Boiling water from kitchen tap? Blind broken? Get a new window.

[Bert Coules]

Just back from an interesting stroll round the rather packed National Homebuilding and Renovation Show at Olympia, where two companies were showing gizmos claimed to generate true boiling water from a kitchen tap (essentially a specialised mini combi boiler under the sink). I'm not sure I can see an immediate need for this beyond making tea and instant coffee (for which it would undoubtedly be handy) but what surprised me was that they're marketing the idea in the midst of today's health-and-safety-paranoia.

The other thing which caught my eye was on show on several stands: mini-slatted Venetian blinds *inside* the sealed space of double-glazed windows. Various control methods were in evidence - magnetic sliders, remote-controlled motors and the like - but common to all of the various designs was the reluctantly-admitted fact that if a blind goes wrong you have to replace the entire sealed unit.

Interesting show in general, but I was glad I didn't have to pay to get in.

[Tim Watts]

On Saturday 28 September 2013 22:43 Bert Coules wrote in uk.d-i-y:

That's not new...

That's not new either - existed in offices for over a decade - maybe 2 decades.

[spuorgelgoog]

Many people think they're safer than a kettle as although you might stick your fingers under it they only deliver a very low flow rate. Useful for people with poor grip for whom a kettle is dangerous.

Owain

[spuorgelgoog]

I think one of the Grand Designs houses (possibly a log cabin) had them fitted within the cavity between a double glazed outer unit and an openable inner unit inside a triple-glazed window.

Owain

[Roger Mills]

Do you mean the Quooker Combi or similar?

I installed one in our kitchen earlier in the year. It is a large stainless steel vacuum flask with an immersion heater, which maintains a pressurised supply of boiling water at about 110 degrees Celcius.

The 'combi' description comes from the fact that it feeds both a small boiling water tap - for tea making, etc - and provides a feed of about

55 degrees to the normal hot tap via a blender valve.

We got it because our new kitchen is at the opposite end of the house from the domestic hot water cylinder - so it took a very long time to get hot water out of the kitchen tap. Although it's more expensive to heat water with electricity rather than gas, it's probably cheaper for us because we don't waste a lot of (hot and cold) water every time we run the tap.

Also, being able to make tea and coffee without having to boil a kettle is very useful.

The capital cost is quite high, so it would be difficult to produce a purely economic justification for buying one - but the convenience it provides is great.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

I've come across them before, thirty or more years ago. Admittedly not micro-sized slats, but approx 1", the outside DG panel being conventional, the inner panel being single-pane but hinged/removeable and the whole construction made in extruded aluminium. Rather neat, very heavy, not terribly reliable and expensive as hell. Looked really good though; and the only place that could afford to have their entire office block fitted with the system was the local Electric Board. Of course.

[harryagain]

Make that fifty years.

[harryagain]

Must cost a fortune in standing losses.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Very common in offices, where ordinary kettles are unviable, and waste time ( = money). Often combined with a chilled water tap.

They're used inside office partition windows in the same way. They tend to go wrong a lot less often when protected between glass.

[The Medway Handyman]

We bought an instant boiling water thingy from Aldi a while ago for £30. Looks like a coffee maker, you put your cup under the spout & press a button to get instant boiling water.

Great for tea & coffee as you say.

[Brian Gaff]

Erm, I'd have thought some electrically triggered chemical in the glass would work better than a mechanical blind like that, no moving parts. Sounds like a gimmick for those with more money than sense. Anyone remember the venetian blind craze for car back eindows?

Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Yes the boiling water device was around in the 1980s, but they tended to stop working and wre not terribly power efficient either.

Brian

[RJH]

Friend had one installed - about £800 IIRC for one that boiled the water. Opposed to a couple of hundred for one that went to about 95C.

Justified through gritted teeth as handy for pasta and tea/coffee.

[The Medway Handyman]

And what happened to the vinyl roof?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

But needs two hands - one to hold the cup and one to operate the tap. I'd be surprised if this is easier for anyone than a well designed kettle. Oh

- jug kettles are about the worst possible thing for those with a poor grip. Older style with handle on top are far easier.

[Gordon Henderson]

Not that new - the H&S angle is that there is no trailing wires, no jug full of 2 litres of boiling water, etc...

But have you seen the price?

I looked at them recently - the "true" boiling water ones are just astronomical for what they're doing. I'm sticking to the kettle.

Gordon

[Bert Coules]

Yes, that was rather my thought too. Always useful to hear from an actual user.

The Medway Handyman wrote:

Now that sounds almost as good (if not more so). Are such things still available? I'll have a search around.

[Bert Coules]

Apparently Which tested instant hot water dispensers from several manufacturers in January 2012:

That's just a summary introduction, the whole article is only available online if you subscribe. I'll take a look at the print version at my local library tomorrow.

[Andrew Mawson]

We installed one of the 'instant boiling water' taps during our recent re-build and it is excellent. Yes it was pricy but we reasoned that it would save us in the end. The 'dead leg' time from our hot tank to the kitchen is a measured 20 seconds. For things like cups of tea and coffee there is no delay. For water for boiling eggs, vegetables etc. it get used frequently. Also recently for blanching stuff from the vegetable plot for freezing. Ours also incorporates a filter for cold water as well.

AWEM

[Roger Mills]

It's highly insulated. According to Quooker, the cost of electricity for keeping the water hot for 24 hours (if you don't use any) is about 3p. I must admit that I haven't verified that with any accurate measurements - but a few pence a day ain't going to break the bank.