When starting a kitchen renovation or completing a kitchen makeover, you’ll come across a variety of kitchen luxuries you may want. Those things that are not quite necessary, but they would be nice to have in the kitchen. A pot filler is one of those kitchen luxuries.
Keep reading for four reasons you should have a pot filler included in your kitchen, and three disadvantages to consider before making your final decision.
All About the Pot Filler
A pot filler faucet, also known as a pasta arm or kettle faucet, is a separate kitchen faucet style installed near a stovetop or range. The kettle faucet mounted over a stove swings out, extending on a long, jointed arm. The faucet can be used to fill pots with water directly over the stove. Then, the long metal neck can be tucked back out of the way when not in use.
These swinging faucets are cold-water faucets and save you the trouble of carrying heavy pots filled with water from the sink to the stove.
Kettle Faucet Advantages
Purchasing a kettle faucet will allow you to use your kitchen to its fullest potential and will save space. Here are four benefits of having a kettle faucet:
1. They’re convenient
Having a faucet above a range or stove is incredibly convenient. With the functionality and convenience that a pasta arm adds, you may be inspired to exercise your culinary skills more often and in more creative ways!
2. Less strain and pain
Water can get heavy. According to Science Notes, a U.S. gallon of water weighs 3.78 kg and an imperial gallon weighs 4.546 kg. That weight can add up pretty quickly when you have to carry pots full of water all around the kitchen and from the sink to the stove. Some times you may be carrying as much as 30 or 40 pounds!
A faucet over your range helps you avoid this strain of lugging heavy pots of water around. This can make a big difference in a busy kitchen especially with a regular turnaround of heavy water-filled pots.
3. They help you multitask easily
Installing a kettle faucet is a great way to enable multitasking in the kitchen. With this faucet, you can fill pots right at the stove and free up your kitchen sink. That means no more struggling to find room in your sink while cooking a pasta dinner. This increase in your ability to multitask in the kitchen will not only save time, but also help you tackle difficult tasks for delicious dishes faster and with more ease.
4. Minimize the messes
Pot faucets help you minimize the mess in your kitchen. They'll also help you open up the space by taking away sink clutter. Since these faucets allow you to fill pots and pans right at the stove, this allows your sink to remain open for food prep and cleaning. Additionally, a pasta arm will help reduce the chance of spills that may happen while you’re carrying pots from the sink to the stove.
Pasta Arm Disadvantages
If a kettle faucet isn’t well thought out, it may be more of a hindrance than a help. There are a few reasons why this faucet may be a disadvantage in your kitchen.
1. Cleaning can be difficult
A faucet directly over a stove or a range can create some cleaning issues. Of course, like most kitchen appliances and gadgets, a kettle faucet will require regular maintenance to stay clean. With its positioning, it will require even more maintenance and cleaning to keep grease, heat, and smoke from tarnishing the finish of the faucet and also to prevent grime from collecting around it on the wall.
Since the placement of the faucet may make it difficult to reach, cleaning and regular upkeep can be even harder with a pot filler. This could lead to aesthetic issues in your kitchen if it becomes a regular, unkempt eyesore.
2. There’s the danger of leaks
Like any faucet, there’s a danger of eventual leaks with pasta arms. While with faucets over sinks, a leak may be just an annoyance, it likely isn’t an emergency if it’s dripping into a basin and down the drain. Kettle faucets are different, however.
When a pasta arm malfunctions or leaks, the leaking water can do major damage to the stove or range, the wall, and the floor. And, if your faucet only has one shutoff valve, it could begin to leak while you’re away from home. This could result in you coming home to a huge, expensive mess. To avoid this disaster, make sure your faucet has a pair of valves instead of just one. That way, if one wears out, you can stop a leak by shutting off the other.
3. The cost versus the use
Before purchasing a kettle faucet and paying to have it installed, consider how often you’ll be using it. Think about it, is the cost really worth it for something that may not be used very frequently?
According to Toulmin Cabinetry & Design, a double jointed faucet with two shut off valves can cost upwards of $12,000 with the installation cost tacked on. If you’re unsure about how much use a kettle faucet might get in your kitchen, consider putting that money towards another kitchen luxury that may be more helpful more often.
Looking for new faucets for your kitchen sink? Head to a Kitchen & Bath Classics showroom and our expert consultants will help you figure out with sink faucet is perfect for you.
