Buying Guide to Instant Boiling Water Taps

 

How Do Boiling Water Taps Work? 

Boiling water taps are fed from a small boiler tank underneath your sink. This tank is plugged into both the mains and your water supply. After heating the water it safely stores it at the optimum temperature which means as soon as you turn your tap on you'll have immediate hot water. These tanks are super insulated and known for their energy efficiency and sustainability (the Billi brand is particularly famous for its Green credentials) and long term can provide great money-saving* especially with current energy costs. Tanks vary in their functionality with some of the more sophisticated offering extras such as electronic displays like the InSinkErator 4N1, with extra controls such as pan-filling modes, personalised temperature range settings, and filter change warning systems.

Installation

Boiling water tap installation is relatively simple; some brands requiring little or no special equipment like the Franke Boiling Water Tap range which can be fitted within 20 minutes and comes with colour-coded connectors for easy set-up.

These taps can be fitted in the same way as a regular kitchen tap, with the addition of the tank. While there's no need for an electrician, for safety, we always recommend a professional plumber to install your boiling water tap. Why not use our handy find your local plumber link to get a fast, reliable quote by rated and recommended plumbers in your area.

Our premium brands, such as Zip Water and Billi also offer their own expert engineers who will come to you for install. You can purchase this installation service alongside your tap on our site - please feel free to contact our team if you require further information. Before installation you'll need to ensure there's adequate space for the tank, which is normally fitted underneath your sink. Most brands offer super compact tanks which fit under the standard kitchen countertop, (the Ellsi Boiling Water Tap tank is particularly space-saving). Another essential is that you'll require a standard plug socket relatively close by.  

Instant water taps are available across a range of price points to suit your budget. While they are usually more expensive than a comparable standard hot and cold tap, long term they provide greater cost efficiency.

For example, if you're a regular kettle or stove water boiler, making several drinks and preparing food across the day, you'll start to see savings. For example, the average kettle costs 13.5p to boil but with a boiling water tap, you only use the exact amount you need. *You can read more on this subject in our Boiling Tap 10 Most Common Questions article.

For budgets of £500 and under the Ellsi, Prima and Reginox ranges are particularly cost-effective, however the more premium tap options offer greater functionality like Boiling Water Taps with Pull Out Hose Spout, specially engineered materials like Super Steel, or specific benefits like the patented Grohe Starlight finish on the Grohe Red range, which provides scratch-free, long-lasting durability.

The name itself can be a little misleading; whilst they are best known for boiling water (boiling point being 100°C), the majority of these taps actually store the water at a slightly lower temperature, and the water is normally poured at up to 98°C. Whilst many brands will claim they can reach temperatures of 100°C (including our stocked brands: Franke and Carron Phoenix), in most domestic use this is not a necessity. Furthermore, true connoisseurs of tea and coffee advise against using water at 100°C, since this can negatively impact flavours.

Types Of Boiling Water Tap

These taps tend to fall within the following category types:

Boiling Water Only Taps

These are the original standard form faucet, they only dispense boiling water, like Zip Water's Classic Plus Boiling HydroTap and are often installed as a secondary, supplementary tap. In the kitchen these are often positioned in areas dedicated to meal preparation or tea and coffee making, such as a kitchen island. 

3-In-1 Taps Alongside boiling water, three-way kitchen taps dispense standard hot and cold water. Since these can be a simple replacement for a standard tap, they're often selected for their convenience.

4-In-1 Taps As well as dispensing boiling water, plus standard hot and cold, four-way kitchen taps also offer filtered water as a fourth option like the InSinkErator 4 in1. Their extra filters provide tasty purified water in an instant.

5-In-1 Taps Dispensing boiling water, standard hot and cold, five-way kitchen taps  like the Zip HydroTap All-In-One also offer filtered water, chilled and sparkling as fourth and fifth options. This ultimate water solution for the home or office covers you for any and every instant water requirement, and is the ultimate space-saver.

6-in-1 Taps Filtered Cold, Filtered Chilled, Filtered Sparkling Water (perfect for creating refreshing beverages on demand) plus filtered Boiling Water in a flash, alongside domestic hot and cold.

Side Taps Alternatively, you may wish to consider these smaller 'partner' taps. Designed to sit neatly alongside your main kitchen mixer tap or by a separate sink, our dedicated hot (and/or hot and cold) side taps dispense instant steaming hot water.

Safety 

The main concern most have around boiling water is any potential scalding risk. The good news is that modern boiling water taps are designed with multiple features in place to ensure high safety standards, ensuring there's no danger of accidental operation.

Child safety is paramount and fitted as standard across all our Boiling Water Taps. The safety spring handle is perhaps the best known of all safety features. Boiling water is only dispensed after first pushing the button, then secondly, twisting the handle. The button must be held down until dispensing has finished.

This keeps children especially, from any danger. Certain brands have their own bespoke safety functionality, for example Ellsi's Cool-to-Touch technology which ensures the outside surface of the tap remains cool at all times thanks to its innovative insulation engineering.

Another safety factor with these types of taps, is that they have much lower water pressure flow than a regular tap, thereby preventing any splashes.

Sustainability

Swapping your regular kettle for a boiling water tap can help reduce energy usage in the home. It’s been estimated that 67% of people overfill their kettle each time they use it, which is equal to 3,500 tonnes of wasted CO2 daily.

With a boiling water tap, you only use the exact amount of water you need, which means less energy wastage. Did you know we also offer carbon neutral delivery on all our orders? Read our blog post here to discover how!

If you live in a hard water area, you’ve probably looked inside your kettle to be greeted by the sight of limescale. Luckily, the majority of boiling water taps include a filter which helps to reduce limescale. These filters purify and remove the hardness from the water before it can reach the boiler tank, helping the tank stay limescale free.

Like any filter, those on your boiling water tap will need to be changed occasionally to help keep your tank limescale free. Manufacturers will recommend you change the filter on your boiling water tap every 6 months, but this may vary depending on your usage. We stock a range of replacement and spare Carbon Water Filter Cartridges and Accessories across the Abode, Grohe, Ellsi, HotSpot Titanium, InSinkErator and Zip Water ranges.

Other Boiling Water Tap Considerations

Water Pressure

When you purchase any tap, you need to make sure the water pressure in your home is suitable.

At The Tap Specialist, we sell Boiling water taps which operate at pressures as low as 0.5 bars. Most of our taps require a minimum 1 bar water pressure as standard, meaning they should work for the majority of homes. Not sure about your home water pressure? read our expert guide.

WRAS Approval

Products approved with this certification are proven to comply with the standard UK water regulations and by-laws. Look out for Water Regulations Approval Scheme (WRAS) approval across our individual product pages for more details. InSinkErator in particular is one of our brands that carry the highest number of third-party certifications in the market.  

Boiling Water Tap Styles

On our site, you’ll find an array of taps in a wide range of finishes and designs to suit your individual kitchen renovation or project. (We also sell their matching kitchen sinks and accessories such as carbon water filters).

As a modern product, boiling water taps are available in a range of contemporary finishes. Modern colourways include black, nickel and gun metal, which can make a real design statement, while brass, copper and gold finishes can add a vintage look and feel, or add warmth to a dark or all white kitchen. If you’re looking for something more understated, a sleek chrome or steel finish provides a more traditional style and works really well alongside modern kitchen appliances. Furthermore, if you love that antique, classical look the Ellsi Traditional Bridge Taps with ceramic handles definitely fit the bill! We're also growing our range of hand-crafted Perrin & Rowe taps which excel in classical design. In addition, we also stock boiling water taps in traditional shapes, for example with Swan-neck spouts. These are perfect for anyone who loves classic style, but still wants the benefits of a modern instant hot water tap. For a more on-trend aesthetic we'd suggest boiling water taps with an L-shape spout or industrial look U-shape spout which can be a great fit for professional, office or contemporary trend kitchens. Taps with a pull-out spout such as Intu's Nexus Form are increasingly popular due to this added convenience which makes cleaning large or awkward items a doddle!