I never thought I needed this feature but all the sudden I"m thinking hey - I'm about to have plumbing done...why AREN'T I getting this? Maybe if I had tea so readily available I would be drinking water more often in the cold months (which here are half the year) and therefor would be healthier?!

While I await your answer re. safety (I think it's safe though), I'd like to hijack this just long enough to ask if there's any way to have such a dispenser NOT be from the countertop. Probably not. I only ask cause my wall-mounted (w/ sprayer) faucet will make it so I don't have to have any holes put in my countertop and I was looking forward to having that clean back area with nothing to have to clean around...

The hot water dispenser is going to be my favorite part of the kitchen - I prepare tons of tea (from microwaved water) and then chill it for drinking. I've been using the one at work for hot tea without any problem.

I went kind of cheap on mine but may change my mind when I finalize a faucet. Insinkerator is less than $200, including tank, but looks utilitarian. One problem when searching was that the nicer looking ones didn't necessarily get rave reviews while Insinkerator did so consistently.

Nancyfay - I came across the same thing. I don't like the regular inskinkerator b/c it does look like an office sink, but the nice looking ones (that would match the arch of my faucet) are very expensive and not sure they are so great.
Inskinkerator does make some that are more in line with the expensive ones and they are considerately cheaper. I just never knew hot water dispensers were so expensive....before this kitchen reno I would have thought I could get one for less than $100!!

Costco has an instant hot in either chrome or satin nickel that's $160. It only heats up to 190ËF, but it seems a lot of them only go up to 190Ë. The pretty ones that will match my faucet are pretty spendy so my plan is to put in the less expensive Costco one. If I use it a lot (and the looks really bother me), I can replace it later. At least I'll have the hole drilled, plumbing run, etc.

I'm the one who wrote about safety in the current thread on "why pot fillers are cold water and not hot (due to safety reasons)" so I'll add here now that IHW at 190 degrees Fahrenheit is hot enough to kill the stuff that can survive in regular hot water tanks and that can cause health problems.

On a minor note, I've read tea connoisseurs claiming that 190 degrees is good for steeping tea. I think this temperature is also OK for filter coffee or piston style (Bodum) coffee.

Last year in gardenweb's kitchen forum, many people described a number of advantages of having IHW. Instant hot water was often cited as great for cleaning, for large and small tasks.

I bought mine on eBay and it was just a little over $200 for both the faucet and the HW tank. It came with a very nice Westbrass faucet. The tank is a Quick and Hot brand. I think - if I remember correctly from when I was researching - that this is the same type of tank with the Costco one.

Do all you instant hot owners use it sometimes to top up a pot when cooking?
Since it is pre-heated water.
If the answer to you is obvious, please respond nonetheless.

I had an insinkerator in my kitchen in another house and I LOVED it! I agree that it is not the best looking one but I am putting another one in my new kitchen. I just can't see spending $600+ on hot water. I'm a hot tea drinker and I also make iced tea every day. It is great for boiling water for pasta, rice, oatmeal, etc. It is one of my favorite details in the remodel! Go for it!

There was one in this house when we moved in and when the tank developed a leak we replaced it immediately -- we had all become dependent on it very quickly -- for tea, instant oatmeal, cooking, cleaning stubborn pots, etc. The two things it's not good for -- filling pasta pots (doesn't heat that much water at one time); and washing hands -- it's much too hot for that (silly me learned that the hard way!)
For the remodel we decided to replace just the top part and reuse the tank that was fairly new. We got the ORB Insinkerator model, which was a bit pricey, but in the great scheme of the kitchen re-do, it didn't seem like the time to go cheap, since it will be sitting there with the faucet.
Our sink was installed last Thursday: it looks great. (I'd post a pic but my camera battery is dead and I can't find the charger.) HTH --Amy

I'm a bit of a tea snob and I would NOT use instant hot water or water heated in the microwave to make tea. It has to be freshly drawn water, boiled in a kettle and poured into a pre-heated tea pot. No teabag in the cup nonsense, either, unless it's a simple herbal tea. But if you don't mind tea heated in the microwave then the IHW would probably be fine.
I'd avoid one if I had young kids though. We turned down the temp on our hot water heater to guard against scalding, so it would be daft to add a source of scalding hot water to the sink.

I have had an Insinkerator for about 6 years and will be putting it back in my new kitchen. I don't use it to make tea or coffee but it is great for hot water for instant oatmeal, soup or any cleaning reason you need hot water without waiting.

I bought mine from Costco and have really been enjoying it. Words of Wisdom, respect that 190 degrees. I am always grabbing a cup of tea on the way out. Be careful if you have your purse on your shoulder while dispensing the water. If your bag falls off your shoulder and your hand moves that water is pretty darn hot. Both DH and I have burned our hand. (DH does not have a purse though :)

Be sure you are getting one with a stainless tank. All of the new Insinkerators are stainless, but I'm not certain about other brands. Insinkerator outsells all other brands 99 to 1 for me. If you're not fussy about the looks, and I am, HD has the basic utilitarian chrome/black model for under $200. That's cheaper than the tank by itself is for special order. You can buy it to see if you like it, and if you do, the trim up top can be changed out. However, if you want one with chilling and filtration, that tactic won't work.

BTW, it would be difficult for a small child to activate and injure themselves. It does require twisting the activator, or moving a lever all the way at the back of the sink. A larger child or adult could injure themself if they were inattentive or preoccupied. As far as the water quality itself, if you have bad water, you'll have bad hot water. If you have a filter or treatment system, it should be hooked up to supply the tank just like it does your drinking water.

So can you hook up a filter just to the hot water tank and not the water coming from your faucet. We drink bottled water and never drink the water from the faucet (except when I make tea in the microwave) but thinking I should use a filter for my hot water tank?
Thanks.

Though 2 friends told me they loved theirs, I'm not sure I would have bought one had I not found one on sale at Costco. Now I can't imagine living without one. I use it for oatmeal, topping off coffee, and anytime I don't want to wait for the water to heat up. In answer to a question above, I do top off a hot pot when I've found I didn't place enough water in it to begin with.

A major issue with consuming water from a regular water heater is the plumbing between the tank and faucet.

There are still tons of copper pipes with lead containing solder out there (lead solder for water supply lines was only banned in the mid 1880s.

Hot water has a higher ability to leach from the inside of the pipes.
Both copper and lead are not good things to consume.

Copper pipes normally quickly form a coating that prevents the water from actually contacting with the the copper and solder, but it is not as effective in hot water lines.

Add to that the new 'cleaner' water (fewer total dissolved solids) and the coatings take much longer to form.

So can I get a filter just for the hot water tank?
Thanks....

Instant hot water tanks are hooked up to the cold water supply. It should be as safe as your cold water to drink since as Brickeyee mentioned, it's the hot water running all the way from the main heating tank through the copper pipes and leaching lead out if it that is the major danger of using regular hot water.

You should be able to find an IHW with a filter or add one inline to the tank.

I love mine. I have small kids and they can't reach it. I use it to dissolve anything and I drink tea constanly. I fill it for pasta for a head-start. It's so easy and convenient I don't think I could have a kitchen without one. We're actually moving ours to the main sink with this remodel to get it closer to the cabinet where we store the tea and honey. Right now, or for about 12 more hours, it's in our prep sink.

Thanks everyone. I bought one this weekend - one of the new insinkerators that look like one of the high end models for under $300. My DH still balked at that price but I told him I was actually saving $300+ from the original one I was going to get : - )

I'm still looking for the right tap. I came across an Australian product (Zip Hydrotap) that filters and give instant chilled and instant boiling water. It costs thousands. You "saved" a lot of money by simplifying your purchase. Congratulations!

Thanks. This was probably the quickest decision I have made....b/c once I saw the price of the other high end ones, I knew those were out....and this one looks just like the more expensive one at more than half the price.

I absolutely LOVE my instant hot and yes, because of it I do drink more water.
I got the Costco one for $160 but did not like the faucet.
I got a faucet from Waterstone ( i think)
The difference between this and insinkerator has something to do with venting. you cannot use my faycet with an insinkerator.
also i have used it for cooking water, to top up pots and for cleaning
I t was near the top on my must have list and well worth getting

If any of the instant hot water is to go down the drain, or any boiling water that you would pour out after, for example, making pasta, note this. I used to work in a plumbing store and pouring boiling water down the drain can soften your pcv pipes and washers at the joints. Run cold water down the sink while slowly pouring the boiling water if you have to dump it. Otherwise, let it sit until cool before disposing of it.