Instant Hot Water
We recently replaced our aging 75-gallon water heater with the Navien 240A2 tankless model. One of Navien's standout features is the 'HotButton,' which triggers a built-in recirculation pump to preheat the water lines. This is a game-changer, especially for cold Ohio mornings when it usually takes up to 4 minutes for hot water to reach our master shower.
However, walking down to the basement to press the HotButton every time we need hot water isn't ideal. Fortunately, Navien provides two wire terminals on their control board that mimic the HotButton press when shorted.
To leverage this feature, I used a dry-contact relay, an ESP8266 microcontroller, and smart buttons from Ikea and Aqara to automate the process. Now, we can easily trigger the recirculation pump directly from our master bathroom with the push of a button.
However, walking down to the basement to press the HotButton every time we need hot water isn't ideal. Fortunately, Navien provides two wire terminals on their control board that mimic the HotButton press when shorted.
To leverage this feature, I used a dry-contact relay, an ESP8266 microcontroller, and smart buttons from Ikea and Aqara to automate the process. Now, we can easily trigger the recirculation pump directly from our master bathroom with the push of a button.
