Quooker Boiling Water Taps

Several years ago we decided to invest in a boiling water tap for the Birkwood staff kitchen. It’s a compact space and not only did we want to neaten things up but we really wanted to minimise the time we all spent waiting for the kettle to boil (there’s always work to be done!). We spent a reasonable amount and installed a (non-Quooker) unit which looked nice. It did the job and let us get on with work just as we had intended.

However, it soon became clear that what we were getting in our tea and coffee was not boiling water but was what is termed “near-boiling”. Think about cooking a chicken and it being “near-cooked” or crunching into an apple which was “near-ripe” …yes, that’s a wee bit like how we felt – it just wasn’t what we had hoped for.

We did some investigating and quickly discovered that Quooker have the patent on 100°C boiling water taps and no other company can claim to have the same technology. We recently decided to become Quooker partners and have a fully working model installed here, which not only delivers the boiling water we wanted (hooray!) but also filtered chilled and sparkling water (double hooray!). When you visit, we’ll be happy to give you a tour of the tap and let you try it out for yourself. We think you’ll be easily swayed and won’t regret the investment.

Questions? We think you’ll find most of your answers below:

Did Quooker invent the boiling water tap?
The whole concept of the boiling water tap started with Quooker. From the start, Henri Peteri, whose vision it was, set his mind to creating a tap which would completely replace the kettle in the modern kitchen. By deciding this, he set himself some ambitious goals, so it’s not surprising that he took time to perfect his invention before launching it on the market. From the outset, he felt that his tap had to dispense genuine 100°C boiling water instantaneously, because that’s what it takes to replace a kettle.

If he were to produce a tap that gave very hot, but not boiling water, he reasoned, you would still need both a hot tap and a kettle, which would be pointless. He also wanted the tap, which he named the Quooker, to be timesaving, and take less energy to operate than a kettle, so that its overall running costs would be less than the kettle too. So, he didn’t give up until he had perfected a system that would hold water in a vacuum flask at 108°C and dispense it at a true 100°C boiling from the spout. Succeeding in all these aims, he achieved a world first which still can’t be copied because of the patented technology that he created.

I have noticed Quooker delivers water at 100°C. Is this important?
Yes, this is of fundamental importance. Quooker is the world’s only true 100°C boiling water tap and consequently it is the only tap on the market that truly allows you to be rid of the energy-greedy kettle. (Remember if the water temperature is not 100°C at the point of delivery, you will not be able to replace your kettle.)

Does Quooker provide filtered cold water? By adding a CUBE any compatible Quooker system will provide the additional convenience of filtered chilled and sparkling water. Push-wait-turn and the tap ring will light up blue for a flow of filtered chilled water. Push-turn and the tap ring will flash blue for a flow of filtered sparkling water.

Is it safe to deliver water at 100°C?
Boiling water needs treating with respect, so it’s no surprise that the first thing that a lot of people ask us is whether it’s safe to have a tap which dispenses 100°C boiling water in a kitchen. What is sometimes a surprise to them is the realisation that it’s much safer having a Quooker tap than a kettle in the kitchen. The Quooker tap is installed at the back of the worktop over the sink and cannot be pulled towards the front of the worktop. A kettle, once boiled, contains an average of between 1.1 and 1.7 litres of boiling water. If this is tipped over a person, particularly a young child, it can do serious, extensive, and sometimes, sadly, permanent harm. The Quooker tap dispenses boiling water in a steady flow in a spray format. The aerated delivery allows you to pass a hand through the flow without scalding yourself. Naturally, you wouldn’t want to keep your hand in the flow of boiling water, but you’d snatch your hand away as soon as you felt the heat. What makes a huge and critical difference is that by comparison you may get a few drops of boiling water on your skin or clothing –you won’t be soaked by over a litre of it.

Does the water boil all day in the tank?
The stainless-steel tank with revolutionary patented vacuum insulation and thermos technology holds water under pressure so it does not boil; however, it has all the properties and benefits of fresh boiling water and is held under pressure at 108°C.

Will a Quooker save me money?
On average a kettle uses the same amount of energy to boil a litre of water as it takes to run a fridge for about seven hours and in the UK we boil our kettle on average four times a day! In contrast using a Quooker, is quick, efficient and instant meaning you use only what you need because the 100°C boiling water is there, ‘on tap’ which saves time, money, energy and water.

Is the water from a Quooker always fresh?
The stainless-steel tank with revolutionary patented vacuum insulation and thermos technology holds water under pressure (so it does not boil) at 108°C. Therefore, it ensures that every delivery is fresh, sterile and removes the risk of harmful bacteria such as legionella.

Does it not cost a lot of money to keep the water at 100°C day and night?
The unique patented vacuum and thermos technology ensures that only 10W of energy consumption is required to maintain the water at temperature.

I have noticed you have a PRO3 and a PRO7. How do I decide which is most suitable?
80% of Quooker sales are of the PRO3 model. This has a capacity of 3 litres and will provide 3 litres on demand; 15 litres in the first hour of a day and then 12 litres thereafter. The PRO7 will provide 7 litres on demand: 35 litres in the first hour of a day and then 28 litres thereafter. For families of up to 4 people, who do not entertain more than 8 people at a time, a PRO3 will be adequate. For larger families with more significant entertaining demands, we suggest the PRO7. Remember, an average kettle only has a capacity of 1.8 litres.

Do you offer different designs?
Quooker taps are available in a variety of different designs, styles and finishes. The first choice you will need to make is whether you require a tap just to dispense 100°C boiling water and chilled and sparkling water or whether you require the tap to dispense cold, hot, 100°C boiling, chilled and sparkling water. If you require 100°C boiling water, chilled and sparkling water only, then you have the choice of the Nordic Square single taps, Nordic Round single tap or Classic Nordic Square single tap and Classic Round single tap. All these styles are complete with 360° rotation, double push and turn safety mechanism and the distinctive Quooker rise and fall feature. This allows you to fill taller vessels on the worktop so you don’t have to lift them out of the sink and onto the cooker when preparing meals.

With the Classic styles, you pick your own kitchen mixer tap. However, with the Nordic Square single taps and Nordic Round single taps you have an option to purchase a matching Quooker mixing tap. These sets are called Nordic Twintaps.

If you require a tap that delivers cold, hot, 100°C boiling, chilled and sparkling water then you would choose the Flex or Fusion. They both provide all the benefits of Quooker technology and have a double push-and-turn safety handle. The Flex is the world’s first 100°C boiling water tap, equipped with a flexible pull-out hose. This makes it very easy to rinse and clean at any point in the sink. Thanks to the boiling water stop, the Flex will not dispense boiling water when the hose is pulled out, making it one of the safest appliances in your home. And it’s just so amazingly convenient – switching from cold to boiling and back in an instant; ready to help you in countless kitchen tasks. The Flex tap is available in a round style and the Fusion tap is available in either Square or Round. All Quooker taps are also available with the filtered cold water option. The cold water filter option is an additional accessory item and is not included as a standard item.

The Quooker will not fit under the sink, what can I do?
Although the Quooker is small and compact and in 95% of installations it fits in the corner of your sink base unit, you can, if required, site the Quooker tank up to 1500 mm away from the delivery tap and extension hoses are available for this purpose.

Should I turn the Quooker off at all?
As the running costs are approximately 3 pence per day we recommend that you leave the system always powered on unless you intend leaving the property vacant for a month or more.

Can a Quooker deliver filtered chilled and sparkling water?
By adding a CUBE any compatible Quooker system will provide the additional convenience of filtered chilled and sparkling water. Push-wait-turn and the tap ring will light up blue for a flow of filtered chilled water. Push-turn and the tap ring will flash blue for a flow of filtered sparkling water.