A Guide to Kitchen Taps, Kitchen Water Pressure and Kitchen Tap Styles.
Kitchen Tap Water Pressure
Make sure your choice of kitchen tap suits your home’s water pressure, whether low (usual) or high (conversions and new homes).
Low: Around 75 per cent of homes in the UK have a ‘gravity’ water supply with low pressure. This system is unsuitable for many sophisticated kitchen taps from the continent.
High: New or refurbished properties usually have ‘balanced’ high pressure hot and cold water supplies for modern taps.
- water pressure is measured in bars
- 0.1 bar equals 1m between the bottom of a storage tank (usually in the loft) and a tap
- UK houses are typically fed by a low pressure gravity system
- many imported European taps only suit high pressure systems
Kitchen Tap Tips: If your home has the usual gravity-fed low pressure system you can install a modern boiler or a booster pump to increase water pressure. Fit the pump into a nearby cupboard to avoid trailing copper pipes through kitchen units.
Styles and Finishes for Kitchen Taps
- deck-mounted taps are the most common. They are fitted in to the worktop or sink
- monoblocs taps are a one-piece (usually compact) fitting and mix and deliver hot and cold water through a single spout
- new monobloc styles are chunky and square
- swan necks have high arches for pot cleaning
- single level taps control flow and temperature with one handle, but double lever or pillar taps are more traditional
- brushed chrome, stainless steel and pewter taps disguise finger marks
- nickel, gold and brass taps are still popular
Tap Tips: Choose a tap to complement the shapes and finishes in your kitchen.
Kitchen Tap Developments
- filter taps reduce chlorine and build-up of scale
- flexible sprays are good for cleaning big dishes
- taps can dispense boiling water in a safe fine spray
- ceramic disc valves resist debris and limescale
- ‘quarter-turn’ moves the handle through 90 degrees
- ‘half turn’ moves the handle through 180 degrees
Kitchen Tap Top Tips
- consult a tap specialist
- get taps fitted properly
- to save water, choose eco-friendly quarter-turn taps
- electronic touch controls are ultra-hygienic and easy to use – no handles to turn
How to fit a Kitchen Tap
Most kitchen taps come with flexible connectors so they can be fitted to existing pipework. Fitting a kitchen tap can require specialist tools, so it’s always wise to call in a professional plumber; choose one who is a member of the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC). Taps that supply filtered water are trickier to install, requiring extra connections. You’ll need to allocate space under the sink for the filter unit, but they usually clamp snugly to the side of the cabinet.
Plumbing and Installation Costs
A straightforward installation of a kitchen tap should cost between £100 and £140, according to the APHC. The average UK rate is around £40-£60 for a call-out charge, and then about £30-£40 per hour for subsequent work, with most plumbers capable of installing a kitchen tap within two hours.
The Tap Store Team