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zneret

Pot filler: need or no need?

zneret
5 years ago

The thought of getting a wall-mounted pot filler faucet has just crossed my mind. Won't be cheap as the kitchen faucet I have is a Blanco Gourmet and I would have to wait for one of the big boxes to offer it at 20% off.


My cook top is a Miele modular (3 of them) and is about 33" across. What is complicating matters is that I will have a Vent-a-Hood warming shelf behind the cooktop and there is already a ~12-14" tiled backsplash above which will sit the warming shelf so there is litltle space to mount the pot filler (I'd imagine it would have to sit to the side of the warming shelf).


My sink is less than 5' away from the cook top so would a pot filler not be a dramatic improvement in kitchen efficiency?

Comments (34)

  • Hillside House
    5 years ago

    I debated it, and ultimately decided not to do it. My prep sink is just across the aisle, though.

  • kazmom
    5 years ago

    You are going to get many strong opinions on this. Some people love them some think they are useless. We had one previously and liked it. Even though the sink was close (closer than yours) we found it useful, especially for my older mother who lives with us. We are not doing one in the remodel because the stove is moving to an outside wall and we live in the MW (so cold winters), but I would have if it had been easy.

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  • Hillside House
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    If you save 50% of the steps by only going to the sink once (to empty) instead of twice (fill and empty), that's a dramatic difference to me. Of course, it also depends on what you cook: If you make pasta 5 times a week, it's valuable. (And I want to live at your house.) If you make soup a lot, where you are only adding water but not removing it, it's valuable.

  • justcallmepool
    5 years ago

    My husband and GC convinced me to install one early in the rebuild the process. Even though I've never had one and never seen the use for them. Plus, we rarely eat pasta. As we are near the finish line however, DH just told the GC to cap it off and backsplash over it. They can look really nice, but not needed for most people imo.

    Maybe research leaks and repairs needed to see if it's worth it to you.

  • Helen
    5 years ago

    I think it's pretty personal as my lifestyle and cooking style isn't such that it would be much of a help and I am also relatively close to the sink so moving a pot of water - or even using a pitcher to fill with more water isn't going to save me time or energy. I don't cook huge vats of pasta often and the only other food I need a large pot of water for is shrimp :-).

    People talk about soup but I make soup a lot and none of my recipes call for vast amounts of water in which need to be carried or filled at the stove. Most of my soups and braises use broth as the major liquid and only small amounts of water. If I get to the point where I am too feeble to carry a a cup or even four cups of liquid to the stove, I do think either my cooking days are well behind me or I would need a truly ADA compliant kitchen and a pot filler at the stove would be the least of the accessibility issues :-)

    Given all of the issues you have in terms of installation I would think that it's not worth it to you. I suspect those who can really use it would know it.

  • functionthenlook
    5 years ago

    I agree some people love them and some could care less. I am in the could care less camp. With that being said we just installed one last week. Our son bought it for me for Christmas. I could see the use for a family so we put it in for the future owner since this is a family house. Plus we didn't want to disappoint our son and tell him we didn't like my present. . I don't see using it that much. There is just me and my husband and we rarely make pasta or soup. Yea, I am no spring chicken, but I still can carry a pot of water a few feet. Now if it would also dump the water then that would be awesome. Who knows maybe I will use it more than I think I will since we have had it for only a week. We are DIYers and put it in ourselves other wise the cost of the plumbing, plumber and retiling would not of been worth it in my book. Mine needed a min clearance of 10 1/2 inches

  • zneret
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Thanks all. I would have to open the (interior) wall up on the other side to plumb (and drill a hole to the floor to the basement - not a problem except this 10,000l unused water tank gets in the way), and then have to be sure I don't end up cracking the subway tile backsplash. Probably not worth it for us given our cooking style and that we're still quite able to lift pots.

  • Kaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
    5 years ago

    For five feet? No way. How many people are wearing fitbits to count their steps? It’s good for us as is carrying heavy pots. I’m all about “passive exercise” wherever I can get it. I hate the gym. Lol.

  • cpartist
    5 years ago

    I figure it's just a bit more exercise for the few times a month we need a larger pot of water. Plus a bigger issue to me is when I dump the water, my glasses fog up. Anyone have a solution for that?

  • Chessie
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    LOL^^.

    Potfillers are like the soap dispenser debate. Very personal, totally depends on the individual.

    I thought I wanted one, then realized that I would not like how it would mess up the look of my backsplash. And the reality is, I'm strong and certainly have no issues with moving a large pot of water from the sink to the range, even though I rarely have a need to do so. So for me, nope. But others love them and find them very useful.

  • lucky998877
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I'm dreaming of having one, and it's mostly because I love the way they look! I cook a lot and will see it all the time. I'm not splurging on a nicer fridge or a fancy dishwasher, but I will have a great range and a pot filler ;)

  • Fori
    5 years ago


    You can always have a deck mounted one. You can also put a longer hose on your faucet that is 5 feet away.

    I think my prep sink faucet is close enough to use as a potfiller, but I haven't bothered, even when having 4 hot-water baths going for canning. Some day I might.

    I tend to use water from my instant hot dispenser for soup and pasta-type cooking anyway. I am impatient.

  • 2ManyDiversions
    5 years ago

    Yep, you'll get strong opinions most likely, but really it's all about personal choice, styles, and needs. It does save steps if you cook pasta, soups, deglaze with water, cook rice on your cooktop. I cook a lot of the above and in quantity for 2 people (although rice in my Instant Pot now, and deglaze with the harder stuff) and will be so happy for the day our kitchen is finished so I can use a pot filler.

    I'd recommend over and over to anyone installing one to have a secondary shut off valve in a cabinet or behind a drawer just below it - just as you have with a sink faucet. We have decided to go with a deck mount pot filler. If installing a wall mount, I'd also suggest extra support added into the wall.

    cpartist...

    Photos for uploading · More Info
    I hear they are all the rage ; ) NOT!

  • Anthony C
    5 years ago

    we had it in our plan but it was one of the first things that got cut, because we wouldnt use it that much. I would have a done a prep sink before a pot filler.

  • AnnKH
    5 years ago

    I would be concerned about a water source without a drain. If I absolutely had to have a pot filler for some reason, I would make sure it had its own shutoff valve readily accessible, in the kitchen.

  • Melissa Kroger
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    We had one a wall mounted one over our range for 13 years and I liked having it. I make a lot of soups and pasta, so it was very handy, but not a necessity. When we redid our kitchen 18 mos ago we included one in the plan, but the pot filler (Dornbracht) wouldn’t work in the space. I still haven’t gotten around to ordering another one, but will eventually. I really need to put the other one that’s sitting in the garage on Craigslist! I could skip having one, but DH really misses having it.

  • skmom
    5 years ago
    I have one and really like it... but I didn't originally want it or feel like I needed it. My hubby didn't even convince me ahead of time, he just up and installed it... we DIY'd our kitchen remodel (gut job) and since he was doing all the work the expense of a pot filler was very minimal, plus we had to open up that interior wall anyways for other reasons so he figured it was a no brainer. I won't say it has made a massive impact on my kitchen efficiency, but it has been a very nice convenience for sure! What I like the most is that the flow rate of the water is so stinking fast, reminds me of a tub spout, hahaha! So I end up using it for more than I thought I would... large pots of water to boil, adding water to recipes, filling up my electric tea kettle, filling up watering cans for my plants (it has made a significant impact on that chore. I have a lot of plants.) I still don't think I'd pay for a pro to install one, I'd probably go without again if that was my only option, but I had to admit to my hubby that "he was right and I was wrong" about that pot filler. LOL!!! I really do like mine.
  • zneret
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    I'm still half and half on this. I would do a DIY job - it isn't that hard - to keep costs down. It is wall-mount only.


    I do like the dual shut off.

    https://www.blanco-germany.com/en_us/en_us/faucets/productcatalog/detail.html?sid=BLANCO+CANTATA+Wall+Mounted+Pot+Filler&filter=true&ttype=-1


  • Chessie
    5 years ago

    Well, if I HAD to have one, that one ain't bad. :-)

  • missenigma
    5 years ago

    I'll offer up my opinion. Unless the pot filler was used constantly like the faucet at your main sink is, I'd want to run the water for a few seconds to flush out the water that's been sitting in the pipes. In that case, I'd have to put that into some kind of pot anyway and then go to the sink to empty that pot. Since all roads lead back to the sink, whether you're coming or going, it's easier to just use the main sink and forgo a pot filler. I hear people all the time say they need it because they cook a lot of pasta. I always wonder just how large a group they're feeding if they have pots that large that make it heavy and cumbersome to fill the pot at the sink.

  • zneret
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    I guess the pot fillers are meant for professional/commercial kitchens where they are used hourly, or even more frequently. One of those things that have made their way to home kitchens.

  • functionthenlook
    5 years ago

    Skmom. Never thought of filling my tea pitcher with the pot filler. The volume of water is greater than the facet.

  • Nothing Left to Say
    5 years ago

    I adhere to the advice to always run the cold water tap for bit before the first use for drinking or cooking. (Helps prevent lead poisoning in children.) I see no sensible way to do that with a pot filler? So not only do you have to empty the hot pasta water, but you would need to run the tap into a pot, dump the water, then go back and fill it? Makes no sense to me at all.



    http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/factsheet/com/letitrun_english.html


  • zneret
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    I don't think lead is an issue in our house. Hardly any metal or soldering except at the how water tank and the two pressure regulators (supposed to be lead free, as are the Blanco faucets). All the fixtures are PEX (white or clear) piping. Newish (`16 year since construction) build and municipal water was only run up here since then.

  • Aurora Tee (Zone 6a)
    5 years ago

    This is not related to the OP question, but is directed to Fori -- hey when did you drop the "not pleased part"? i always like that touch of whimsy!

  • Nothing Left to Say
    5 years ago

    PEX is plastic which means a potential for leaching. I figure flushing those pipes makes sense too as the longer the water has been sitting in them the more likely there is to be some leaching.

  • Mrs Pete
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I debated it, and ultimately decided not to do it. My prep sink is just across the aisle, though.

    I think this is key: What else is in your personal kitchen? I don't think it's fair to make a blanket statement such as "Yes, pot fillers are wonderful -- everyone needs one" or "No, pot fillers are a complete waste" without knowing where the other water source is located ... without knowing what types of things the family typically cooks ... and, in general, without considering the whole make-up of the kitchen.

    A related consideration: Where's your plumbing? If adding a pot filler would mean bringing plumbing across the kitchen for this one item, I'd say no. On the other hand, my stove will be on the other side of the wall that already houses the washer /dryer ... so I'll already have water running through that wall, making a pot filler a much less expensive item.

    I figure it's just a bit more exercise for the few times a month we need
    a larger pot of water. Plus a bigger issue to me is when I dump the
    water, my glasses fog up. Anyone have a solution for that?

    If the question were just about pots of water (as in pasta cooking), yeah, I'd agree ... but I make a pitcher of iced tea every other day, and I cook lots of soups; those things don't require dumping the water.

    As for glasses, everyone in my family is dependent upon corrective lenses, and if a solution for this fogging-up problem exists, none of us know it.

    And the reality is, I'm strong and certainly have no issues with moving a large pot of water from the sink to the range.

    At the moment, I can say the same, but I'm building a retirement house, and -- considering the lifespans of my grandmother and other women in my family -- I expect to be on this earth another 50 years. Will I always be as capable as I am today? At some point, no.

    My conclusion: A pot filler is a nice thing to have, if it's practical for your kitchen; however, it is a nice little luxury -- far from a necessity.

  • User
    5 years ago

    Maybe if I were old or disabled. But even then, who would carry the pot to the sink to empty it? Seems like a wanna-be pro kitchen item.

  • kazmom
    5 years ago
    Nel Smith - there are many multigenerational families. My mom is retired and lives with us. With a pot filler she could fill the pot and cook and empty the food from the pot at the stove (pasta taken out with a pasta spoon, soup/stew/chili ladled into storage bowls) and then either take the empty pot to the sink or leave the pot of pasta water on the cooktop for the kids or I to dump when we get home. Or, even if she chose to carry the pot to the sink, it is still saving her one trip by filling it at the stove. No, it isn’t for everyone but it certainly has uses in certain families and can be more than a “pro wanna be” item.
  • sprtphntc7a
    5 years ago

    we have one and we use it all the time

    it has a water purifier attached to it, this is under crawl space, so filtered water all the time for everything we cook and drink.

    use it to: fill water pitchers for frig. take pills. cooking (obviously). its not just for pasta. when u are cooking and recipe calls for 1/2 cup of water, its right there. making coffee, tea etc.... frees up your sink if 2 people cooking or multiple people in your kitchen and u can't get to sink, think party!! so, great to have another water source.

    i think when u don't have it, you don't realize how much you will use it and how convenient it is. it was a DIY for us, so just the cost of PF. we do have 2 shut off valves which i think if very important. we don't have a prep sink but living with now for 5 years i can say i would put another one if we ever move.

  • zneret
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Looks like the pot filler isn't going to happen. From where it can be mounted, it won't reach (only 21") far enough. I guess it's made for centre of stove mount.

  • M
    5 years ago

    The Hans Grohe potfiller has a 25" reach. Is that enough for you?

  • zneret
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Wanted to go with Blanco as it matched the faucet, and has 2 shutoffs.

    The pot filler would have to reach right across (and diagonally) 2 11-12" modular gas burners to reach the 3rd electric burner.