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 time-saving, 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 110°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 dedicated 100°C boiling water tap and as a consequence 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.)
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 really 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 actually 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 some-times, 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 110°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 110°C. Therefore it ensures that every delivery is fresh, sterile and removes the risk of harmful bacteria such as legionella.
Does it 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 10 W of energy consumption are required to maintain the water at temperature.
I have noticed you have a PRO3-VAQ and a PRO7-VAQ, how do I decide which is most suitable?
80% of Quooker sales are of the PRO3-VAQ model. This has a capacity of 3 litres and will provide 3 litres on demand; 15litres in the first hour of a day and then 12 litres thereafter. The PRO7-VAQ 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-VAQ will be adequate. For larger families with more significant entertaining demands, we suggest the PRO7- VAQ.
Remember, an average kettle only has a capacity of 1.8 litres.
I have noticed you have a COMBI, what is this?
The COMBI, unlike the PRO series of VAQs, dispenses exactly the required amount of 100°C boiling water, whilst also providing an instant supply of hot water at 50-65°C, all of which operates from a cold water feed only.
This puts an end to firing up the boiler and wasting cold water whilst waiting for it to warm up. This saves time on the washing up, as well as a helping you to make a significant saving on domestic energy and water bills.
I have another sink; can I purchase an additional mixer?
We are able to supply the mixer tap only from the Nordic TWINTAP set as an additional purchase if you are already purchasing a TWINTAP set or FUSION.
This puts an end to firing up the boiler and wasting cold water whilst waiting for it to warm up. This saves time on the washing up, as well as a helping you to make a significant saving on domestic energy and water bills.
Do you offer different designs and finishes?
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 or whether you require the tap to dispense cold, hot and 100°C boiling water.
If you require 100°C boiling water only, then you have the choice of the Basic, Modern, Design and Classic; all of which are available in polished chrome, stainless steel or brushed chrome; or the Nordic square and Nordic round; which are both available in polished or brushed chrome. All these styles are complete with 360° rotation, 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 Basic, Modern, Design and Classic styles, you pick your own kitchen mixer tap. However, with the Nordic square and Nordic round you have an option to purchase a matching Quooker style mixing tap. These sets are called Nordic TWINTAPS.
If you require a tap that delivers cold, hot and 100°C boiling water then you would choose the FUSION. Fusion provides all the benefits of Quooker technology and has the new double push-and- turn safety handle. Energy, water and time-efficient, it also saves space. And it’s just so amazingly convenient – switching from cold to boiling water and back in an instant; ready to help you in countless kitchen tasks. The Fusion tap is available with a square or round profile and in a chrome or brushed chrome finish.
Do you make a soap dispenser?
We have a soap dispenser which is designed to match the Nordic series so it can be used with any Nordic boiling tap, Nordic TWINTAP and or FUSION purchase.
In line with the Quooker philosophy of innovation we always seek to develop new technologies if they do not already exist and don’t just rely on existing technology. So for the soap dispenser we developed the special bearings and inner metal mechanism in order to produce a high quality product as the conventional mechanisms did not meet our standards.
In addition we sought to improve the functionality, so it can be used with one hand and filled from the top unlike any other system on the market.
I live in a hard water area and wonder if scale is a problem?
Without a doubt a build-up of limescale can adversely affect many of our favourite kitchen appliances. Dishwashers, washing machines and boiling water taps are perhaps the most obvious, but limescale is also a problem for steam ovens, irons, steam cleaners, sinks and taps; and even sanitary ware and shower screens.
We have a strangely complacent view of our water quality as a nation. When you consider that we pay not inconsiderable sums for a clean drinking water supply, it is remarkable how little we demand from the water providers in terms of quality in return for our hard earned money.
At Quooker we go to some lengths to tackle the limescale problem. For years we’ve provided de- scaling kits with a range of options. We can send you a kit that you can use yourself or give to your own installer to complete a descale of your Quooker. Or you can call in one of our own dedicated experts to descale your Quooker for you.
Now we’ve gone a step further and done what we think the water companies ought to be doing. We’ve developed a scale filter that you can fit to take out the excess minerals before they reach your Quooker tap, making it very low maintenance indeed. It can be used equally well with an existing tap or a new one and removes the need for regular internal maintenance. All you will need to do is change your external cartridge at roughly 18 -24 month intervals depending on the hardness of your water supply.
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 powered on at all times unless you intend leaving the property vacant for a month or more.
Why have EU energy labels been introduced?
For its energy supplies, the European Union is dependent to a large extent on the import of fossil fuels. In 2015, 53% of the energy the EU consumed was imported from other parts of the world. The Union would prefer to be self-sufficient. Besides this economic reason, there are also environmental and social reasons to address energy policy EU-wide.
For this reason, the EU countries are making a common effort towards a future-oriented climate policy with, as its aim, the supply of safe, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy.
The policy’s five key points are:
- Energy security, solidarity and reliability
- A fully-integrated European energy market
- Energy-efficient contribution to moderating the demand
- Making the economy carbon dioxide-free
- Research, innovation and competition capacity.
To comply with point 3, on 27 October 2005, the European Council approved the introduction of a mandatory and comprehensive European energy policy. The Commission hopes in this way to impose a downwards pressure on energy prices, to reduce the necessity to build new nuclear power stations and also the risk of blackouts, and to improve the reliability of renewable energy supplies and stimulate their market integration.
How do the new EU energy labels work?
The European energy label was developed to provide consumers with easily comparable and recognisable information about domestic appliances with respect to energy consumption, performance and other essential characteristics. The label is uniform for all products in a particular category (e.g. microwaves, freezers or TVs.) In this way, consumers can easily compare the characteristics of the appliances in any given category. Also, the increasingly strict label requirements encourage manufacturers to produce more energy-efficient products.
The energy efficiency is expressed in classes that are indicated by a capital letter. Class A is the highest efficiency class here. All the information supplied by the manufacturer on the label is based on the test standards prescribed in European legislation.
Which Quooker products carry a label?
Quooker COMBI tanks are products that deliver hot water as well as boiling water. To achieve this, they are connected to the water supply and also to a heat generator. Because the COMBI tanks comply with these requirements, they come into the category ‘boilers’ and it is mandatory to label them.
PRO-VAQ tanks only supply boiling water. The EU has not drafted an energy label directive for boiling water tanks and so we cannot provide Quooker PRO-VAQ tanks with a label.
Why does the Quooker COMBI carry an A label?
The energy label that an appliance carries is determined by its energy efficiency. Due to the energy loss in the generation of energy in power stations in 2015, an electrical appliance can achieve a maximum energy efficient of 40%. The energy loss (non-beneficial use of the energy) that an appliance suffers, in Quooker’s case the standby power consumption, reduces this efficiency still further. Because a Quooker is fitted with high-vacuum insulation cladding, the energy loss is only 10 watts. Due to this, the total energy efficiency for the Quooker tanks is 36% and this results in an A label for the Quooker COMBI tanks in the XXS category.