What Are Quooker Taps & Should You Have One?

What Is A Quooker Tap?

The Quooker tap is the original boiling water tap invented by Henri Peteri in 1970. Since its development, others have tried to replicate its design, but few have been successful. The Quooker tap instantly produces true 100 degrees boiling water at the touch of a button. Quooker’s most basic design is the Nordic single which only dispenses boiling water and is intended to be used alongside a normal mixer tap. Other styles combine the properties of both a mixer and boiling water tap. Models installed with the CUBE offer the ability to produce perfectly chilled and sparkling water as well as 100 degrees boiling water. Quooker taps are known for their quality, safety and efficiency.

How Do Quooker Taps Work?

An insulated tank installed beneath the sink acts as a vacuum flask, keeping the water at a constant temperature of 110 degrees Celsius. When the tap is turned on, the outflowing water temperature drops to 100 degrees; any water used is replaced with a fresh supply. High-tech insulation means maintaining the water temperature requires very little energy (just 10 watts). The 3-in-1 tap is plumbed into your mains water supply to allow you to enjoy hot, cold and boiling water at your convenience. The Quooker CUBE works by combining two water purifying filters with a CO2 cylinder.

The Benefits Of A Quooker Tap 

Safe For The Whole Family 

One of our client’s biggest worries about including a Quooker tap in their kitchen is safety, especially where small children are involved. However, a Quooker tap is, in fact, much safer than a standard kettle. The tap cannot be turned on by accident, it requires a specific double-push mechanism to activate, and a red light shows when the tap is set to boiling. The stream of water itself is injected with air to create a fine spray that prevents burns, and the metal spout is double insulated so that it stays cool to the touch. Since they don’t involve any lifting, Quooker taps are much easier for people with mobility issues to use. Unlike a standard kettle, a Quooker tap cannot be knocked or dropped, making it the safest option for your home and family.

Gain Worktop Space

Producing from 3-7 litres of instant boiling water; a Quooker tap does away with the need for an electric kettle, freeing up space on your worktop. As well as giving you more room to prepare food, getting rid of your old kettle will bring a sleek, streamlined and stylish feel to your new kitchen.

The Ultimate In Modern Convenience 

The Quooker tap dispenses boiling water instantly, which means you’ll never have to wait around for your kettle to boil again. A Quooker tap is a perfect way to speed up cooking, making using your kitchen enjoyable and convenient. Adding the Quooker CUBE to your tap also means you can cross off bottled water from your weekly shopping list; saving you time, money and reducing plastic waste.

Energy & Water Efficient

You might imagine that to produce boiling water instantly on-demand requires a lot of energy, more even than your kettle would use. However, on standby, the Quooker tap costs just 3p a day to run, whereas boiling one litre of water in a standard electric kettle costs roughly 2.3p. Furthermore, we often boil more water than we need when using a standard kettle which wastes electricity. With a Quooker tap, you only boil the water that you use, and instant refilling means absolutely no water is wasted.

How Much Does A Quooker Tap Cost?

While Quooker taps are cheaper to run than the average kettle, the upfront costs are considerably more. The most basic single Nordic Round tap costs £950 not including installation, and other more elaborate models can cost up to £3470. Quooker taps have a built-in tank filter which can last up to 5-years. After this, your tap will need professional servicing (offered by Quooker for £150), or you can replace the filter yourself with a kit that costs £30. If you live in a hard water area, you might want to consider adding a limescale-control unit for £245. The limescale filters will need to be replaced every 24-months at a cost of £90. Cold-water filters included with the Flex and Fusion models can also be purchased separately and need replacing every 6-months.

The Downsides Of The Quooker Tap

Requires Maintenance

As outlined above, the Quooker tap, like many kitchen appliances, will need regular care and maintenance. There is clearly a cost associated with maintaining your Quooker tap, and you may want to factor this into the up-front cost.

Requires Cupboard Space

While you certainly gain valuable worktop space, you will lose some potentially less valuable cupboard space beneath your sink. How much space you lose will depend on whether you opt for the 3-litre or 7-litre tank. You will need to make sure you think about this when addressing your kitchen storage requirements.

Expensive Up-Front Cost

The cost of the Quooker tap itself is undeniably substantial. However, bear in mind that good quality mixer taps can cost around £100, and you will need to purchase a kettle as well. Maintenance and installation also add to the cost of the Quooker tap.

Quooker taps are a pleasure to use, and they certainly can make your daily kitchen experience even more convenient and enjoyable. However, whether they are worth the money really does come down to your individual opinion and budget. If you’d like more information about Quooker taps, please call our friendly team on 01634 799 909 or pop into our Kent showroom to try one out for yourself!