Reviewed by the Quel Tap product team. Last updated: October 2026.
You’ve chosen the tap. What most people want to know next is the practical part: who fits it, how long the kitchen will be out of use for and whether anything needs doing before it arrives.
This guide covers what arrives in the box, the five things to have in place, the two ways to have it fitted, the seven installation steps and what to expect once it’s in. It’s a straightforward job, usually finished in a morning, and it’s confined to the sink cupboard and one hole in the worktop. Here’s how the day tends to run.
Quick answer
Check you have mains hot and cold water with a way to shut it off, a waste pipe, a 35mm tap hole, a 13 amp socket in the sink cupboard and room for the boiler and filter. Then either fit it yourself using the installation video for your model, which many customers do in around 1 to 2 hours, or book a Quel Tap accredited installer if your postcode is covered. Allow a morning, expect the boiler to take around 8 minutes (2.4 litre) or 12 minutes (4 litre) to heat up from cold, and register your warranty within 30 days.
What arrives and when
The parts needed to install the tap come with it, so there’s no separate trip for plumbing fittings or adaptors. You provide the tools.
| In the box | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Your tap | In the finish and style you chose at checkout |
| The boiler | The 2.4 litre or 4 litre boiler you selected, to sit neatly under the sink |
| Your first filter set | Comes included with the tap, so nothing extra to order |
| Hoses and fixings | Flexible connecting hoses and a tap fixing kit, to link the tap, boiler and filter to your water supply |
| Installation guide and video | Step-by-step, whether you’re fitting it yourself or following along |
Orders placed before 12 pm Monday to Thursday are dispatched for next-day delivery to the UK mainland, so have the box on site a day or two before you plan to fit it. That way everything is unpacked and to hand when you start, rather than being opened on the morning.
Before the day: a short list
There are five things to make sure you have in place before your new boiling water tap is installed. Most kitchens already have all five.
| What’s needed | Detail |
|---|---|
| Water supply | Mains hot and cold water at the sink |
| A 35mm tap hole | Each Quel Tap model is designed to fit the standard sink hole, so most existing holes work without alteration, and there needs to be space behind the tap |
| A socket | A standard 13 amp socket in the sink cupboard, within about a metre of the boiler. Chilled models, including the Quel Digital and the Quel Digital Fizz, will need an extra socket, and the Digital Fizz needs three in total |
| Cupboard space | Room for the boiler and filter housing: a standard 600mm cupboard is generally sufficient. Dimensions for each model are on the product specifications pages |
| Your stopcock | Know where it is and that it turns, and check there’s a waste pipe already in place under the sink |
If a chiller is part of your setup, the cupboard needs airflow so it may need a ventilation grille on the cupboard door where one isn’t already there.
If the sink cupboard doesn’t have a socket, adding one falls within Part P of the Building Regulations, which covers electrical safety in homes in England, so ask a qualified electrician to fit it before the tap goes in.
The only preparation needed from you is clearing the cupboard under the sink. Whoever fits the tap will be working in that space for most of the job, and an empty cupboard makes installation quicker.
Two ways to have it fitted
A Quel Tap accredited installer
If you’re within the service area, a fully accredited installer can fit it for an additional cost: £199 for a 4-in-1 and £275 for a 5-in-1 or 6-in-1, standard prices inc. VAT. You can check whether an installer covers your postcode and add the service to your order on the installation page. Outside the service area, an independent plumber can fit it.
Fitting it yourself
If you’re comfortable with basic plumbing, fitting the tap yourself is well within reach. There’s a step-by-step video guide for each model alongside the installation guide, and you’ll need a cross-head screwdriver, a flat-head screwdriver and two adjustable spanners. The FAQs list what to have to hand. Many customers fit their own in around 1 to 2 hours by following the step-by-step instructions.
The installation process: step-by-step
The detail varies ever so slightly between models, so follow the installation guide and video for your tap. This is the general order of the job.
Step 1: Turn off your water supply
Every boiling water tap installation starts the same way. Shut off the water at your stopcock and check it’s fully isolated before you go any further. Open the existing tap to release the pressure and drain off any water still sitting in the pipework. Keep a towel and a shallow container to hand at this stage, as a small amount of water usually remains in the supply lines.
Step 2: Remove your old tap
Disconnect your old tap from the hot and cold water supply, then release the fixings holding it in place underneath the sink or worktop. Once everything is loose, lift the tap out from above. Take the opportunity to clean around the tap hole while it’s clear, as it’s much easier to reach now than it will be afterwards.
Step 3: Fit your new boiling water tap
Feed the tap’s hoses and fittings down through the tap hole, then seat the tap into position. Quel Tap models are designed to fit a standard 35mm hole, so an existing cutout is usually suitable. Secure the tap from underneath using the fixing washers supplied, clamping them against the underside of the worktop, and check it sits straight and square before you tighten fully. The underside needs a solid base for the washers to clamp against, and if it’s soft, that area may need cutting back.
Step 4: Position your boiler and filter
Decide where the boiler and filter will sit inside your under-sink cupboard before fixing anything in place. The boiler needs a flat surface, away from water or other liquids. The filter housing measures about 30cm high and 30cm wide, and the filter is best kept somewhere easy to reach, as it’ll need changing every six months. Once you’re happy with the layout, mount the filter housing to the side or back of the cupboard so it stays clear of anything stored below.
Step 5: Connect everything up
Connect the flexible hoses supplied to link your tap, boiler and filter to the water supply, working through each connection in the order set out in your instructions. Check every fitting is secure but not overtightened. Once the plumbing is complete, plug the boiler into a standard 13 amp socket.
Step 6: Turn the water back on and fill the boiler
Restore the water at the stopcock and check each connection for leaks as the water comes back on. Allow the boiler to fill completely before plugging it in and switching it on. It’s full once water starts to come out of the spout. Running several litres through helps clear air from the system. Once everything is watertight, plug the boiler into a standard 13 amp socket.
Step 7: Test each function and get familiar with your tap
Run through every function your tap offers, from filtered boiling water to standard hot and cold, checking the flow and temperature of each. Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the controls and the two-stage handle or button action (a press and hold on digital models) on the boiling water function, particularly if others in the household will be using the tap.
If you’re wondering whether you can install a boiling water tap yourself, these steps give a fair sense of what’s involved. Many people with basic plumbing experience find it within reach, and how long it takes comes down to your existing pipework more than the tap itself. Watch the video for your tap all the way through before you begin, and the UK support team is on hand if anything looks different to what you expected once you’re underneath the sink.
Where everything sits in the cupboard
The boiler and filter can be positioned in a few different ways within the cupboard, and where they end up affects how easily the space can be used after installation. Three things help:
- The filter is changed every six months, so it pays to have it somewhere you can reach without emptying the cupboard first.
- The front of the cupboard is the part you mostly use daily, so keeping the units towards the back or to one side leaves the useful space clear.
- The boiler’s power cable is 1.5 metres long, so the boiler needs to sit within about a metre of the socket.
An installer will ask where you’d like the boiler and filter before anything is fixed in place. If you’re fitting the tap yourself, hold both units in position and open the cupboard door a few times before you commit to the fixings. Get this right once, and the cupboard stays as usable as it was before.
How much disruption to expect
Less than most people assume.
Your water is off for part of the job rather than all of it, typically while the old tap comes out and the new connections are made. The rest of the work happens with the supply back on. It’s a plumbing job confined to one cupboard and one hole in the worktop, so there’s no lifting of units and little to tidy up afterwards.
Most installations are finished within a morning. If you’re fitting it yourself for the first time, allow a little longer than that and work at your own pace rather than against the clock.
Once it’s fitted
The boiler takes a short while to come up to temperature after it’s first filled, approximately 8 minutes from cold for the 2.4 litre and 12 minutes for the 4 litre, so the tap isn’t instant on day one. Give it that time, and it’s ready.
Beyond that, there’s very little to do. Your first filter set is included with the tap, and from then on the filter is changed every six months, the main recurring upkeep a Quel Tap asks for. A filter subscription sends replacements automatically when they’re due, so it isn’t something you need to remember.
Everything else about the tap works exactly as it will for the next several years. The last job is registering your warranty within 30 days of purchase, which is required for any warranty to apply, so it’s best done straight away while the paperwork is still on the worktop.
Ready to get started?
Check whether an accredited installer covers your postcode, or watch the step-by-step guide if you’re fitting it yourself. Browse the full boiling water tap range to choose your model, or talk it through with the UK team if you’d like to go over anything first.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need to be at home for the whole installation?
It helps to be there at the start to agree with the installer where the boiler and filter sit in the cupboard, and at the end for the handover.
Can my worktop be drilled if it’s granite or quartz?
Stone worktops can be drilled, but it’s specialist work requiring the right drill bit and a steady approach, and it’s not something to attempt as part of a general DIY fit. If your worktop is stone and doesn’t already have a suitable hole, it is strongly advised that you arrange for it to be drilled by someone who works with that material before installation day.
Should I have the tap fitted before or after a new kitchen goes in?
Tell your kitchen fitter about it at the planning stage, so the tap hole, the socket and the cupboard layout are all allowed for. The tap itself is usually fitted once the worktop is in and the sink is plumbed, which is the point at which everything it connects to is in place.
How soon can I use the tap after it’s installed?
The standard hot and cold water works immediately. The boiler needs a short while to fill and reach temperature before the boiling function is ready: approximately 8 minutes from cold for the 2.4 litre boiler and 12 minutes for the 4 litre.
Do I need an electrician to install a boiling water tap?
Only if the sink cupboard doesn’t already have a suitable 13 amp socket within about a metre of where the boiler will sit; adding a socket falls within Part P of the Building Regulations, so it should be fitted by a qualified electrician. Chilled models and the Quel Digital also need an extra socket, so check the requirements for your model.
What happens to my old tap?
If you’re fitting the tap yourself, the old one is yours to keep or recycle, and your local council’s recycling centre can tell you what it accepts. If an accredited installer is fitting the new tap, ask them about removing the old one when you book.