If you’ve ever wished for instant boiling water at the touch of a button, a QETTLE boiling water tap might be the kitchen upgrade you’ve been dreaming of. Increasingly, households in both soft and hard water areas are replacing their old, traditional kettles with stylish, space-saving modern taps that deliver boiling, filtered, and cold water all from a single sleek spout. In this QETTLE tap review, I’ll be sharing my honest experience with a QETTLE 4-in-1 tap, from the installation process and safety features to its day-to-day performance. If you’re wondering whether a QETTLE boiling water tap is worth the investment, keep reading to find out everything you need to know before making the switch
In a world where we seem to want everything instantly, why shouldn’t that also extend to our homes? Step forward the QETTLE boiling water tap and all of the instant convenience it offers a busy family. Whether you’re making hot drinks, filling hot water bottles, or preparing vegetables, it’s an absolute game-changer.
QETTLE Boiling Water Tap In Action
Why Choose a QETTLE Boiling Water Tap?
For those who are unaware, the QETTLE boiling water tap is a replacement for your existing kitchen sink tap. But why would you want to replace your kitchen sink tap, I hear you cry? Well, the major clue to the main benefit of this tap is in its name. The QETTLE boiling water tap offers the significant advantage of providing instant access to hot, boiling water directly from your kitchen sink tap. No more filling up your kettle with usually more water than you actually need. No waiting around for that kettle to boil, and if you have a big kettle like me, they can be pretty heavy to pick up at times as well.
Unlike some competitors, QETTLE is a true boiling water tap delivering 100°C water, not just near-boiling water like other brands. Compared with a traditional kettle or even the best kettles on the market, the QETTLE system saves time, improves energy efficiency, and frees up valuable worktop space.
Do I fancy a cuppa? No problem now, I just pop a teabag in a cup and go straight to filling it up with instant, boiling hot water, straight from the tap! No more filling my kettle with cold water, no more waiting around for it to boil when I could be doing something else instead.
All this is now a thing of the past for me, since I had my QETTLE boiling water tap installed, and I must say that I couldn’t be happier!
With options like the QETTLE Signature Mixer Tap, QETTLE Original, and QETTLE Signature Taps, there’s a style to suit both sleek, modern kitchens and more traditional kitchen looks.
I chose the QETTLE Signature Modern 4-in-1 tap, featuring a round spout, a 4-litre boiler tank, and the ambient filtered option in a brass finish. This was the perfect look and finish to complement the existing kitchen and blend in seamlessly.
So What’s In The Box?
Included with the QETTLE Signature Modern boiling water tap was everything we needed to get us up and running quickly. The delivery was very prompt, and using DPD, I was able to track my delivery and view the timeslot.
Ours came with the following items:
- Q08 Filter Cartridge – QETTLE’s filter system helps reduce limescale build-up in hard-water areas, ensuring smoother taste and even helping with things like maintaining smooth skin.
- All of the plumbing components and parts needed for a standard tap system fitting.
- A filter system housing and connectors, designed for easy filter changes, which connect the main water supply, the boiler tank, and the tap.
- One 4-litre boiler tank. They also have options for 2 or 7 litre boiler tanks, depending on your needs.
- An installation guide with a step-by-step installation video is available online.
Initial Installation Requirements
As you can imagine, installing a QETTLE tap isn’t quite as straightforward as a conventional tap, but that’s not to say that it’s difficult. You do, however, have to have a few things readily accessible before you start.
The main thing is that, because this is a boiling water tap, it requires a way to boil the water. This is in the shape of a boiler tank that sits in the cupboard space under your sink, and it needs to be powered to work. Therefore, you will need access to a standard 13-amp electrical socket to which the QETTLE boiler tank can be plugged. This is something that we didn’t previously have, so we had to call upon the services of our local electrician to install one for us.
Before ordering, please review the complete pre-installation checklist on the QETTLE website. You need access to your existing hot and cold water pipes (which should already be there). The opening in your worktop for the tap to pass through must be a standard 35mm diameter, and there must be sufficient space around your wastewater pipework to accommodate additional plumbing. The QETTLE boiler tank is small enough to fit into an under-sink kitchen cupboard without much fuss, and best of all, it still provides space for some of your kitchen essentials. The QETTLE boiler tank fits neatly under the sink, even in a first floor or 1st floor flat with limited cupboard space.
If you have any doubts about any of this, the QETTLE website provides helpful guides and assistance with installation.
Installation Of The QETTLE Boiling Water Tap
QETTLE states that their boiling water taps can be installed by the competent DIYer. While my husband can turn his hand to many things around the house, he happily admits that plumbing has never been one of his strongest skills. So I opted for a plumber and used our regular local plumber to install the tap. QETTLE also have their own network of accredited installers, and there is a handy tool on their website to see if they have one that covers your area. If they do, then it’s a simple task of entering your postcode and choosing the installation option when ordering your tap. My plumber found the QETTLE boiler tank straightforward to connect, and confirmed that the build quality and fittings were solid.
So, after a couple of hours of our plumber with his head buried under the kitchen sink, our shiny new QETTLE boiling water tap was installed and all ready to go.
Safety QETTLE Boiling Water Tap
One of the most important elements for me, especially if you have young children and small children in the house, was safety. QETTLE uses a two-stage safety system:
- A red safety clip prevents access to boiling water, making it impossible to turn on the boiling water. However, it also allows you to continue accessing the filtered water feature.
- The user must press and twist to activate the boiling function.
True, 100°C Boiling Water
While it seems like there are a lot of “instant hot water taps” on the market these days, not all of them give you actual boiling water. Some of these “near-boiling” brands can be a bit misleading. They will happily call their taps “boiling water taps,” even though the temperature is usually only around the 85-95°C mark. The QETTLE is one of the few brands that offer a true 100°C boiling water tap. Let’s be totally honest here; every decent cuppa needs boiling, not nearly boiling, water to make it taste just right.
Ease of Installation
I spoke to our plumber after he had finished installing our QETTLE boiling water tap, and he said that it was very straightforward to install, and it was easy enough with a bit of forward thinking and planning. QETTLE also say that they have plenty of reports of people taking the DIY install route with great success. Something else I should point out is the relatively small space that the boiler tank and filter system takes up under the sink.
It was something that concerned me before having it installed, but I can say now that it’s all in there, and I still have room for plenty of my belongings that were previously stored there. Additionally, my husband says that there would still be room to install a shelf at a later date if I wanted more storage space.
After Care Service
QETTLE comes into its own in terms of its aftercare. The QETTLE filter cartridge only needs to be replaced every 6 months. If you’re a bit forgetful, like me, there’s also a very handy red LED on the base of the tap that flashes to let you know when a cartridge replacement is due. Once a year, the boiler tank will require a deep clean, but this is an easy DIY job that can be done yourself, and can also be done at the same time as changing one of the filter cartridges. Both are easy jobs to do yourself, and QETTLE provides clear guides. Currently, the replacement filter cartridges cost just over £33, and the yearly boiler deep cleaning liquid is just over £7.
What is unusual about the filter cartridge is that, unlike most filter cartridges, the QETTLE cartridge is almost 100% biodegradable, which is a brilliant plus. This allows us to do that little bit more to help the planet, rather than sending more to landfill.
Pricing
QETTLE boiling water taps are British-designed, engineered, and made in the UK by a company established for over 40 years, ensuring a quality product through and through. This reputation is backed up with a 2-year warranty for added peace of mind.
So how much is a QETTLE tap? The QETTLE Signature Modern 4-in-1 tap, which features 100°C boiling water and normal hot and cold flows that we had installed, came in at just over £1100. However, prices start at £545, and even the top-of-the-range QETTLE will still give you change from £1500. They represent good value for money compared to other brands of boiling water taps currently on the market.
If paying upfront isn’t an option, QETTLE works with finance providers authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
So What’s The QETTLE Boiling Water Tap Actually Like?
It’s been a couple of weeks now since we had the QETTLE tap installed, and I’ve been really impressed with it so far. The overwhelmingly positive feature of it is the sheer convenience. Having true 100°C boiling water ‘on tap’ is a game-changer for me and my family. This feature has allowed us to remove my traditional kettle from our kitchen worktop, as we no longer have any need for it. If we want a cup of tea, coffee, or perhaps a hot chocolate, we just go to the tap. Do you need to fill a saucepan with hot water? Just go to the tap. Lifesaving hot water bottle to soothe those aches and pains after a bad day that needs filling up quickly? Just go straight to the tap. Do you need some filtered water for that cold drink? Again, just go straight to that tap!
Safety was a concern of mine before considering we are dealing with 100°C boiling water, but my concerns have been laid to rest. The two-stage safety system that QETTLE uses is more than enough to avoid any accidental use of the boiling water, and I’m confident that there won’t be any accidents in the future.
But, if I have one small regret, it would be that we don’t have the cold filtered water option. This is by no means a fault of the QETTLE tap, but more something that we look back on with the benefit of hindsight. Previously, we had a filter jug in the fridge, and while having constant filtered water now on tap is lovely, it would be even better if it were cold. However, this is a minor concern in the grand scheme of things, as the space we’ve saved in the fridge more than compensates for it. However, if you do want the cold filtered option, you can have this added on for just under £450. This can be added at a later date if desired.
Regarding space-saving, as I mentioned earlier, the QETTLE boiling water tap has a relatively small footprint, and in terms of space in the cupboard under the sink, it performs well. There is still enough space to fit most of the essentials that we all put under there, and there is still potential to accommodate a shelf above the QETTLE items. Very impressive that the QETTLE can achieve this in such a small space.
If you’re considering purchasing a QETTLE boiling water tap after reading my review, please visit the QETTLE website to learn more and begin your boiling water tap journey.