Boiling water taps are revolutionising the way homeowners cook and clean at home. Dispensing boiling water instantly, these taps can cut down on wasted time and provide an undeniably luxurious feeling in your kitchen.
In today's guide, we'll take you through everything you need to know about boiling water taps, including:
How they work
Different types
Their benefits and uses
How much they cost to buy
How much they cost to run
Whether they're safe
Let's get started.
A boiling water tap works with the use of a boiler tank, which draws water from the mains, heats it to a boiling temperature and maintains it at that temperature, so that the boiling water can be accessed instantly from the tap. Here's a step-by-step guide:
The boiler tank is plugged into a power socket and the mains water supply
Water is drawn into the boiler tank
The boiler tank's heating element brings the temperature up to 'boiling' or another temperature specified by the user
The boiling water function of the tap is switched on, and the hot water is drawn up through the tap and out of the spout
The boiler tank fills back up and reheats, ready to deliver boiling water again
Learn more about how boiling water taps work.
The vast majority of 'boiling' taps dispense near boiling water at 98°C, with only one brand's taps dispensing true 100°C water. Ultimately, this small difference makes little difference to the tap's effectiveness:
Most hot drinks like coffee and tea will burn if brewed at 100°C
98°C is hot enough for sterilising baby bottles, chopping boards or knives
An unheated mug will quickly sap a few degrees of heat from your water anyway
The three greatest benefits of these taps are:
Unrivalled convenience: a boiling tap makes cooking and cleaning incredibly easy to do
Unlimited time-savings: a boiling tap means no more waiting for a kettle or pan to come to the boil
Unbeatable luxury: a boiling tap will instantly add to the luxury feel of your home
What's more, the majority of boiling water taps come with a water filter, which can improve the taste of your water and remove many of the impurities found in tap water.
A boiling water tap is sometimes called a 'hot water tap', '3-in-1 tap', '4-in-1 tap', '5-in-1 tap' or simply an 'instant hot water tap'. We may use these terms interchangeably throughout the article.
But what's the difference? Let's break it down:
Boiling-only taps. As the name suggests, these taps dispense only boiling water, which means they are kept separate from your regular mixer tap. They require more space than some of the more sophisticated models, which makes them unsuitable for small kitchens. They are, however, often the cheapest type of tap.
3-in-1 Taps. These taps dispense regular hot and cold water (like a standard mixer tap), as well as filtered boiling water from the same tap. They offer the perfect middle-ground between convenience, price and features.
4-in-1 Taps. These taps dispense regular hot and cold water, filtered boiling water and filtered cold water. Because they offer more features than a 3-in-1 tap, they tend to cost more. However, many homeowners appreciate the instant access to filtered cold water.
Flex Taps. These taps have a pull-out spout, which allows the user to direct water to wherever it's needed in the sink. This adds another layer of convenience, and they are generally made to be safe by not allowing you to use the pull-out spout at the same time as the boiling water function.
5-in-1 Taps. Some brands offer sparkling water as an add-on to their tap models, though this can be expensive. These are sometimes referred to as '5-in-1' taps.
The size of boiler tank can vary, depending on the make and model of your tap. Our tanks have a 2.4L capacity, which can delivery 8-10 cups of boiling water at a time - plenty for most tea rounds or for filling pots and pans as you're cooking. Of course, even if the hot water tank is emptied, it only takes between 2-3 minutes for it to reheat.
Other brands offer an assortment of tank sizes, with some boiler tanks offering a capacity of over 10 litres. Unless you plan on cooking huge meals requiring a lot of boiling water, or making hot drinks for dozens of people, a tank this large is often unnecessary.
Generally, the boiler tank will fit into your kitchen cupboard below the sink. Of course, a larger tank capacity will mean a larger tank, so it's worth considering how much space you have spare in your cupboard, or whether an instant boiling water tap would suit your current kitchen configuration. Smaller tanks offer a compact and practical solution that fits into the majority of kitchen interiors.
Add-ons like Quooker's CUBE will also take up space, along with the water filters provided.
The cost of your tap will depend on a wide variety of factors:
The number of features e.g. boiling-only, 3-in-1, 4-in-1 or 5-in-1
The boiler tank capacity
The finish
We've done our best to break down each down below, based on our own range and that of other brands on the market:
Boiling-only taps range greatly from £300 up to £1,000. This style of tap isn't very common, and we have chosen not to stock them, as we believe they are both inconvenient and do not offer good value for money.
3-in-1 taps range from £350 up to over £1,000. Our most affordable 3-in-1 tap is the Verana 3-in-1 in Chrome, coming in at £349.
4-in-1 taps range from £450 up to £1,000 or more. The most affordable of our premium 4-in-1 taps is the Hanstrom 4-in-1 in Chrome, coming in at £499.
Flex taps range from £550 up to £1,150. The most affordable of our flex taps is the Hanstrom 3-in-1 Flex Tap in Chrome, coming in at £549.
5-in-1 taps start at £1,500, making them the most expensive type of boiling water tap. Quooker offers the CUBE, which dispenses chilled and sparkling water, for an additional £1,150 on top of the tap cost.
Most boiling water taps come with a standard boiler tank as part of the price, with the option of increasing its capacity for an additional charge. For example:
The Quooker Flex comes with a 3L tank, which can be upgraded to 7L for an additional £270.
The Grohe Red comes with a 3L tank, which can be upgraded to 5.5L for an additional £100.
Verana do not offer additional tank capacity, as we feel a larger tank is unnecessary for our customers. Having delivered our boiling water taps to thousands of homes across Britain, we have found our 2.4L tank is more than sufficient to meet our customers' needs.
With a huge variety of tap finishes on the market, an increasing number of design-conscious homeowners are choosing appliances that sport unconventional colours.
Chrome is often the standard finish, and rarely costs more than the base price.
Black is a popular finish for modern interiors. We charge just £50 for this premium finish, while Quooker charges £360, InSinkErator charges £50 and Grohe don't offer it.
Gold is the most luxurious finish. We charge just £50 for this finish while Quooker charges £870 and neither InSinkErator or Grohe offer it.
Brass is another popular option. We charge £50 for this finish, while Quooker charges £440 and neither InSinkErator or Grohe offer it.
We also stock gunmetal grey, copper and nickel, all of which cost just £50 more than the standard chrome finish.
We believe that the best boiling water taps don't have to come at a premium price. Our range of products perfectly embodies that ethos, with a tap at every price point - while still delivering a luxury product designed to last.
Most people mistakenly believe that a boiling water tap is neither water or energy-efficient, however, this isn't the case. A boiling water tap will cost between 5-10p a day to run, which is neither more or less than a kettle that is used a few times each day. There is also the chance to save money on your gas bill by no longer heating pans of water up on the hob.
Ultimately, a boiling water tap is unlikely to save you hundreds of pounds on your energy bill. Although your energy bill is unlikely to increase, either, the greatest saving you will have when it comes to a boiling water tap is your time.
Saying that, if you are worried that a boiling water tap will cost you money, it is useful to know that they are typically designed with energy-efficiency in mind.
Installing a boiling water tap is relatively straightforward, and can be completed by most people with basic DIY/plumbing skills. However, if you would prefer to have a professional install your boiling tap, you can expect to pay somewhere in the region of £50-£100, though this varies by location and the complexity of the system.
Parents will understandably have concerns when it comes to these taps, as the thought of your little one turning it on and scalding themselves is enough to give you nightmares. Fortunately, boiling water taps have been designed with this in mind, implementing safety mechanisms such as a child lock, spring-loaded mechanisms and more, to prevent kids from accessing piping hot water when they're unsupervised.
Our taps come with a spring-loaded mechanism that turns the boiling function off if left unattended. The child-lock also prevents the boiling function of the tap being turned on.
Kettles rarely come with safety features, and are therefore more likely to result in injury:
Kettles are plugged into the wall with a cable, which can be pulled or get caught, leading to spillages
Because kettles can be moved around the kitchen they can be dropped
Kettles can become incredibly hot when turned on, which means burns can occur even without water being spilled
A boiling water tap is kept in a fixed position above the sink, which means any splashes are contained to your sink area
Maintenance of boiling water taps is often straightforward and rarely requires professional help. Thanks so their design and build, hot water taps typically don't have many issues, and regular cleaning and visual inspections is often enough to maintain them for years.
The vast majority of plumbers and/or electricians will be able to check your boiling water tap and troubleshoot issues, if you would prefer to seek professional help.
Learn more about maintaining your boiling water tap here.
Most taps come with a filter that should be changed regularly. How regularly the filter is changed will depend on your make and model, though we recommend the filters for our taps are changed every 6 months. This will ensure your tap's filtered water is delivered as it should be, while also ensuring your tap stays in warranty.
Finding the best boiling water tap isn't just aesthetics; it's worth digging into the warranty that your tap comes with. After all, on the rare occasion that something goes wrong, it's worth knowing that your tap is backed.
Our taps, for example, come with a 2-year warranty, ensuring that if anything goes amiss we'll cover it. Fortunately, the lifespan of our taps is far longer than 2 years, which means you get to enjoy your tap for years to come.
We hope with this guide to boiling water taps you feel confident when it comes to shopping. Verana is at the forefront of the kitchen revolution, and we hope you will join us in transforming the way the UK cooks, cleans and drinks. Shop our full collection of boiling water taps today.
Alternatively, find out more about how a boiling water tap works in our guide, or find the answer to your burning question on our FAQs page.
