Instant Hot Water under sink system--ever had one?

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

We are thinking about an instant hot water mini-tank for under the sink in the laundry room--where we've had a Zojirushi water boiler for tea and hot water use.

So I wanted to see if any of you have experience with these! Thanks for any tips or complaints about them!

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

I have one and love it. Mostly, I use it for my morning tea. Got it at Costco. I'm on my 2nd one. Our problem is we have very hard water and the sediment eventually builds up in them (and regular water heaters too) and kills them. So, if you have a whole-house water filter or soft water that shouldn't be a problem. I do turn it off when we go on vacation just to be on the safe side.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@Icegoddess wrote:
I have one and love it. Mostly, I use it for my morning tea. Got it at Costco. I'm on my 2nd one. Our problem is we have very hard water and the sediment eventually builds up in them (and regular water heaters too) and kills them. So, if you have a whole-house water filter or soft water that shouldn't be a problem. I do turn it off when we go on vacation just to be on the safe side.

@Icegoddess THANKS! So is it hard to keep clean? Do you need to clean it out or run citric acid through it etc.? And is it boiling water or what is the temperature?

I know nothing about them and this is so helpful!

Still Raining · ‎03-30-2014

Depending on size/output you may need updates to your panel. A friend got caught by that one.

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

@Sooner wrote:
@Icegoddess wrote:
I have one and love it. Mostly, I use it for my morning tea. Got it at Costco. I'm on my 2nd one. Our problem is we have very hard water and the sediment eventually builds up in them (and regular water heaters too) and kills them. So, if you have a whole-house water filter or soft water that shouldn't be a problem. I do turn it off when we go on vacation just to be on the safe side.
@Icegoddess THANKS! So is it hard to keep clean? Do you need to clean it out or run citric acid through it etc.? And is it boiling water or what is the temperature?

I know nothing about them and this is so helpful!

@Sooner we have never run anything through it. I didn't read the instructions, so I don't know if some sort of maintenance is recommended, but we don't do anything to it.

The temp is adjustable (on the unit). I think you can get it up to boiling, but I'm afraid to leave it that high and that's also why I make sure it is turned off when we go on vacation.

If you're a tea snob, you might prefer an electric glass kettle that has pre-set temps for different teas. DH got one of those at Costco for his pour-over coffee, but I just want my water good and hot for my tea. I'm not that particular about it.

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

I've been looking into them. Had an electrician out who said we needed a plumber. Then the plumber said we needed an electrician. Can't seem to get an answer what is needed to install and how difficult it would be.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@ScrapHappy wrote:
I've been looking into them. Had an electrician out who said we needed a plumber. Then the plumber said we needed an electrician. Can't seem to get an answer what is needed to install and how difficult it would be.

@ScrapHappy Don't you hate that????? We've been trying to get a new vent in the kitchen, run into all sorts of issues!

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

@Sooner wrote:
@ScrapHappy wrote:
I've been looking into them. Had an electrician out who said we needed a plumber. Then the plumber said we needed an electrician. Can't seem to get an answer what is needed to install and how difficult it would be.
@ScrapHappy Don't you hate that????? We've been trying to get a new vent in the kitchen, run into all sorts of issues!

That has been the story with this house for 6 years. Nothing is ever straight forward or easy. All I want to do is replace kitchen faucets. I have two kitchen sinks (Shaw apron sinks) and one small bar"pre sink on an island. The faucets on the apron sinks are 5 piece widespread pieces and the bar/pre is 3. In order to cover all the holes, I need different pieces and more of them and thought instant hot would be a good idea. Even if we cover 3 of the holes with a deck plate, I still hae 2 holes to contend with.

OutofMadison · ‎03-25-2010

We have one - I couldn't live without it! We are on our 3rd unit in 17 years as we also have very hard water with sediment - we do have a water softener and filtation system but our water still has some minerals in it. Our first 2 units had push buttons to turn them on - when the corrosion built up the buttons would stick so the hot water would drip when off. Our current unit has a handle you push - much better. We had one installed when the house was built so my husband has been able to replace them without calling a plumber or electrician. Good luck - I think you will really find it comes in handy for so many things.

Flopsy · ‎09-14-2010

I use a kettle. When we first moved here nearly 20 years ago from the UK kettles were very limited. Now there are lots of different styles and colors. Whether I use t-bags or t-leaves they taste so much better with boiled water. To me it would seem a cheaper option but then I can't imagine my kitchen without a kettle. We have instant hot water but it would leave a film on my tea and would tastes strange to me - just what I'm use to. Good luck with your decision.