I absolutely love my potfiller.
I canÂt tell you many people have walked into my kitchen and wondered what was I thinking when I put it in!
When I explain just what it is, and its function, everyone becomes a "believer".
You will be amazed at just how often you will find you need to add just a bit of water to a sauce you are simmering, or a pot that has boiled down It is NOT just for pasta.
Having said that, I am amazed at how high so many people seem to feel they have to place their potfiller above their burnersÂit is supposed to be a convenience; so why would you want to be lifting your hot/ heavy pot or pan up to a faucet to fill it?!? After visiting many homes (open houses/ renovations/ rebuilds) and looking at the placement of their potfillers I decided to have mine installed at 12" above the flame. Anything higher certainly causes splashes and what I can imagine as water everywhere. This height works perfectly for me. I highly recommend a potfiller for your kitchen. You will be amazed at just how often you find yourself using it!

I think it partially depends on the size of your kitchen. I tend to think of a pot filler as more a status item than a useful one, but then my kitchen is not so large. It is only three or four steps from the sink to the range, and, as you said, you still have to carry the heavy pot back to the sink to drain it. If I had ten feet to go I'm sure I'd feel differently. Also, I wanted a pretty hand-painted tile backsplash, and I think a pot filler would detract from that. I have never regretted not having one. By the way, I have an instant hot water faucet (could also be considered a frivolous "status" item) and I LOVE that.

It always surprises me how the people who don't have/don't want a potfiller continually bring up not needing one because you still have to walk to the sink to drain the pot. Yes, you have to carry the pot to drain. But by filling the pot with your potfiller at the stove, you've cut your heavy carrying by 50%! Anyone who is addicted to shopping and finding a good bargain will tell you that getting something for half off thrills them!!

That's your potfiller - - 50% off heavy carrying. :-)

DW really enjoys her pot filler even though her prep sink is two steps from the cooktop. It's just one more convenience for the kitchen and when she's entertaining, she says such conveniences really reduce stress.

The nozzle is mounted 14.5" above the burner and I remember us fretting about the correct height since the manufacturer (Franke) provided no guidance on that. It's worked out fine, neither too low or too high.

We also have a hot water dispenser in the main sink and while it gets a lot of use, she seldom uses it for anything heated on the cooktop.

Bob

My 83 y.o. Italian MIL passed away six months ago. I'd never heard of a pot filler until recently and immediately thought of her. Her range shared a wall with a bathroom. If only we chipped in and had this installed for her years ago we could have saved her so much work. I think many of the people on this forum are young and can handle heavy pots without a second thought. Also it seems many of the TOK's have multiple sinks. MIL didn't. Neither do I. Also consider if someone is busy at the sink that you have to wait your turn to fill your pot. I believe when my husband and I build our retirement home I'm going to have one installed. :)

I, too, love my potfiller. I use it daily for so many tasks, filling up a teapot, sauce pan, pasta pot, you name it. I like to can and now I don't have the hassle of trying to fit the canning pot in my sink so I can fill it up. Yes, I have to carry it back when done, but only once! I have less water slopping on my floor from carrying pots than I did before. Plus the flow is better so a pot fills up in no time. If I ever did another kitchen I'd definately put in a pot filler again! My kitchen, while pretty, is designed for function. I have a beautiful backsplash and mural. My pot filler (Rohl) folds up under the cabinet, next to the cooktop. You have to look twice to see it. Function and beauty can co-exist.

{{!gwi}}

My husband really wanted one, but recently we were at a friend's house and my son walked over to the potfiller and started to wash his hands...over their god knows how many thousands of dollars professional range...OMG. I stopped him in time but in that moment I realized - do I want a potentially leaky watery item where there is no basin or drain? No, I really don't.

I know people who really love them, and depending on the kitchen layout I can see one being very useful. But for me, in my medium sized kitchen with only a few steps from sink to cooktop, it is not going to happen.

Anita

Julie, your garden theme mural is drop dead gorgeous! I really like the way you've tucked the potfiller off to the side.

I'm not a big fan of them. I would not like worrying about the drips & drops from a faucet (I usually run the water for a couple of seconds before using it to make sure I'm not getting pipe-flavored water), and I really would not like worrying about the potential for a serious leak. I also am getting the pro style range with all the controls in front so that I won't have to reach all the way to the back wall while sauteing the onions, and a potfiller would defeat that purpose. Finally, sorry y'all, I do see them more as this year's status symbol than anything else (with an exception for Neesie's MIL).

Julie, lovely kitchen and that backsplash is to die for! I'm the one with the 83 yo Italian MIL; her kitchen was tiny, disfunctional AND she had one of those miniature stoves! Even with just her and FIL in the house she never scaled down her recipes (do you call them that even if they're in your head) she continued to cook for a crowd. I also recall the arthritis she had in her hands and how hard it could be to grip an item. No, definitely not a status symbol!

A potfiller was part of my original plan, but I have since changed my mind. I think that if it is something you need and will use, why not? I just realized I don't need one. But, I still have time to change my mind- so who knows?!

Remodelqueen, you aren't helping! ;) You are like me...I have gone back and forth. I totally agree that it is a bit of a "status" thing right now. I do think it will be convenient, though. I think if I have the budget, I'll probably do it. Thanks for all the input!

Ok kids...a dear friend of mine's bathroom on the top floor developed a major leak (tub full of water cracked because it wasn't set right)...it collapsed the ceiling above the stove (wolf) sending water everywhere. As well as drywall dust etc.

The range was the only thing that they kept when they cleaned up the mess. Tile was ruined, etc., but the range...a big gas monster :) Was fine. They can get wet, so let's say you develop a leak and don't shut it off...it's no worse than the same thing happening under the kitchen sink, so with that fear in mind...do you leave out the kitchen sink?

My PF has two shut off valves, and it's plumbed with a larger pipe than a normal faucet would have, so the flow is faster, filling up pots twice as quick. It's no more a status symbol than a bread machine is...after all, can't you make bread in a bowl and pan like mom did?

If you cook a lot and have the space for one, they're a great tool, just like all of the other tools you use in the kitchen :) If you warm up food in the microwave...it's not something you need.

It does depend a lot on how, what, and for whom you cook. I usually cook for 2 and my kid doesn't like pasta so I don't need to fill big heavy pots very often. OTOH, I could not get by for more than 2 days without a lemon zester and my mini food processor.

I have one and I like it. I could live without it, but I'm glad we decided to go ahead with it (we waffled a lot on this one too). The biggest issue for us is that our maiin sink is on the far side of an island from the cooktop. The sink near the cooktop is our prep sink, and the flow on that faucet is much slower than the cleanup sink, shile the potfiller is probably a higher flow. If I didn't have it, I would either be waiting a long time to fill a big pot or having to go around the island. We learned that in use -- the potfiller didn't go in until after the backsplash was completed. The GC and his crew were no longer welcome here and we had to overcome our reluctance to have anyone else in our house and pick a different plumber to come install it.

Confession time -- I have also had an overlfow. We learned about that high flow rate the hard way. I got distracted for just a moment and whatd'ya know? I was panicked and sick, but everything dried right up and we cooked dinner as usual. My cooktop is gas -- electric could have some different issues, but most of the water stayed in the pan.Nothing suffered.

I would get the dual shutoff valves though. I like some of the very simple single valve styles too, but I like security more. Oh -- I also had a shutoff valve installed inthe wall behind with a little access door, so I have 3 ways to shut off the water before it impacts the rest of the kitchen or house. And I have pots bigger than my prep sink. LOL

Get one or don't -- but make the decision for function, not fear.

igloochic, all good points!

BTW, MIL used to bake bread the old fashioned way! How long do I have to wait to nominate her for sainthood?

we have one- dh insisted we get one- and I'm glad we did. we aren't 83 years old- but we do cook like our italian grandmothers! for us the best thing is we can fill really big pots very easily on top of the stove and not wrestle with them in the sink. also handy when needing to add water to a pot simmering.

I planned to install one but several KDs warned against it (they had too many issues with ones that had been installed) and the more we discussed it, we determined that it really is unnecessary. As some said above, more of a status symbol than anything. I know some folks love their's and to each their own but I fall in the unnecssary - spend your money on something else camp

Sorry kelleg!!!! :p I can't help it!!! At first I thought that having so much time before our reno was a blessing- I'd be able to decide what I really want and need, but maybe too much time is not so great!!!

So, after seeing the photo above, I realized that one of the things I don't like thinking about when it comes to a PF is the backsplash. BUT, now if I get one, I'll install it off to the side of the range. It's official, I'm nuts.

Nessie, it sounds like your MIL and mine are alot alike. Mine is Greek and has spent the last couple of days making bread (by hand, of course) for our Easter this weekend. She is amazing. I don't think there is anything she can't do, or cook!!!! Whenever I feel tired, I think of how exhausted she must be-- I don't do half as much as she does every day!

"I planned to install one but several KDs warned against it (they had too many issues with ones that had been installed"

ISSUES!?!? It's a FAUCET for goodness sake!!!

Remodelqueen, I am like you! My DH keeps saying he just wishes things were decided. I am sure I will go back and forth on things. I am building a whole house, so there are lots of decisions to make! And we haven't even broken ground yet!

Remodelqueen...they also come deck mounted (mounted to the countertop) so your pretty backsplash won't have to suffer :oP

I was going to mount mine on the side of my backsplash but it turned out to be a code violation, (my walls aren't thick enough for it to be on an outside wall) so I put it on an inside wall next to the range (over a 12" countertop). We had to go with a longer reach one to make this work...but I love the location now since it won't muss up my gorgeous chicken backsplash.

Woodchick...I read and thought the same thing...IT'S A FREAKING FAUCET!!! Are they also not recommending sinks because they occasionaly overflow? Or dishwashers, island sinks??? LOL My KD took one look at my plans and asked "Where will the pot filler be?" but she's a very experienced KD...she has been dealing with professional gadgets like this for years and knows how great they are in a home kitchen. Experience will tell ya...it's a freaking faucet :) In fact it's simpler really.

yes - its a FREAKING FAUCET - that is NOT over a sink or drain and that has multiple joints and potential leak points. There is a DIFFERENCE. You may discount the comments the KDs made (BTW who you will be chagrined to know are very experienced and do lots of high end work) but I am just relaying their experience and comments.

Please don't dismiss their comments out of hand just because you like a potfiller. As I said - to each their own. And for the record, we eliminated it from our plan mainly because as we analyzed it more in depth - instead of being enamored by the latest status symbol and gadgets the kitchen porn magazines are pushing - we determined for us it really was unnecessary and a waste of money

but hey - if you love buying the freaking faucet - have at it :)

This is a great thread. I was also thinking about getting one but after reading everyones opinion it is an expense that I think I can live without. The faucet with all the extra plumbing will be pretty pricey I am sure. It would also be on an outside wall so that can create issues too.

My sink is only 20 some inches from the range just down the counter. It is only 2 of us and I rarely fill large pasta pots. My husband will be glad to hear that we won't be getting one but it will be short lived as I know I can divert those funds to other things like the insta hot.

Is it a full moon tonight? sheeeeesh.

The leaky, drippy thing? Really folks, if you need a rationalization, I suppose that's as good as anything to help you make your decision, but if you can't get a new faucet installed without a leak and can't maintain a faucet without leaks and drips, I'd also stay away from the instant hot -- it can drip under the sink and inside the cabinet where you can't see it, there is no drain and it it likely to continue for some time before being discovered.

Any plumbing fixture or line in or under the house can have a problem. Any system, appliance or fixture in your home can have "issues", and you can be sure that some of them will at sometime.

I just had a hole jack-hammered in my slab and two holes dug under the foundation to find and repair a pipe separation that probably occurred when the slab was poured some 19-20 years ago. I sure didn't have them take out the half bath and the master bath because the drain on them "had issues."

Yes, they are more critical to use, enjoyment and resale of the home, but I guess my point again is function -- get what you need, do it well and take care of it. Adding more than you need, plumbing, appliances or whatever, just gives you more to maintain and more potential for problems.

DH & I both have college degrees and are CPA's. We have owned a successful accounting practice for over 25 years. With all that education and business acumen I find out I purchased a pot filler because I was enamored by a status symbol being pushed by kitchen porn magazines. Wow. Perhaps I should get some wallpaper with XXX written on it to alert my guests. ;-)

Like I said before, I love my pot filler and I use it on a daily basis. Everyone's kitchen layout, cooking techniques is different. Go with what you think will work for you.

Julie I have the paper if you want :oP We also make people sign a waiver of their rights to be as cool as us before they come in the house. I'd consider having one done up.

I wasn't dismissing the posters comments here...I was dismissing the silly KD's. How on earth do you become a good KD when you don't understand the basic functions of normal kitchen items? PF's have been used for decades in restaurants, and while they're newer in home use, they're a basic plumbing piece. To decide out of hand that they're all bad is not terribly professional. Instead they should know the brands and the levels of quality, and help their clients pick what will work for them, within their budget. If all they can afford is the $1.99 version...ya maybe they might want to skip the pot filler, but if you have a system with multiple valves for shut off, and heck I LOVE the in wall access as well...what on earth is the problem. Most dishwashers have less emergency shut offs than that!

Julie I'd let you come and visit, but I don't know if you can handle our status at this point....we also have a spray rinser...can you hang heh heh :oP (Sure we just like clean sinks and pans when washing...but is a sprayer necessary???? probably not...do we plan on using it to death...YUP!)

kelleg - I don't think PF's are a status symbol if they serve a function in your kitchen. As some stated, if your sink is not close to your range, it would save steps. Or, if in my case, you are on the high end of the baby boomer generation and are dealing with lose of strength in hands and arthritis, the general OLD PEOPLE issues, it can be a blessing. (Thank goodness I can still lift a glass of VINO) I can remember when I didn't have to think about those kinds of things (well, sometimes anyway).
Anyway, I think if it will serve it't function, GET IT!!!

I decided against a potfiller after initially assuming I would install one. Once I thought about it, it didn't make sense for me, for a number of reasons. My cooktop is two steps from the sink; I have to pick up the pot to empty it anyway. What's another 4 seconds of lifting?

I drive 30 miles into town three days a week to lift weights with a trainer. I certainly don't want to "save" any effort.
I look at lifting the pot of water as bone preservation to ward off osteoporosis.

They look pretty, though.

I think my use of the words "status" symbol might be the wrong words. I think the PF is the "latest" thing, but I do think it is a good thing! After all these posts, I think I am getting one. I think we will use it and enjoy it. Now I just need to make sure I get a big enough prep sink (behind the cooktop) to fit a colander.

kelleg -- I wasn't even planning to get a PF, but just reading your thread this morning has made me decide to put one in (DH is going to have this site blocked on my computer!). I love the look and agree about the 50% thing. Now, back to what I was really supposed to be researching . . . ovens.

Okay, they are pretty and the latest thing, BUT, try having one and then living without it, as in our case. I can't tell you how many times I have walked over to the stove and needed it, wishing we had one again.

We had one in a previous house, and then moved into this one, and are now in the process of building another new home. The pot filler is one thing that is going BACK into our home!! HA! Absolutely LOVED IT!

I was reading another thread and it made me think of another reason a PF is a good idea. I'm already moving DH coffee maker so he won't be in my way, but what if DH or the kids are doing something at the sink and I need to fill a pot? If I'm in a rush and don't have time to wait for them to finish (I know my DD is going to hog the sink now that she has a strawberry plant!)- a PF will definitely come in handy.

I never thought of pot fillers as particularly pretty. I do find mine extremely useful, however. Even cutting down on carrying a full stockpot by 50% is worth it, for me. As recently as two years ago, it might not have made as much difference, but my neck pain has worsened. DH and DS2 use the thing for more purposes than I. I use it for pasta and seafood and for water when I steam vegetables for a crowd. We entertain, so cooking for a crowd is not unusual. I'm not sure how well DH and DS would adjust to not having one. Ours has 2 valves, which I think is a good idea, and is made by Grohe. We have had no leaks, overflows, catastrophes, or etc. As with all kitchen-related decisions, it depends upon how you cook, how your kitchen is laid out, and your needs.

Pot fillers aren't 'just a faucet': most have 2 joints that are expected to flex constantly with no drain and no leaking: no other plumbing in your home is expected to stand up to this. Everyone reccomends double valve fillers, so the supply of water can be cut off ahead of the joints, so it's obvioulsy an issue.

A kitchen large enough to make the trip from stove to sink inconvenient should be large enough to have a prep sink if its designed well.

Yeah yeah, the prep sink will take up precious counterspace and cost a bit more [though some pot fillers are obscenely expensive], but compare the functionality:

Pot filler:
-fills pots

Prep sink:
-fills pots
-drains pots
-wash veg/meat
-wash hands/knives/cutting boards
-wash and drain salad
-thaw frozen products
-catch/dispose of veg peels
-get hot/cold water when main sink is busy
-dispose of cold coffee/warm beer etc. without disturbing main sink

A prep sink gets you a true zone kitchen, where cooking and cleaning don't interfere with each other. A pot filler gets you only part way there.

But no one gets testy if anyone questions the need for a prep sink-- they aren't for every one, or every kitchen-- but any suggestion that the pot filler isn't a 'must have' gets people really upset.

People get awfully invested in this issue, not sure why...

MIL was not going to stop cooking even though she became more disabled all the time. I think a pot filler would have been quite welcome. She could still take it over to the prep sink (had she had one) to dump it, though!

Well, my kitchen is reasonably well designed and roomy enough, but a prep sink just wouldn't fit at all. On the other hand, a pot filler will. Even better for us is the fact that our stove wall is also a wet wall (there's the hall bath on the other side as well as the water line for the refrigerator).

Would I love a prep sink? Probably. Is it practical for my kitchen? Not at all.

The first time I saw a picture of a pot filler in a magazine, I assumed it was a fire prevention device for that big bad range. Honestly I must have been seriously naive.