If you're considering a Zip HydroTap with chilled water, you may be wondering: is the water actually cold enough to drink straight from the tap, or will I still need to keep water in the fridge?
The short answer is yes, a Zip HydroTap is designed to provide genuinely chilled drinking water.
Depending on the HydroTap model and settings, chilled water can be dispensed at approximately 3–5°C – comparable to the temperature many of us associate with taking a bottle of water straight from the fridge.
So, if you like properly cold drinking water, choosing a Zip HydroTap with chilled functionality can remove the need to keep bottles and filter jugs taking up space in your fridge.
How Cold Is Zip HydroTap Chilled Water?
Zip HydroTaps with chilled functionality use an under-counter Command Centre to actively chill the filtered water before it reaches your glass.
Depending on the model and temperature settings, the system can provide chilled drinking water at approximately 3–5°C.
This is very different from simply turning on a conventional kitchen cold tap.
The temperature of mains cold water can fluctuate depending on the season, the temperature of the incoming water supply and conditions within your property.
A chilled HydroTap is specifically designed to provide filtered, refrigerated-style drinking water on demand.
Is a Zip HydroTap as Cold as a Fridge?
This is one of the most common questions when customers are deciding whether they need the chilled function on their HydroTap.
A domestic refrigerator is commonly operated at around 3–5°C.
A Zip HydroTap's chilled water can also be dispensed at approximately 3–5°C, depending on the particular model and settings.
In practical terms, this means HydroTap chilled water can provide the refreshing temperature you would normally associate with drinking water that has been stored in your fridge.
The big difference?
You don't have to wait for it to chill.
Place your glass under the HydroTap and you have filtered chilled drinking water available on demand.
Cold Water vs Chilled Water: What's the Difference?
It is important to understand that cold water and chilled water aren't necessarily the same thing.
Your normal kitchen cold tap relies on the temperature of the incoming mains water.
That temperature can vary considerably throughout the year.
A HydroTap with chilled functionality actively refrigerates filtered water within its under-counter system.
So instead of relying on whatever temperature happens to be coming through your cold-water supply, you have a dedicated supply of chilled drinking water ready to dispense.
That's particularly noticeable during warmer weather when ordinary tap water may not feel especially refreshing.
Do I Still Need to Keep Water in the Fridge?
For most people choosing a chilled HydroTap, there should be no need to refrigerate drinking water simply to make it cold.
You can fill a glass or reusable bottle directly from the HydroTap whenever you want chilled filtered water.
That can also mean:
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Fewer bottled waters in your fridge
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No water-filter jug taking up shelf or door space
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No waiting for freshly filled bottles to become cold
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Less reliance on single-use plastic bottles
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Filtered chilled water available whenever you want it
For busy households, it's one of the features that can make a HydroTap considerably more useful than a boiling-water-only tap.
What About Sparkling Water?
If you choose a Zip HydroTap Boiling, Chilled & Sparkling (BCS) model, you can also dispense chilled filtered sparkling water.
Instead of keeping bottles or cans of sparkling water in the fridge, the HydroTap can provide sparkling water directly from the tap.
For households that regularly buy bottled sparkling water, this can be one of the most attractive reasons to choose a BCS HydroTap.
You effectively have boiling, chilled and sparkling filtered water available from one system.
Which Zip HydroTap Do I Need for Chilled Water?
Not every Zip HydroTap includes a chilling system, so look carefully at the functions included with the model you're considering.
Boiling & Chilled (BC)
Provides instant filtered boiling water and filtered chilled water.
This is a great option if you want instant boiling water for tea, coffee and cooking alongside refrigerated-style drinking water.
Boiling, Chilled & Sparkling (BCS)
Provides filtered boiling, chilled and sparkling water.
Choose this option if you enjoy sparkling water as well as still chilled water.
Zip HydroTap All-in-One
Selected Zip HydroTap All-in-One models combine filtered HydroTap functions with your conventional hot and cold water.
For example, an All-in-One Boiling, Chilled & Sparkling configuration can provide:
Filtered boiling water + filtered chilled water + filtered sparkling water + normal hot water + normal cold water.
That means one tap can replace several different functions around your kitchen sink.
Is the Chilled Function Worth Having on a Zip HydroTap?
If you normally keep bottled water, filtered water or a water-filter jug in your refrigerator because you prefer your drinking water properly cold, we'd strongly consider a HydroTap with chilled functionality.
The benefit isn't simply having filtered water.
It's having filtered water that's already chilled and ready to drink.
There's no jug to refill, no bottle to remember to put back in the fridge and no waiting several hours for water to become cold.
Turn to the HydroTap, dispense your water and drink.
Can I Fill a Reusable Water Bottle From a HydroTap?
Yes.
A chilled HydroTap is particularly convenient if members of your household regularly leave home with reusable water bottles.
Rather than filling the bottle with ordinary mains water or remembering to put a bottle in the fridge the night before, you can fill it with chilled filtered water directly from the HydroTap.
It's a small convenience, but one you may end up using every day.
Is a Chilled Zip HydroTap Just for Summer?
Definitely not.
Although instant chilled water is particularly welcome during hot weather, it is designed for everyday drinking throughout the year.
Think about how often you currently open the fridge for a bottle of water, filtered jug, cold drink or sparkling water.
A chilled HydroTap effectively moves that convenience to your kitchen tap.
And because many HydroTap models also provide instant boiling water, the same system can be dispensing chilled drinking water one minute and boiling water for your tea or coffee the next.
So, Is Zip HydroTap Water Cold Enough?
Yes. If you're looking for genuinely chilled drinking water rather than ordinary cold tap water, a Zip HydroTap with chilled functionality is designed for exactly that purpose.
With chilled water available at approximately 3–5°C depending on the model and settings, the temperature can be comparable to refrigerated drinking water.
For anyone wondering whether they'll still need to keep bottles of water in the fridge after installing a chilled HydroTap, in most cases the answer is no.
You'll have freshly filtered, chilled drinking water available directly from your tap whenever you want it.
And if you choose a Boiling, Chilled & Sparkling HydroTap, you can have chilled still and sparkling water on demand alongside instant boiling water.
Frequently Asked Questions
How cold does a Zip HydroTap get?
Depending on the HydroTap model and temperature settings, chilled water can be dispensed at approximately 3–5°C, providing properly chilled drinking water directly from the tap.
Is Zip HydroTap water as cold as fridge water?
It can be comparable. Domestic refrigerators are commonly operated at around 3–5°C, while compatible Zip HydroTap models can dispense chilled water at approximately 3–5°C depending on their settings.
Does a Zip HydroTap actually refrigerate the water?
Yes. HydroTap models with chilled functionality use the under-counter system to actively chill filtered water rather than simply dispensing water at the incoming mains temperature.
Can you get chilled sparkling water from a Zip HydroTap?
Yes. Choose a Boiling, Chilled & Sparkling (BCS) Zip HydroTap if you want both still chilled filtered water and sparkling chilled water alongside instant boiling water.
Do I need a fridge water dispenser if I have a Zip HydroTap?
If your main reason for having a fridge water dispenser is access to chilled drinking water, a chilled HydroTap may remove that requirement. It provides chilled filtered water directly from your kitchen tap without needing to open the fridge.
Do all Zip HydroTaps provide chilled water?
No. HydroTap configurations vary. If chilled drinking water is important to you, make sure the model specifically includes Chilled (C) functionality. Boiling & Chilled (BC) and Boiling, Chilled & Sparkling (BCS) models include chilled water functionality.