Pot Filler Faucets - What Am I Missing?

[tomturbomatic]

Launderess, have you thought about keeping a pitcher of water at room temperature or cooler to have on hand for your cool water needs?

 

[launderess]

Keep water in fridge

Will let cold tap run a bit, but during heating season don't wait for water to reach "cold" as coming from outside building.

Timed it once and the longest was > four minutes. Actually got up one morning and as per started the coffee, which naturally one wants cold and fresh water. Turned on the cold tap, went to powder room, washed face, brushed teeth, came back looked at timer and felt the water, it was still lukewarm. *LOL*

Water is so warm that when filling the kettle or water pitcher for fridge the containers actually feel warm, not cold at all.

All this comes from building using recirculating pumps for the hot water. This is great for "instant" hot water from the taps, but means pipes or anything next to hot water pipes warms up by close proximity.

During warmer months of year when boilers are set to "summer", and hot tap water is only around 130F, the cold isn't that bad. Indeed the waiting time for "cold" street tap water can be rather short. OTOH now tap hot water is >150F and sometimes nearly reaching 160F.

The AEG Lavamat doesn't like this "warm" tap cold water at all. Certain cycles only have cold as "30C". So incoming water that is easily near 90F if not above is just too warm. Machine responds to this not needing heater by shortening cycles to deduct the time would have been spent heating water.

@mrboilwash.

Tap water systems vary throughout the United States. What works for Boston may be different than Seattle.

Here in NYC our tap water comes from upstate and the system works entirely via gravity. Thanks to the distance travelled and pitch of tunnels water pressure out of the taps is quite forceful. Indeed building up to six or seven stories do not need pumps or roof water tanks because of this situation.

Many buildings both large and small install circulation pumps for the hot water system. This helps cut down on people running the hot water taps to bleed out cold water, and thus saves. As stated water comes out of our hot water tap *hot*. About a few moments later is reaches "very" hot, then a few moments more you've got near scalding hot coming straight from the boilers.

Our water is so good that lone among four other urban areas it isn't filtered.

https://www.amny.com/lifestyle/how-nyc-gets-its-water-1.9205765

 

[rolls_rapide]

Aerated tap water

Depending on the way cold water pipework is laid (i.e. running through the airing cupboard), I have experienced 'aerated cold tap water' - full of miniature air bubbles. The bubbles are finer than soda water or champagne.

I can sometimes get a similar effect from running the hot bath tap at a slow rate. The mains cold water is heated 'on demand' via the gas boiler, creating a slightly effervescent stream. The kitchen kettle sometimes does the same too, as it gets to a certain temperature.

 

[mrboilwash]

Same here. Water comes a long way from the Alps, part of it is well water and part of it is even spring water. It is not filtered or chlorinated and exceeds pollutants wise all minimum requirements for bottled water by far. So we are spoiled compared to other places in Germany.
Up to 4 minutes to get fresh water is indeed very wastefull, I usually only have to waste about 2 liters maybe 4 if the neighbors below are not at home. A pitcher in the fridge seems a reasonable solution.
Gerneral advice here is to at least run off what has been standing in the faucet or better wait for a drop in temperature if water has been sitting for longer than 4 hours.

I also wouldnt want to have a fridge connected to a water pipe even if I could have one for free. Maybe Im just too German...

 

[tomturbomatic]

When my mom was running hot water to the kitchen sink, she always caught the water and used it to water plants or something.

 

[ultralux88]

My mom loves watching those house shows, and she’s noticed the same thing about those pot fillers. I told her it would make sense to have it be a hot and cold faucet with that long articulated arm and a sink right next to the stove. She agreed that made sense, as one could ‘park’ the faucet over it as well as use this sink to pour the hot water down as you’re straining out whatever you just boiled, such as pasta. The sink could also be used as a prep sink as you rinse things off chop them up to cook. Also a disposal to eliminate trimmings and peels.

 

[circlew]

I sure wouldn't want a faucet that didn't have a sink under it. Would be especially problematic in a house with bad kids.

 

[earthling177]

I suppose those people who own a pot-filler faucet don't have any cats, right?

(I've heard of too many cases of cats jumping onto stovetops, sometimes turning on a burner or more and even setting themselves on fire and then running around the home in panic. Not fun.)

 

[mieleforever]

It's a matter of too much money and/credit going around and the "mommies at the tea club" or "book club" that wants to impress her girlfriends. By the way I really doubt that she will be using it as she will be buying food that's already prepared and she could just heat them and look all too grand.

 

[vacerator]

It really depends on

the kitchens needs and purposes. Our pull out faucet spray/head works fine for us.
Our stove is not so far away either, so I can set the stock pot on the counter next to the sink, fill it up, and two feet to the stove.
For those with lots of entertaining or a large family, or home canning, a wall mounted pot filler at the stove may be useful.
They are usually also in a higher end expensive kitchen, say in a celebrity, or prominent persons home who likely has a personal chef, and or caterers on site often. Boiling crabs, lobsters, or making pasta for 50 guests requires it.

 

[countryguy]

I don't get it. It doesn't matter whether the pot filler is in the average home or in an expensive kitchen, restaurant, etc. If the pot is filled at the stove, it still has to be carried to the sink to be emptied...so what is the advantage?

Gary

 

[brisnat81]

I do a lot of bulk cooking, IE 4-5 Gallons at a time.

Depending on what I'm doing, the pot might be half full of of a solid, that I'm then cooking down.

I can see that putting the pot on the stove, putting the solids in and then the water would be easier than lifting 40lbs onto the stove stop.

Then once the cooking was finished, Scoop the solids and you're left with half to two thirds of the weight in the pan. Same if you're stove top canning, put the Jars in, pour the water on, process and then remove the Jars when cold, you're only shifting half the weight rather than the whole thing.

I have no issue lifting the 40lbs onto the stove, but someone smaller would really struggle. Thats the type of scenario I can see this working. Unless you cook in bulk however it would seem to be an unnecessary novelty.

 

[mrboilwash]

"Either way don't believe water sitting in mains at street is any fresher or cleaner that what is sitting in pipes inside a building"

This is exactly the point some are missing. Water at street is never sitting, there`s always high velocity form building to building because there`s always demand somewhere. Water is constantly renewed and doesn`t have time to pick up much of undesirable stuff and germs have less chance to get out of control compared to standing water.

 

[combo52]

Domestic tap water

Properly treated water standing in pipes under pressure does not pick up germs or get bad in any way, after the first 1/2 cup flows out of the unpressurized spout of the faucet you are good to go, if anything the water that sat for a period of time is probably better quality.

 

John L.

 

[mrboilwash]

John, I always appreciate your input here on the site, but how on earth could water standing in a pipe even get better quality as you say ?

Germs per se may not be a problem in the US as chlorine levels are usually very high.