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

[MerryMarigold]

...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?)

I think if I relied on water for my oxygen, I'd be dead by now

I am at home most of the day and I'm constantly boiling the kettle in winter. Sadly, dh worked out the finances wrong so there is less disposable income now so not sure if we'll be affording it...I looked up prices and it was quite a lot.

Lelivre that's really useful to know. Which manufacturer ate you referring to ? I'll keep an eye out because this would certainly help me with "it costs a fortune and can't be energy efficient". I still think for our 4 cups of tea on a week day its a massive luxury. Now the roomba, now that's a thing of beauty !

didi, you can also use straight into a pan if you are boiling/ steaming anything (rice, pasta, potatoes), or making kids hot chocolate (that's a biggie in our house), a hot water bottle, not just cups of tea or coffee.

Didireallysaythat - I will PM you later.

Just as Merry says, also it speeds up all of these activities, especially getting dinner on. Useful for people like myself always on the back foot and impatient souls (that's me too)

Thing is one pot of tea in the morning, one in the evening and perhaps a pan of water every day - max 5 mins (plus I'm doing other stuff not standing there watching). £3 a day to pay off over a year vs 10p for an expensive kettle. I do SO love the idea but £1000 is a tumbler drier and a double oven. Oh dear. I can't justify it can I ?

Thanks Lelivre I'm going to continue chewing this over !

Yes, maybe if you are out all day it's not worth it, but I boil the kettle about 20x a day in the end!

We have the Franke Minerva which is a regular tap with boiling water too, rather than one of those separate butler's taps. Love it.

Beryl, does it come out boiling and how do you make it less hot for normal hand washing?

We have that one, as well.

There are two taps with one spout. One side is a mixer tap, and the other side has the boiling water tap. As I noted upthread, you do have to run a mug full of water through, before the water you get is boiling. I know that you have to do that for the quooker, as well, as it was demonstrated to me in a showroom.

I would have liked a 3in1 tap but...The one I have is warm and not hissing as it flows (and boiling) for a half second only. I wonder if that is one good thing with a separate tap, there is less residual water to clear. Also I like the thought that this tap can be completely 'out of bounds' to any kids.

Also (I'm boring myself now, but should it help) a large tank may mean masses of insulation (I queried this) reducing running costs.

Although I love mine, I wouldn't have bought one if it hadn't been given me, due to the expense. Having said that I would now definitely give up my bean to cup coffee maker (and have a press instead) before this and that cost more.

However if I was still working f/t
I wouldn't probably value it anything like as much. I am a SAHM and I find myself using it much more than I imagined.

Merry, as pp said, there is a normal hot cold mixer lever on one side, and the other side has a spring loaded safety button for the boiling water.

Mine doesn't need to run through the water - I allow about a second's worth of water to run, then it is boiling water. All visitors (who are likely to be making their own tea) get the hot water safety brief when they come. Mainly consisting of a warning that, yes, it will definitely be boiling, you need to trust it, and never feel the urge to run your hand under it just to check.

BIL had the safety brief, but didn't believe me. One burnt hand later...

I don't find it expensive to run, I think the Franke website says it is about £32 per year. You do need to be aware that there is a filter for the boiling water. They say it should be replaced every 6 months, but we just replaced ours, after 3 years. The flow was starting to get quite slow, but the new filter fixed this. It cost £36 for the filter, and we had to remove the kick board to get at it.

The good thing about having the unit under the cupboard behind the baseboard is that it doesn't take up cupboard space (the unit is about the size of a 1980s VCR), and it has the added benefit of heating the floor below it, giving a nice warm spot to stand on in front of the sink (we have to turf the cats off that spot to get at the sink).

Thanks Beryl. Really helpful. Poor BIL but I bet he won't do that again.