Reviewed by the Quel Tap product team. Last updated: October 2026.
A boiling water tap asks more of your kitchen than a standard kitchen tap does. There’s a boiler and a filter housing to fit somewhere, a socket that needs to be within reach, and a choice between controls that suit how you actually use the sink. Get these right before you order, and installation is straightforward. Miss one, and you’ll have to rearrange a cupboard on the day the plumber’s already stood in your kitchen.
This guide runs through what’s actually worth checking: boiler specification, lever versus digital controls, what a pull-out spray adds, and the extra requirements that come with chilled or sparkling models. By the end, you’ll know what to measure and decide before you place an order.
The features worth looking for
A boiling water tap is a fixture you’ll use dozens of times a day, so the specification matters more than it does on a regular tap. These are the details worth checking on any model you’re considering.
| Feature | What to look for | On a Quel Tap |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Solid brass, built for constant daily use rather than lighter alternatives | Solid brass across the whole range |
| Water temperature | Filtered water held ready and dispensed on demand | Filtered water up to 98°C, ready when you ask |
| Spout | Swivel movement and a good, even flow | 180° swivel spout with an aerator fitting |
| Safety | An insulated spout and a deliberate action to release boiling water | Insulated spout that stays cool to the touch, with a two-stage handle or button action and a child lock on most models |
| Controls | Precise, predictable operation across every function | Quarter-turn ceramic cartridges, or colour-coded LED touch controls on digital models |
| Filtration | A filter that improves taste and protects the boiler | Nano-phosphate filter helping reduce impurities and guard against limescale |
| Boiler capacity | Enough hot water for your busiest moment, not your average one | 2.4 litres for up to 54 cups an hour, or 4 litres for up to 92 |
| Warranty | Separate cover for tap and boiler, stated clearly | 5 years on the tap, 2 years on the boiler. The boiler can be extended to 5 years with the optional extension (£129 for the 2.4 litre boiler, £199 for the 4 litre, inc. VAT), purchased within 30 days of buying the tap and kept valid with 6-monthly filter replacements using genuine filters |
| In the box | Everything needed to fit it | Flexible connecting hoses, tap fixing kit and your first filter set |
Tap shape and clearance over the sink
Shape is where a boiling water tap stops being an appliance and starts being part of the kitchen. Each profile has its own character, and the right one usually comes down to the look you’re building around it.
| Shape | Design character | Works beautifully in |
|---|---|---|
| C-shape | A soft, generous curve. The most familiar silhouette in a kitchen, and the easiest to place | Classic and contemporary kitchens alike, and the shape most of the range is built around |
| D-shape | A squarer arch with a defined shoulder, more deliberate and structured | Kitchens with strong lines, flat-fronted cabinetry or a minimal, considered look |
| L-shape | A clean vertical with a right-angled spout. Architectural and quietly striking | Kitchens where the tap is on display, and settings with a window or low splashback behind the sink |
Every shape delivers the same filtered boiling water and the same everyday hot and cold, so this is a decision you can make on looks alone. If you want to see how each sits in a real kitchen, the product specifications pages show dimensions and spout heights for every model.
Lever or digital controls
Both give you the same filtered boiling water. The difference is in how you control it.
Lever controls use quarter-turn ceramic cartridges and a spring-loaded handle for the boiling function, a familiar way of working that most people pick up straight away.
Digital touch controls go a step further. A touchpad with colour-coded LED indicators shows which function is active, so you always know what’s about to be dispensed. The boiling function needs a deliberate press and hold, which adds another layer of safety, and the clean lines of the touchpad suit a contemporary kitchen.
The more functions a tap has, the more helpful that clarity becomes.
Why choose a tap with a pull-out spray
A pull-out spray is the feature owners tend to say they’d never go back on, because it makes the tap useful for far more than filling a glass.
The spray head pulls out on a flexible hose, so water goes where you need it rather than only where the spout points. That means rinsing the whole sink down after cooking, filling a pan sitting on the worktop instead of lifting it in and out, washing baking trays and awkward tall items properly, rinsing salad and vegetables under a wider spray, and topping up a watering can or a vase without a balancing act.
It also makes the everyday jobs quicker. Anything that involves directing water rather than simply pouring it is easier with a spray in your hand.
Two models offer it. The Quel Ultra is the most popular tap in the range and pairs a flexible pull-out spray with the full 4-in-1 function set. The Quel Ultra Plus goes further, with a professional-grade spray and a separate boiling-water flow that gives stronger, more consistent pressure.
Chilled and sparkling models ask more of the cupboard
This is where a boiling water tap starts replacing more than the kettle.
Chilled filtered water on demand means no jug waiting in the fridge and no bottles taking up a shelf. Cold water arrives properly cold, straight from the tap, which changes how often people actually drink it.
Sparkling water is the one that surprises people. On the Quel Digital Fizz and Quel Ultimo, carbonation is adjustable through a CO₂ regulator, so you can pour it as gently or as sharply fizzy as you like. It retires the sparkling water machine, the crate of bottles by the back door, and the recycling that comes with them. For anyone who entertains, having chilled and sparkling water on tap while you’re cooking is a small luxury that earns its place quickly.
Everything needed sits neatly in the cupboard below. A CO₂ cylinder supplies the carbonation and is replaced periodically, much like a filter, and Quel Tap provides ventilation grids free of charge so the chiller has the airflow it needs to run efficiently.
Filters: the detail beyond the six-month interval
Upkeep amounts to one thing: the filter is replaced every six months, which keeps the water tasting as it should and maintains your warranty coverage. Your first filter set is included with the tap, and a filter subscription sends replacements automatically when they’re due, so it isn’t something you need to remember.
The filtered supply runs on its own line, separate from your standard hot and cold. Washing up, rinsing and cleaning carry on exactly as they would with any other kitchen tap.
Putting it together
The taps people are happiest with aren’t necessarily the highest specification. They’re the ones chosen around the kitchen they’re going into, and how the kitchen actually gets used.
So the order that tends to work is this. Start with the specification that affects every cup you pour: solid brass, the filtration, and a boiler sized to your household. Then choose the shape and finish that suit the room, since those decisions make the tap feel like it belongs. Controls and a pull-out spray come last, and they’re genuinely down to how you like to work at the sink.
Ready to choose?
Specifications, shapes, finishes and boiler options for every model sit in one place. Browse the full boiling water tap range, or talk it through with the UK team if you’d like a second opinion on whether a particular model suits your kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Will a boiling water tap fit my existing tap hole?
Yes, in the majority of kitchens. Each Quel Tap model has been thoughtfully designed to fit standard tap holes, so the existing hole in your sink can usually be reused. If your worktop or sink has an unusually sized or older hole, check it against the specifications on the product page before ordering.
Can I fit one to a Belfast or farmhouse sink?
It depends on how your current tap is mounted. Belfast and farmhouse sinks are often served by taps fixed to the worktop behind the sink rather than through the sink itself, which usually works well, but the spout needs enough reach and height to clear a deep bowl. Confirm the measurements with the support team before settling on a shape.
What happens in a power cut?
Boiling water won’t be available while the power is off, and the boiler needs a short while to return to temperature afterwards. Standard hot and cold water comes from your existing mains supply, and filtered cold water is unaffected too, so the tap carries on working as an ordinary kitchen tap, with filtered drinking water still on hand in the meantime.
Are boiling water taps noisy?
The tap itself is quiet. The boiler can make a small noise, but only while it’s reheating after water has been drawn off. On chilled and sparkling models, the chiller also contains a compressor that can produce an occasional low hum as it cycles, much like a fridge. Both sit in the cupboard below, and behind a closed door most people stop noticing them.
Can I take the tap with me if I move house?
Yes. Each Quel Tap model is built to fit standard tap holes, so the tap can be fitted in your next kitchen too. The new kitchen needs space in the cupboard below for the boiler and filter, plus the chiller on a 5-in-1 or 6-in-1, and a nearby socket.