InSinkErator 4in1 Touch

Rather than having to have multiple taps, the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch does everything you need: boiling water (or close enough), regular hot and cold, plus filtered water at the touch of a button. It’s efficient to run, easy to use and the range of colours and designs means that you can find the tap type that suits your home decor. It is quite expensive and you will need a fair amount of room under the sink to fit the hot water tank and filter, though.

Introduction

Boiling water taps have been around for a long time now, but the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch goes beyond simply hot water, as it also dispenses filtered water alongside regular hot and cold water. It’s efficient to run, comes in lots of styles and finishes, and gives you everything you need in one place.

It’s quite expensive and takes up a fair amount of space underneath your sink, so won’t be for everyone.

Design and features

• Everything in one tap
• Replaces an existing tap
• Needs quite a bit of cupboard space

Rather than having to have a separate hole drilled for a hot water tap, the InSinkErator gives you everything in one single tap. It will even fit in the space left by your old tap, so you can upgrade without having to worry about drilling additional holes or protecting your countertop.

A tap is one of the most visible items in any kitchen, so it’s nice to see a range of tap options. First, there’s an option of shape, with L Shape, J Shape and the U Shape that I have on review. Each tap is also available in chrome, velvet black and brushed stainless steel, so you should be able to find the model that fits your kitchen.

I went with the black option. Its matt finish looks fantastic and high end but doesn’t pick up fingerprints too easily.

On the right of the tap are the standard water controls, sliding up and down for hot and cold water, and pushing the tap out to turn on the water. It works smoothly and is no different to any other mixer tap.

On the left is a secondary tap, which is for boiling water. For safety, you have to press down the spring-loaded handle before you can turn on the water. When you’re done, a second spring shuts off the water and engages the safety lock again. This will stop accidents, either with kids playing about with the tap or just a moment of forgetfulness.

Then, there’s the touch button on the front, which engages the filtered water. You can tap to turn this off, although the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch will only run for 20 seconds before shutting off automatically.

This touch button is controlled by a 9V battery that sits underneath your sink. It’s easy to open up the waterproof container to replace the battery when it goes flat, but a single battery should last for a good couple of years.

Installation needs a fair amount of room in the cupboard underneath the sink, for the tap’s workings. As with all boiling water taps, a tank has to be fitted. Here, that’s the 2.5-litre NeoTank. 

This heats up the water to the temperature you set using the selector on the outside to pick temperatures between 88C and 99C. Temperatures aren’t actually marked on the display, so you have to guess a little as to what the temperatures between maximum and minimum are.

InSinkErator says that this range gives you the flexibility to handle everything from more delicate teas (a lower temperature) up to filling a pan for cooking. This is true to a degree, but if you’ve already heated the system to a maximum temperature, you have to wait a while for it to cool down to the lower temperature.

When the power is cut, the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch remembers the temperature that you set it at. When you turn it back on, the NeoTank will automatically fill up to the 

Next, there’s a water filter, which lasts for six months before you unscrew it and replace it (two new filters cost £74). If you’ve got a single cupboard under your sink, you won’t have a huge amount of space left; it’s easier to fit (and have space left) if you have a double cupboard, as in my kitchen.

Performance

• Gets up to heat quickly
• Maintains temperature efficiently
• Holds enough water for cooking

I measured the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch at a maximum of 1.2kW when heating an empty tank. It takes the system around five to 10 minutes from cold to heat your water, at which point the insulated tank maintains temperature with very little water usage – around 1.2W maximum.

As the temperature does decline, the tank tops up the water temperature to the level that you’ve set. The same occurs when you use hot water and cold water runs into the tank. How much it costs to run this system per day depends on how much hot water you use.

It’s very efficient to convert electricity into heat. How much power you use affects how quickly water boils, but the cost is the same. Typically kettles, such as one from our best kettles list, draw 3kW of power, so boil fast, whereas the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch uses a fraction of the power but takes longer to heat.

It’s what happens when you get to the boiling point that makes a difference. Kettles start to lose heat quite fast, while the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch maintains its temperature. When you use the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch’s boiling tap, you only take out as much water as you need, so only a little energy is needed to top up the tank’s temperature.

Using the system throughout the day to make cups of coffee, I used only 0.4kWh of power, which works out at around 6p. In comparison, boiling my 1-litre kettle uses around 0.2kWh of power. With a kettle, it’s hard to judge how much water you should use, so we all end up boiling our kettles inefficiently repeatedly during the day. So, even with the same water usage, kettles tend to be less efficient overall.

The only caveat here is that if you go away on holiday, you should turn the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch off, as you’ll otherwise be wasting energy maintaining a tank of hot water that you won’t use.

Measuring the InSinkErator 4in1 Touch, I found that on maximum the tank was exactly 99C. I then measured the water coming out of the tap, and found that it was around 92C – you lose some temperature through the system, but this is the same for a kettle, which loses temperature the second it switches off.

With a 2.5-litre tank, I could easily fill a pan for cooking, and then the system refreshes automatically, so I had additional hot water when I needed it. Ultimately, this is a system of convenience, delivering boiling (or near enough) water exactly when you need it.

Latest deals

You might like…