When Carmine Vasile felt the heat from a copper drain pipe, he got to thinking about where all that heat originated. He realized someone was showering in the bathroom above. Like many other Americans in the late 1970s, he was thinking about how much it had cost to heat all that water that was used for only a few seconds. That experience started Carmine on an inventor's journey through patent applications, test reports, government funding and field tests. Now Carmine's idea is a new product called the GFX.

The GFX heat recovery system works on the principle that water travels down the walls of a vertical pipe in a thin 12 to 27 mil film that transfers heat rapidly to the pipe. Carmine's invention captures that heat.

The GFX is a 3-inch-diameter copper pipe wrapped tightly with standard 1/2-inch copper tubing. The five-foot-tall unit connects to a vertical section of three-inch drain coming from a shower or other fixture. The cold water line leading to the shower is diverted to the GFX's 1/2-inch copper tube. As hot water drains out of the shower, it preheats the cold water by 20 to 30 degrees. The shower's mixing valve maintains a constant temperature for the person showering. Because less flow from the hot water side is required to maintain the same shower temperature, less water needs to be heated. This operating principle makes the GFX a good match with tankless water heaters that may not be able to provide adequate hot water flow.

In single-family homes, showers are the best application. The GFX unit must be installed vertically, so it fits most easily in homes with basements or two story plans. Commercial and industrial applications along with multifamily residential buildings offer even greater promise than homes.

Although energy savings will quickly pay for the $180 GFX unit, the biggest advantage may be comfort. By reclaiming heat from a shower, the hot water may never run out.

Contact: WaterFilm Energy, Inc.