Although we’ve had hot water running to our taps since Roman times, boiling hot taps have only been around since the 1970’s, and only started to become very popular in the last decade. Since their inception though, users’ safety has been paramount in the thoughts of specialist boiling water tap product designers, with several different patented controls being employed to avoid both being accidentally switched on, and avoid use by children.
Here are some of the many reasons why boiling hot water taps are safe to use in the home:
Child Safety locks
All boiling hot taps have safety controls to avoid being accidentally switched on, and these normally consist of a special button or lever to depress whilst turning the boiling water valve on. If you have used a thermostatic shower (which stops the water accidentally going over 38 degrees) you’ll have done a similar action before. As an extra safety feature, the valve is spring-loaded so if the grip is released, the boiling water automatically shuts off.
The boiling water is aerated
Rather than a solid flow of dense water, the water from a boiling tap is made up of fine, steamy, condensed droplets, making them far less likely to scold - especially compared to the water from a boiling kettle.
As with the very hot water that can sometimes be generated by a normal home heating system, it takes a millisecond to react and pull your hands away when you feel that the water is too hot. As anyone who has quickly cast their hand over a naked candle will testify, it is only generally when hands are held in place against heat that burns/scolds happen.
Great for those with arthritis or weak hands
For those without a strong grip to handle a full kettle, a boiling tap requires no lifting or carrying. With trips commonplace between an electric kettle’s base and the sink, these difficult and dangerous journeys no longer take place with a boiling tap.
A boiling tap cannot tip over
The nature of an electric kettle - positioned on a worktop but within reach of small children, heavy to lift when full of boiling water, and often with a dangling cord - makes it easy to accidentally tip over and very dangerous for all sorts of members of the family or guests. A boiling hot water tap, on the other hand, cannot be tipped over and is safely positioned at the back of the sink.
Electrical Safety
By replacing your kettle with a boiling water tap, there is no more risk of it failing to switch itself off when boiled, or an empty kettle accidentally being switched on, both of which can lead to fires in the home.
