When designing your new kitchen, the smaller details are easily overlooked but sometimes these are the most important choices.
Details such as your kitchen tap are equally as important, but it can be challenging to decide the right one for you when there are a vast array of styles from contemporary to traditional as well as speciality smart taps that offer boiling, sparkling of filtered water. They come in all different styles and finishes including gold, black, chrome or copper to enhance any kitchen décor.
Here we’ve put together this simple tap buying guide to give you the confidence to make that right decision…
Before choosing a kitchen tap, take the style of your kitchen into consideration and your lifestyle. Is it a modern, traditional or industrial style kitchen? Or do you need somewhere to clean your mucky pooch or make a hot cuppa instantly? Vintage style taps will enhance a country or farmhouse style kitchen, while sleek modern taps will bring contemporary or designer style kitchens to life.
If you’re wanting to make cleaning less of a chore or want boiling hot water on demand, there’s a kitchen tap to meet your requirements. Modern specialty taps now incorporate clever features to help those with busy lifestyles as they save time on everyday tasks. Becoming increasingly popular is the boiling hot water tap which offers boiling water on demand and are fantastic for hectic or busy households. It can be used to fill pans or make hot drinks instantly, rather than waiting for the kettle to boil. It also frees up worktop space as it means you do not need a kettle! Not only that, but there’s a selection of speciality taps for sparkling or filtered water on demand – perfect for those summer days when you quench for a cold drink.
It’s important to understand your home’s water pressure to choose the correct kitchen tap. When you’ve laid eyes on your dream tap, you don’t want to be disappointed and find out it will not deliver the performance you expected.
The type of water system you have will determine your choice of kitchen tap:
Low pressure systems
They have a cold-water tank in the loft and a hot water cylinder elsewhere (most likely in an airing cupboard). You will need to choose a kitchen tap that’s designed to work with a low-pressure system.
High pressure vented system
This means your home will have a combination boiler, which is likely to be fitted to the kitchen wall. There will be no cold or hot water storage tank. Combi boilers are fed directly with mains pressure cold water, which is quickly heated and pumped around. If you have this kind of system, then you can choose any kitchen tap.
High pressure unvented system
This is where you’ll have a hot water tank but no cold-water tank. The water is stored at mains pressure in a hot water tank and is heated by immersion heaters, that are attached to the side of the tank or a central heating boiler usually located in an airing cupboard. Most kitchen taps can be used with this.