Since when is a tap an appliance? When it’s a tap that delivers boiling water.
We’ve been selling boiling water taps for many years. If you’ve never heard of them, it can be a bit of a leap to consider adding one to your wishlist. A boiling water tap provides instant boiling water for tea, pasta, sauces, sterilising, floor washing and more. It is probably the hardest working appliance in the kitchen and so, it is far from a standard kitchen tap.
What is the best boiling water tap?
There are a number of brands of boiling water tap. When choosing the right one for you, we suggest asking a few questions:
Is true 100°C important for you? If you want to make a proper cup of tea with your boiling tap, then it is important and not all brands deliver actual boiling water.
Is finish important? Some brands come in one finish, others (our favourite, Quooker) come in 5 different finishes. Whatever your style, there will be one that suits.
Is capacity important? Some brands offer a single tank size, others offer two sizes, so if you have a busy household a bigger tank can make all the difference.
What’s your budget? Boiling taps can range from €500 to €3,500 depending on brand, style, function and finish.
We’re big fans of Quooker taps here at JD Kitchens & Interiors. Our entire design team have one installed in our own homes and we would never go back to a standard tap. The space freed up by not having a kettle is immense, not just from the footprint of the kettle but the space the cable takes up too. You can reclaim at least 400-600mm of countertop width by ditching your kettle. This is particularly important if you have a small space and need to make the most of every bit! You need a minimum water pressure of 2 Bar to operate a boiling water tap, so bear that in mind when making decisions.
How do boiling water taps work?
Something else worth considering is the capacity of the tank. Quooker offers 3 or 7 litre tanks, so you can have up to 7 litres of boiling water available immediately. We’ve never seen a 7 litre kettle, have you?
The Quooker tank is actually a flask, keeping water at 110°C and ensuring every drop is delivered at 100°C. It does take up a substantial amount of cabinet space. Even in a standard single door, 60cm sink cabinet, there will still be room for cleaning materials so we don’t see this as an issue. Franke offer a tank that is designed to sit under the cabinet, behind the toekick, so this is something to consider if space is really tight.
Quooker also offer the option of chilled, filtered and sparkling water with the CUBE. This device sits alongside your Quooker tank, so does require more space. If your family drink lots of bottled water, this is an exceptional alternative which saves money in the long term and also eliminates the use of plastic bottles!
The questions of energy efficiency, water use and safety often come up for our clients. We have no hesitation in recommending Quooker for all of these reasons. Small children can’t accidentally activate boiling water, the spout is insulated to prevent burns and the water is aerated, preventing the risk of serious burns. A Quooker tap uses less electricity than your kettle. You use just the amount needed too, rather than endless boiling the kettle and ditching old, over-boiled water down the sink.
For more info on Quooker taps, click here for a brochure.
We can offer many options on taps and sinks, too, so whatever is on your wishlist, talk to us! Our design team live & breathe kitchen design and we love to advise on these decisions. We understand that your kitchen is a big investment and it takes time to get the details right. Have a look through some of our completed projects for inspiration and get in touch to begin the design process.
