Buying guide for Best hot water dispensers
Written by Lauren Corona, and fact-checked by Andrea Boudewijn
Updated May 2022
In today's world, time is at a premium and convenience is king. If the average kettle takes two to four minutes to boil a quart of water, how many hours of your life have you spent standing around waiting for water to boil? An instant hot water dispenser can save you time.
With all kinds of makes and models on the market, how do you select the right hot water dispenser for you?If you’d like to learn about hot water dispensers and how owning one could save you time and simplify your life, you've come to the right place.
Hot water dispensers allow you to instantly make hot drinks, soups, oatmeal, and more. Some hot water dispensers can produce cold water as well as hot. Theoretically, you could use a product like this as your only kitchen faucet.
What can you do with a hot water dispenser?
If you're still wondering whether you really need a hot water dispenser, consider a few of the things you can do with these handy kitchen helpers.
You can quickly make hot drinks, such as tea and coffee.
You can fill pots with near-boiling water to cook pasta or rice faster.
You can get instant hot water for foods like packet soup and oatmeal.
You can warm baby bottles quickly and easily.
You can produce very hot water for soaking dishes with stuck-on food.
You can remove stains from clothing and kitchen linens.
Expert Tip
Unless you use distilled water, mineral deposits can build up. Be sure to clean your machine regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Andrea Boudewijn
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Hot water dispenser vs. kettle
You might be wondering why you'd choose a hot water dispenser over a kettle. Let's look at some of the areas where a hot water dispenser is superior to a kettle.
Hot water dispensers are instant, so you can save yourself a lot of time.
They're great in offices where people would otherwise have to boil water in a kettle over their break or lunchtime.
Hot water dispensers are great for elderly people and those with reduced grip strength, as the risk of dropping a full kettle (and suffering a burn) is decreased.
Kettles usually won't let you boil less than a pint of water at a time. If you require only a small amount of hot water — for a single cup of tea, for instance — a hot water dispenser can be more energy-efficient.
Some hot water dispensers allow you to adjust the water temperature, which makes them more versatile than kettles.
Expert Tip
If you choose a countertop model, make sure it has a healthy amount of countertop around it for you to set coffee cups, pots, and pans nearbyduring use.
Andrea Boudewijn
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Considerations
Tank size
The tank of a hot water dispenser goes beneath your sink, where it's connected to the cold water supply. When choosing a hot water dispenser, it’s important to look at the external dimensions of the tank portion, as you must have enough space for it in your under-sink area.
As for the internal capacity, the majority of tanks hold somewhere between one-half and two-thirds of a gallon. A tank with a larger capacity can heat more water in an hour. Unless you want to make more than 60 cups of coffee in an hour, however, a tank with a standard internal capacity is all you need.
Wattage
A watt is a unit of power, so the higher the wattage, the more powerful the hot water dispenser.
A hot water dispenser with higher wattage will usually heat water faster and in larger amounts.
Faucet
The hot water is dispensed from a faucet.
But unless you already have the right type of faucet installed on your sink, you may need to buy one separately.
Finish
Presumably, you'll want the finish on the faucet of your hot water dispenser to match your other taps and kitchen hardware.
Most hot water dispensers only have faucets that come in chrome, which is a drawback if you have a different finish on your other taps. However, you can find faucets in finishes other than chrome if you do a bit of digging.
Heat settings
Hot water dispensers offer a variety of heat settings. There's usually a dial on the outside of the tank that lets you adjust the heat.
The exact temperature of each setting varies with different models.
Cups per hour
You can look at a product’s wattage to ascertain its power, but it's also useful to know what that means in real terms.
If you read the product descriptions or manufacturer specifications, most will tell you how many cups of hot water the unit can dispense in an hour.
Filtration system
Some hot water dispensers also come with filtration systems.
The water comes out of your tap pre-filtered, which is handy if you're concerned about the quality of your tap water or if you live in a hard water area.
Expert Tip
A temperature-control feature is key when you’re cooking with hot water. Some hot water dispensers can dispense up to 200°Fwater, and the boiling point is 212 F, so you’ll save a bit of time bringing water up to boil.
Andrea Boudewijn
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Price
Lower-end hot water dispensers start at around $125 to $150. The most expensive units on the market can cost upwards of $600.
With the most expensive options, you're often paying more for a trusted brand name. A decent mid-range option of $200 to $300 is usually just as long-lasting.
While the cheaper models (under $200) work just fine in the short term, they may break down after only two or three years of use.
If you spend four minutes a day waiting for a kettle to boil, that works out to roughly 24 hours a year.
FAQ
Q. Are hot water dispensers safe?
A. For the most part, yes, hot water dispensers are perfectly safe. That said, there is a risk that young children could scald themselves. If you can't keep your kids away from the sink — and they're too young to understand not to touch — look for a model with a child lock on the faucet.
Q. How do I install my hot water dispenser?
A. Installing a hot water dispenser isn't exactly straightforward. Unless you're particularly handy, we advise calling a plumber.
The tank needs to be positioned under the sink so it can be connected to your main water supply. It also needs to either be plugged into a power outlet or hardwired into your electrical system. You also need to have a hole in your sink to fit the faucet — or you need to make a hole if there isn't one.
Q. Can my hot water dispenser be installed at any time?
A. Because you require a hole in your sink for the faucet to come through, most people install a hot water dispenser when refitting their kitchen. It is possible to fit a hot water dispenser with an existing sink, but you'll need to get a professional to make a hole for the faucet. And if you have a porcelain sink, you risk cracking it.
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