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Instant hot water?

Anybody install one of these? They sell for about $199 at Home Depot. How did it work out for you?

Reply to
TJ
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It worked good but it kept on over heating and boiling off, I finally had to put it on a timer and even then it was a distraction. I now use an electric kettle (Presto) that says that it boils water faster than a microwave and I'm really happy with it. So if I had to do it over I would save the $179 difference and buy a nice coffee grinder and coffee press (strainer that pushes down on the coffee in a small urn) and some of the best coffee available and you wouldn't be sorry, and you'll still have money in your pocket!

Rich

Reply to
Rich

On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 20:32:18 -0600, TJ wrote: : Anybody install one of these? They sell for about $199 at Home Depot. How : did it work out for you?

I love instant hot water taps when they work, but for some reason every one I've installed eventually suffers a tank leak. In case it's relevant, my county seems to have a disproportionate number of homes that require whole-house replumbing after repeated pinhole leak induced floods.

Wish I could find an instant tap that had a lifespan longer than a Mayfly's.

Reply to
Howard Goldstein

I don't have any experience with these things but do have experience with cooling systems. Usually when you start getting tank leaks on those things it is a problem with dissimilar metals. If you mix aluminum with stainless, for example, the least noble metal will sacrifice itself. That is why they put a sacrificial anode rod made of zinc in your hot water tank and why they use isolation couplings between copper and galvanized pipe. Well, there's my

2 cents for what it's worth...good luck, Ross
Reply to
Ross Mac

TJ wrote: : Anybody install one of these? They sell for about $199 at Home Depot. How : did it work out for you?

I've had one for about a year and my only gripe is a plastic taste to the water if you drink it straight from the tap, but otherwise not noticed when used for making hot beverages. I have an Insinkerator HH770 model, which holds about a half gallon.

Reply to
kmy

My wife resisted the idea of installing one of these for years, preferring to use a tea kettle or microwave. Now that we've had one for a year or so, the tea kettle went to Goodwill because we both love our insta-hot.

I first bought a 1 piece model where the tank and spout were a single unit that mounts through a standard sink knockout, but I didn't have enough clearance behind the sink and had to exchange it for a model with a separate spout and tank/heater. It works great and we love it, but my only gripe is that the spout that came with this model does have a locking position for the valve, so you have to hold the knob in the on position rather than flipping in on and leaving it until your container is full, which is a bit of a pain when you need more than a coffee mug full of water. Some day I will look into swapping the spout for a different type. My unit has a thermostat adjustement, so it can be lowered (and in fact should be) if boiling is observed, as another poster complained about. The water temp is supposed to be set to about 190 degrees so it doesn't boil, which can cause overpressure and dribbling from the spout.

BYW, I also have an undersink reverse osmosis water filter and I tapped into the output of that as the source for the inst-hot. As a result, the water has no noticeable taste. If you have a lot of minerals in you water, you might notice an off taste or odor from the hot water, although probably no worse than heating it in some other way.

Is it any better or more convenient than an automatic kettle you fill and set on the counter, as suggested by another poster? Not a whole lot I guess, although it saves the filling and waitiing steps. But counter space is always a premium at my place, so I like the built-in approach for that reason.

HTH,

Paul

Reply to
Paul Franklin

I've used an insinkerator for over 5 years - love it for getting instant hot water for drinks etc., especially as hot water from the house tank takes a minute or two to arrive hot.

Just upgraded the dispenser (tap) of the insinkerator to nickel-finish to match the new stainless kitchen faucet - but kept the tank - no leaks so far.

Reply to
Mike

Kettle - $15-20

How much convenience does one need?

Reply to
Martik

2 years ago we redid the kitchen. Refinished the cabinetry, new refrig, installed dishwasher, great Moen faucet with filter, soap dispenser. . . . . and instant hot water. The hot water was an afterthought, an uncustomary impulse buy. I saw it & just thought it looked cool.

I'm the dishwasher, so in my book the dishwasher was the coolest upgrade--- but SWMBO fell in love with the instant hot water. We got the model that is preset at 140 degrees. It is perfect for brewing a single cup of coffee in her Melitta brewer. I use it for tea and find myself using it more frequently for cooking. [for adding a cup of bouillon or *hot* water to a recipe]

It is also handy as a source of extra hot water for removing labels, melting wax, dissolving dried jelly, etc.

BTW- I have an electrical drain someplace in my house & I suspected this little gadget that only gets used about once a day so I put a Kill-o-watt meter on it for 2 weeks. It used on average about .8KWH a day-- about $3 a month in my neck of the woods.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

I have the Insinkerator model which I bought at HD about 4 years ago. The previous one lasted about 12 years before developing a leak. This one stopped working shortly after the warranty expired. I took it apart and found it was the high temp fuse that had opened. Called up for a part, turns out they were well aware of this being a problem with it failing and had a repair kit they replaced the high temp cut out with a different type design. Wound up costing my like $25 bucks. I think they should have provided the kit for free, since it was an obvious design flaw.

Anyway, whatever model you get, I highly recommend them. Once you have it, you really like the convenience. I use it for instant coffee and tea. If I'm in a hurry to make something like pasta, I even use it for the hot water for filling the pot, before putting it on the stove.

Reply to
trader4

Actually guys Im talking about instant hot water throughout the house. It looks like you install something at the Hot Water Heater Tank and a Return or something under one sink. Any faucet in the house gets instant hot water. I assume this works by somehow keeping the hot water constantly flowing in some sort of loop from the tank?

Reply to
TJ

On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 16:08:31 -0600, TJ wrote: : Actually guys Im talking about instant hot water throughout the house. It

google for "hot water recirculation" and "recirculating hot water". May you find your way to hot water nirvana, grasshopper

: looks like you install something at the Hot Water Heater Tank and a Return : or something under one sink. Any faucet in the house gets instant hot water. : I assume this works by somehow keeping the hot water constantly flowing in : some sort of loop from the tank? : :

Reply to
Howard Goldstein

: : I don't have any experience with these things but do have experience with : cooling systems. Usually when you start getting tank leaks on those things : it is a problem with dissimilar metals. If you mix aluminum with stainless, : for example, the least noble metal will sacrifice itself. That is why they : put a sacrificial anode rod made of zinc in your hot water tank and why they : use isolation couplings between copper and galvanized pipe. Well, there's my : 2 cents for what it's worth...good luck, Ross

Good info thank you. I'm not sure what to do with it though without being able to fit an anode on the store bought thingies. Seeking a good brand that doesn't have the problem.

Reply to
Howard Goldstein

I have one and its terrific! I had one installed in my first house 20 years ago and have put one in each house I bought since. Instant tea, coffee, hot coco, oatmeal, soup and when you need a cup of boiling water to cook with, its instant. If you have kids, this thing is a must!

Get one. I paid $400.00 for my current model because the wife made the kitchen all stainless.

Reply to
SEPrince1

On 09 Jan 2005 16:28:23 GMT, SEPrince1 wrote: : I have one and its terrific! I had one installed in my first house 20 years ago : and have put one in each house I bought since. Instant tea, coffee, hot coco, : oatmeal, soup and when you need a cup of boiling water to cook with, its : instant. If you have kids, this thing is a must! : : Get one. I paid $400.00 for my current model because the wife made the kitchen : all stainless. :

I've had them and loved them until their premature failure.

If your's has survived more than 2 years please post the brand & model. Mine have all failed shortly after the warranty expires.

Reply to
Howard Goldstein

-snip-

I'm probably jinxing myself, but my cheapo [$99 at one of the borgs] 'Steamin' Hot' Hot-1 dispenser will be 2 yrs old next week.

We have extremely hard water so I expected an early demise but so far it performs just as it did when new. [and when it dies I won't hesitate to spend the $100 and 30 minutes to put in a new one.]

I wonder if usage pattern might affect life? We use ours for a cup or two nearly every day.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

When I went to purchase the replacement tank for my old Insta-HOT, the experienced counter person gave me a history lesson on how they were originally built (like the one I was replacing) and how they went through a few iterations where the quality went down before the new generation. I wonder if you got yours during the bad period?

I like ours, but I wouldn't pay $400 for one, particularly since I've never worn out a kettle and you can buy a lot of them for that kind of money. But, to each his own.

Reply to
Jim Sullivan

They're great. I have the insinkerator model:

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Temp can be adjusted, by default it's at 190 (you don't want it boiling).

Reply to
larrybud2002

coffee, hot coco,

Mine is 2 years old in February:

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's in them to fail?

Reply to
larrybud2002

It's more than that, however. If you are one to run your water until it's hot before filling up the kettle, you'll save money (and energy) because you don't have to do that.

If you cook, it's great having an instant source of hot water to add to a dish.

For opening stuck jars, run them under the instant hot water for a few seconds instead of wasting water and energy while your regular tap gets hot.

Reply to
larrybud2002

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