Remote control switch for DHW recirculating pump

[Rob711]

I’ve purchased a hot water recirculating pump kit. It’s a circulator pump with a 24 hr timer and a valve that goes to furthest sink. Pumping hot water through the cold side.
I’m trying to find a remote controlled switch with a 5 min timer. I don’t want to use a app or ask Alexa. Ideally I’d have a remote/key fob I could leave next to sink. Hit the button, and turn on pump for 5 mins.
Seems simple. I cannot find what I need. Any ideas!!

 

[EbS-P]

Could you put a receptacle near the pump and wire the pump with a plug end and use a smart switch

 

[gthomas785]

I just went through this myself. our kitchen is far away from where the water heater is. I ended up getting a smart plug and a smart motion sensing switch. Put the switch in the kitchen and programmed it to turn on the smart plug in the basement. Programmed the smart plug to turn itself off 5 mins after it turns on. Anytime someone goes into the kitchen it pumps hot water for 5 mins and you don't have to do anything or interact with it at all.

BTW, I started out with the crossover valve using the cold water as the return, but found the lukewarm water in the cold side to be unacceptable in the kitchen. In a bathroom it's probably not so bad, but I want cold water to drink at my kitchen sink! So for another $100 and a weekend's effort I bought a 100' coil of 1/2" PEX-B, check valve, pipe insulation and a few other fittings and was able to pull a dedicated return line most of the way to where my kitchen sink is. Now I have to wait ~10 sec for hot water instead of 4 minutes. YMMV.

Edit: BTW #2. Every smart motion switch I could find online has a "feature" that it will only turn on if it senses that the room is dark. Seems practical for lighting application, but is not useful for controlling DHW recirculation. I was able to open this one up by removing 7 small phillips screws, and simply clipped one of the legs on the photocell. Now it turns on any time of the day.

 

[Rob711]

Thanks for the suggestions, I found a switch with a 30 min countdown timer with remote. Now to see if it will work from 2nd floor bath to basement. Idk. I’ll let you know