On regular occasions, when I hear we need another new kettle, when I’ve got to the bottom of my tea and swallowed a mouthful of limescale, or even when I find myself overfilling the kettle for just one hot brew, I’ve been told, thought or come to the realization that an Instant Hot Water tap may not be a bad idea.
I had used them before, at the homes of wealthier relatives and friends, and had been perfectly satisfied with the results, although nowhere near inspired enough to consider purchasing and installing one. I may even have inwardly mocked their owners for over investing in a gadget that was a microscopic improvement on a proven and well established solution- A Kettle.
I likened it to the soft close toilet seat- ‘Really, someone’s going to pay double so they don’t have to carefully close the lid? That will never catch on.’
BUT one day, the universe decided to intervene and show me the error in my judgement AGAIN!
It was a perfect storm- the kettle broke again, at the same time our kitchen tap failed, and while Googling replacements, that rather un-nerving thing happened- an Ad popped up on my screen for a one stone solution for my 2 birds- Instant Hot Water Taps (and affordable), not much more in fact than the combined cost of replacement for a half decent kettle and standard kitchen mixer.
While stubbornly determined to discount this intervention, I somewhat disappointingly discovered we had everything in place to accommodate the change- a standard size tap hole in the sink, space for the compact digital boiling system & filter kit and a convenient electrical supply.
I even had to admit that I was competent enough to do the installation myself. I am a Dad- I’ve got Dad skills.
PAYPAL was the only payment solution offered and I now know that ‘Pay by Debit or Credit Card’ is an option in the PAYPAL checkout process.
I could even get 3 months interest Free with the PAYPAL Pay in 3, if I’d wanted to.
Delivery was included in the cost, so there were no surprises that could have led to me abandoning my cart.
SO purchase made…still reluctantly. Fast forward and the tap arrives.
Bearing in mind this was ‘affordable’ I was mildly anxious that MY brilliant plan- I was committed now, I had to start owning it- may back fire and ‘affordable’ would turn out to be- does the job, but pretty crap really.
I was pleased, and somewhat surprised by the apparent quality- Nicely packaged, robust, heavy. As someone who works in the kitchen and bathroom industry, I know that these boxes don’t get ticked very often.
NEXT anxiety- I bet there is going to be something missing OR the fittings will be unconventional sizes and I will have to find a ½” BSP / US taper thread connector or some other mythical component.
I committed to the install, turned off the water, and began removing our existing tap. I was all in now.
I chose a day when everyone was out of the house and started early, knowing that I needed all the daylight available, and it was likely that I would be making at least 3 trips to merchants for required items that I would discover one at a time during the course of the install.
BUT I was wrong- AGAIN. All the connections fitted my plumbing and were long enough to reach my required locations for the under-sink boiler and filter system- by luck more than judgement, reading the instructions all the way through and doing a dry run would have been a more sensible approach.
The installation went like a dream. I had enough daylight left to do the recycling and mow the lawn, make myself a cup of tea and sit back waiting for the inevitable hero worship when the family returned.
I WASN’T wrong.
‘BRILLIANT’ my wife exclaimed, closely followed by ‘I told you’…’I didn’t think you’d seen that Ad I sent you’
‘NO WAY’ eldest daughter, ‘I was only thinking that it would be good to get one’
‘COOL BEANS’ youngest (favourite) daughter, ‘You’re the best’ (she didn’t say this out loud.)
‘HOW DOES THIS WORK THEN FATHER?’ son. He may have inherited my sceptical nature!
After the initial positivity, I expected, over time, that there would be some complaints/disappointments/gripes/peeves cunningly disguised as ‘constructive feedback’.
There were surprisingly few:
We had a model, with filtered cold water and a pull out spray- with so much going on through something which is the same size as a conventional kitchen tap, the water pressure / flow rate on the basic HOT and COLD function has been reduced, but we can live with it.
Our tap has a Swan Neck- a design commonly used in kitchens, but which is notorious for dripping until the neck empties. Surprisingly this only appears to be an issue with the Instant HOT function.
The Instant HOT runs on for a while after you close off. You kind of get used to that when you know.
You need some dexterity to overcome the safety switch for the Instant HOT, but again you quickly adopt a technique.
The tap delivers water at 98oC. According to The UK Tea & Infusion Association, the perfect temperature, however if your used to boiling water and intuitively know when its going to be cool enough to drink, that marginal difference means you can start drinking a little earlier.
These minor negatives were accompanied by an equal measure of unexpected positives:
Filling a saucepan from the Instant HOT tap and watching it boil immediately on the hob was a delight.
Rinsing recycling- tins, plastic cartons etc is so much more satisfying that it actually gets done.
Baby’s bottles can be sterilized using 98oC water, knives and chopping boards also. And the sink itself.
We’re achieving a much more hygienic kitchen environment with less effort. And making tea/coffee is almost secondary.
And the space where the kettle was kept- is now occupied by an AIR Fryer.
So the improvements achieved may well be microscopic, but if you have enough of them they turn into something tangible- something worth having.
I certainly don’t regret the decision. I think they might catch on.
GIVE IT A GO.
Comentarios