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Original poster

Anyone got one of those boiling water taps instead of a kettle?

37 replies

MerryMarigold · 03/03/2015 17:10

...wondering if they are worth it.

Just got a house with teeny kitchen. Worktop space v limited so looking for space savers and this is one suggestion I've seen.

How much do they cost to run?
How long do you wait or is it literally 'on tap'? (In which case, aren't they v expensive to run?)

OP posts:

bigbluestars · 03/03/2015 17:13

THey terrify the life out of me- I wouldn't have one- they look horribly dangerous.

FreckledLeopard · 03/03/2015 17:13

We have a "boiling tap" at work and I have to say, it doesn't heat up to the same temperature as a kettle, meaning hot drinks never taste quite the same.

PurpleWithRed · 03/03/2015 17:15

It's literally on tap. I Loooooovvve mine. It seems to be very cheap to run but ours supplies the kitchen hot water tap as well as the actual boiling tap. Our hot water tank is on the 2nd floor so every time we ran water to the kitchen it wasted about half a bucket of hot water. They are expensive though.

honeysucklejasmine · 03/03/2015 17:17

The ILs have one. Its like a medicine bottle top so should be child proof. As for what it's like... They've got rid of their kettle!

Lelivre · 03/03/2015 17:22

I would say the same as purple above. I don't think they are more dangerous than a boiling pan of water or kettle. Possibly less, there is a safety catch. Some of them are set to boiling, some not. If water comes out boiling, it's hissing and bubbling and a bit scary until you get used to it. Also tastes better. Wouldn't want to go back to a regular kettle.

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 04/03/2015 05:18

Thanks guys, helpful. Is it a different tap to the one for the sink? Which tap do you guys have?

OP posts:

Imnotaslimjim · 04/03/2015 05:24

My MIL has one and its fantastic. Its a separate tap to the sink one, and is hot enough to make a decent cup of tea. As a PP said it takes some getting used too when it comes out boiling but they don't use a kettle anymore

Eastpoint · 04/03/2015 05:30

We have one & it's wonderful.

BikeRunSki · 04/03/2015 05:46

We have them at work. They make awful tea. The work ones are plumbed into water tanks which are housed in kitchen units and actually use up quite a lot of space, not sure if this is how domestic ones are set up.

ChalkyC · 04/03/2015 06:16

We have a franke one - it is integrated into the main tap, and has a safety catch - not easily operatedby children (or grandparents!). I love it. Water is absolutely boiling, and virtually instant. A storage cassette sits on the floor below the kitchen unit, you can't see it and it doesn't affect storage. We don't have a kettle. The only thing is because it is boiling water it does spit a bit. £££ though!!

didireallysaythat · 04/03/2015 08:56

Are they still around the £1000 mark ? Maybe they have come down in price since I last looked

Lelivre · 04/03/2015 09:08

I think they are coming down in price, but only by so much, the tap, the tank and all the fittings are going to cost...

Mine is one not yet in production, I trialled it for the manufacterer (not Quooker) but when I sent my feedback I had this in response to one of the points raised. It may help you, it explains that having it actually 'boiling' is what you want, for the taste and to get the full advantage of the appliance, even though it takes some getting used to. It might be why people do not rate the ones at work, thinking to the one we has at work, they are probably set lower at 98

"The high temp CAN be scary !! It's most people's initial reaction. But it really is boiling, unlike some units. Your unit has a switch on the pcb that would let you drop the temp to 98. That would stop the steam and hissing, but most people come to prefer the higher temp.

This feature is the same as quooker (pressurised high temp). Zip and insdinkerator do not hiss but do not boil either. "

littleomar · 04/03/2015 09:15

Mine is insinkerator. Water is 85 because I tested it! I find it fine for tea but don't drink tea much. Very useful for filling pans for pasta etc. seems cheap to run - heavily insulated tank so it's not heating all the time.

Lelivre · 04/03/2015 09:17

Also at this temp you may not require a filter feature also. The one I have doesn't and yet the water (tea) tastes great despite the storage tank. This is the explanation I had back:

" The tank stores water at 108c so chlorine and any volatile organic compounds tend flash to steam. "

The point being, when selecting, look for one that stores and produces water at a high temp, or I think it could be disappointing albeit less alarming to use. I find I must hold the receptacle very close. Just as with a kettle, you would not pour from any height. In this respect it is not to be used like a regular tap, but it looks just like one so it's a case of viewing it as a 'kettle tap' not a hot tap IYSWIM.

Once people get more used to them and past the scary though of this hissing water coming out of what looks like a normal tap, I think that they will become more popular. Kettles cause so many accidents and when a whole kettle goes over it could be terrible. Having used one for a few weeks now, I'm inclined to think there is less risk of scalds and burns with a kettle tap.

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 04/03/2015 09:21

I would definitely need it boiling, doesn't taste right otherwise. Thanks for the tips there on the brands. Didn't think about tank storage...hmmmm...that would take up more space than a kettle, although I suppose it could be high up in a hard-to-reach space where a cupboard would be a bit pointless.

OP posts:

pootlebug · 04/03/2015 10:39

The tank is under the sink. It is small though.

I love ours - a Quooker. Chose Quooker because it is properly boiling, unlike some of the others, and I love tea. Also because it has a medicine-top kind of mechanism, and I needed it to be small-child-proof. Separate to the kitchen tap, which I think is safer….less chance of accidentally turning on the wrong thing.

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 04/03/2015 12:29

Thanks. I'm going to look into it. We have bought what I'd call a 'practical' house (new-ish build) - it ticks boxes, but it doesn't excite me and the kitchen is weeny. I need a few nice ideas to get me excited about moving out of my nice, high-ceilinged Victorian terrace.

OP posts:

Secretsout · 04/03/2015 21:09

Watching this thread with interest. We are in the early stages of a new kitchen planning and a boiling tap is on our essential list. I was leaning towards the Quooker as I'd been told it was the only true boiling one but the kitchen people I have had out have all poo poo'd them and have recommended the Franke, Zip and another one (forgot its name) so I'm completely baffled!

Coconutty · 04/03/2015 21:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NK2d7e737aX124833c7de8 · 04/03/2015 21:19

I have a quooker and I love it. Most people who don't like them don't have one.

SanityClause · 04/03/2015 21:25

We have the Franke Minerva, and I love it.

If people don't find it makes good tea, perhaps they are not waiting until the boiling water has come through the pipes? If you run about a mug full of water, and discard it before making the tea, the water will be really boiling, so will make nice tea.

SanityClause · 04/03/2015 21:27

The Franke tank can be installed below the cupboard, behind the plinth, so it takes up no useful space at all. (Ours is in the cupboard, though.)

didireallysaythat · 06/03/2015 07:36

I love the idea. I love my brothers. DH loved them, right up to the point he worked out he could buy 50 kettles for the price. As we don't work from home I can't justify it (why pay for a tank of boiling water between 8:30 and 18:30 when you're not in, or 00:00 and 5:00 when you are unlikely to want a cuppa, or do they have timers ? They must have timers - goes off to read more)

Lelivre · 06/03/2015 07:51

The one I have the standby costs are 18 watts. It uses a regular socket so a timer can be fitted. However they are now adding firmware which will 'learn' your habits and turn off when you don't use it, and come on when you do. This is in test.

I wouldn't have bought one due to the cost but, having been given one (to test for the manufacturer) if I moved or if it failed, I would find the money. I am surprised how much I keep reaching to use it. Also from a safety point of view I prefer it as I have small children; there is a safety catch and by it's nature it cannot be picked up or knocked over...

Peanut14 · 06/03/2015 08:48

I'd love one in my kitchen but in wonder about the quality of water as I thought that boiled water loses oxogen the more times it is boiled, would that happen to these on demand boiling taps?

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