Tap for boiling water

Daisy 55

Does anyone know anything about a kitchen tap for boiling water?
Are they expensive? Worthwhile? Difficult to get installed?
Does anyone have one?
My kitchen is not new, but I was wondering if we should look into getting one! With the water charges, it would mean not having to run the hot tap to get hot water. What do ye think?

hallo dare

I'd say it would work out cheaper to run the water! The water has to get warm someway, that's usually done by a heating element much like your immersion or the coil in your kettle.

So if the water is taken to be boiling from the second you turn on the tap , then that would mean the element is constantly on and off to keep the water at the desired temp.

stooge

Most likely you would spend more money on electricity keeping the water warm than running the water until it is hot. If you already have a source of renewable energy (solar/wind) it might be worthwhile though.

freddyuk

According to the information they admit to 3p per day (just to have it sitting there in the tank under the sink). When you turn it on it has to work to heat the water instantly so 3p + what????. They do not tell you that bit. If you boil a kettle of 2 litres (2kw kettle) it will take about 5 minutes. That will cost about 1.5p. Of course for a cup of tea you put in the minimum amount required, you don't fill it so a fraction of 1p. I have never had a kettle fall over and today the cords are short so they have to be close to a plug socket not on the edge of a worktop.
You can get an instant one cup heater and use the whole tank for a saucepan etc. and it will cost €20 to buy the unit.
Unless your Combi boiler is miles away from the kitchen you can get a full saucepan full of hot water in a few seconds from gas/oil fired boiler for fractions of a penny and can then finish off quickly on the stove.

If you want to get some more scientific views then maybe the ASA would be more qualified?

http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2012/1/Quooker-UK-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_168593.aspx#.VCCTuue7kao

The ads are misleading and do not tell you what you need to know to make a decision on "energy saving" benefits or cost savings against a €20 kettle. If you want to spend €1400 to impress the neighbours then go ahead. Don't forget to factor in buying filters each year etc.

Daisy 55

Thanks for the replies everyone. At the moment, our hot water for the kitchen is from the immersion or from the central heating when it's on. Just wondering if this would be a better option than turning on the immersion.
Also concerned about the water that you have to run to get the hot.
I suppose I'm not thinking of an alternative to the kettle, but to the immersion. Don't worry! Not bothered about the neighbours at all!

mickdw

From what I gather, these instant boiling water taps are much more clever than described in this thread.
Obviously under normal conditions, having boiling water on hand 24 7 would mean near constant element heating.
The last system I heard of used a pressure vessel to raise the boiling point of the water with insulation to retain temp. The water heater would take the water to 105 degrees for example and still not boil due to being stored under pressure. The water in the insulated pressurised vessel would remain over 100 degrees for a reasonable length of time without re heating but still not boiling due to pressure inside vessel.
As soon as the water is released at tap, you get an instant boil due to normal atmospheric pressure

Hootanany

Quooker all the way

Stheno

Hootanany wrote: »

Quooker all the way

@ 1500 sterling for the most basic model, that strikes me as buying a diesel post 2008 car to save a few hundred a year on car tax tbh

freddyuk

I think the OP is looking for DHW heating ie. an alternative to immersion or boiler. The Quooker is for hot water for drinking /cooking. Using hot water from a storage cylinder to make tea is not advisable. However from a combi boiler it is simply mains water instantly heated using existing heat source. So in this case careful management of the immersion switching is way cheaper and have a kettle for drinks?

Yes the Quooker has a pressurised reservoir but what does it cost to re heat this? No information I can find.

tenifan

When I was getting my kitchen fitted, the guy didn't even try to sell it. he said the water is fairly hot but not boiling, so most people who add milk to their tea would find it too warm. I also worked in a place that had one and people used it to fill the kettle.

Daisy 55

Thanks again everyone! Initially,it was the quooker that caught my attention, but they are very expensive!
The units that produce hot but not boiling water are much cheaper.

Daisy 55

tenifan wrote: »

When I was getting my kitchen fitted, the guy didn't even try to sell it. he said the water is fairly hot but not boiling, so most people who add milk to their tea would find it too warm. I also worked in a place that had one and people used it to fill the kettle.

So Tenifan, did you get one?

tenifan

Daisy 55 wrote: »

So Tenifan, did you get one?

Nope. I bought a kettle. It's well down my list of things to buy.

Glebee

Installed a Quooker recently in an office tea room situation. Water comes out boiling hot. Nice looking unit. People are reluctant to use it for some reason. Id have to dig it out what it cost, cant remember of the top of my head...