5 things I learned about owning a Quooker tap
I wouldn’t be without my Quooker boiling tap.
There, I said it. I know they divide opinion, and I know other brands are available. (And for the avoidance of doubt I am not being paid for this blog.)
I can’t pretend it wasn’t an extravagance. They’re not cheap, and we were already at the end of our kitchen ‘do up’ budget when I ordered it. But I haven’t regretted it for a moment.
In case this is a new concept to you, imagine this: your countertop is kettle free. Never again will you stand waiting for the kettle to boil, or walk away and then return countless times to re-boil it.
Imagine the incremental time saved as you instantly bring your rice / vegetables / other to the boil in a pan on the hob, because the water already started out at almost 100 degrees. Or filling the cafetiere with exactly the amount of hot water you needed and never running short, or warming up soup bowls seconds ahead of filling them with your favourite chowder.
Yes but, isn’t it more expensive to have a hot water tank constantly being heated up than to boil a kettle only when you need it? If you believe the hype, apparently not: 2 pence per day, compared to 10 pence per kettle boil.
Ah, but, there is only me / two of us in the house. Same here.
OK, now imagine cleaning with boiling water instead of using cleaning products. Instantly sanitising things without sanitiser. (Not your hands obviously). Wilting spinach, blanching frozen peas, instantly washing off the baked on bits from baking trays. Then there is the filtered drinking water. I could go on.
OK sold. But, this isn’t about selling you a Quooker, this is me offering up some wisdom I gained about mine, with the aim of sharing a little enlightenment. Because there are things to know that I only learned through sheer experience. (And you know what they say about experience: it’s the thing you get right after you needed it).
1) Set the Quooker up with easy future access in mind
For all the wonderfulness (in my humble opinion) of the tap, like an iceberg, you can only see a small part of the whole above surface level. You look at the elegant, sleek tap at the sink, but in the darkness of your under-counter cupboard, there lurks 2 or 3 tanks and filters, pipes, valves and a power cable. It is very tempting to shut the door on these and put them out of your mind.
Here is the first mistake I made: I had my tanks installed in the furthest reaches of my under-counter cupboard to banish them as far out of sight as possible and to take up as little of the storage space as possible.
Little did I realise I would need to befriend these tanks – filters need changing and alarms sound if you don’t. With my sink cupboard on the corner of the kitchen, I first have to completely empty the contents of the cupboard and then perform extreme yoga moves to access the furthest reaches where the filters are installed.
A little planning ahead of your installation day, (and a de-clutter of the cupboard) and you will thank yourself many times over in the coming years for positioning them within easy reach.
2) Registering online is worth it
I also overlooked the ongoing relationship with Quooker. Their customer service support is pretty good – responsive and helpful, and operated via your online account. And once you’re in the Quooker club, you’re also in for replacement filters and service visits. (You’ll want to factor in the costs of these over time too).
Register the details of the tap the day you install it, and all of this works easily. It gives Quooker your full metaphorical medical history, accessible by the engineer who visits to service the tap. Very good.
3) Limescale is the enemy
If, like me, you live in London, or any area with super-hard water full of limescale, you need to be aware that over time *every* part of the internal working parts become coated in the stuff.
It’s happening slowly and quietly out of sight, and it isn’t until you watch your Quooker service engineer scraping it away from the heating elements, that you appreciate just how corrosive and pervasive it is.
Even with my very basic understanding of engineering, it is clear to see how a heating element can’t heat water effectively if it is coated in limescale.
That means staying on top of the filter changes, service visits, and water PH measuring. (Fast track to point 5 at this point if you wish).
Ladies and gentleman, there is *maintenance* and TLC needed to keep your Quooker in peak condition, and to make sure it is working nicely for you over the long term. Exactly what this amounts to will depend on your individual set up and model, and it is worth investing the time to understand what will be involved at the outset.
4) There are short term fixes if it starts misbehaving
Your Quooker will give you warning signs when it needs some attention. One example is an alarm call from a filter which needs to be re-set for 6 months, or changed after 12.
You can do this yourself when you’ve figured out how to re-order replacements – and you’re limbered up for some extreme yoga inside your under-counter cupboard.
If the tap starts flashing red in an unusual way, or the hot water goes off altogether, this could be a sign of limescale furring. But, rather than be without your all important instant brew, there is a kind of short term override where you can reach inside the cupboard and press a re-set button on the top of the tank and have it boiling back up in no time.
Once you know this manoeuvre it is less of a drama each time, but to begin with, it’s a little traumatic until you have worked it out.
But, be warned, once this starts happening, it isn’t just tea brewing, there is trouble brewing if this happens, because this is the first sign that your heating element may be growing a calcium coat.
5) You need a Quooker calendar
OK, so you’re onboard and can handle a little maintenance as a trade off for the long term benefits of your Quooker tap. My best bit of advice is to set up a Quooker calendar with dates and reminders for the various things you’ll be doing to look after it. For example:
service visit: every 18 months - 2 years
cold water filter change: every 12 months (re-set every 6 months)
check pH levels of the water: every 4-6 weeks
limescale filter change: according to the pH / limescale level of your water (probably annually)
unscrew and de-scale the small tap parts with lemon juice or vinegar: every 4-6 weeks
That’s 5 things I can instantly forget to do and have no idea when I last did them, even if I did remember.
You may have more tanks and parts than me, which means your list could be longer than mine.
Yep there’s no getting away from the fact that you’re signing up to another ‘thing’ to look after.
So a calendar set with reminders is the way forward. (And if you’re a CID client, we’d have no problem managing each of these stages and reminders for you by the way).
So, on balance, I have formed a fondness for my Quooker tap – something I look at and touch continually when I’m at home. It’s beautiful to look at, and I don’t mind looking after it, because it looks after me so well. Even the sound of the boiling water filling a cup is reassuring, almost comforting.
Now where is my favourite mug..