts/nuts and just set it on the cabinet base. We do not use the timer it comes with, instead we use a Kasa smart plug. Runs so quiet, we don't hear it at all, zero vibration. Very pleased with this after having it for several months.