Choosing a boiling water tap for an office is mostly a sizing job. Get the size wrong and you end up with a queue at 10:30, or a tank that sits hot all day for six people. This guide is for office managers, facilities teams and fit-out leads who have already decided the kettle is going, and now need to pick the right tap for their headcount, their kitchen and their water. If you are still weighing up a tap against a kettle, start with our boiling water tap vs kettle comparison and come back here.
TL;DR
- Size the tap to your busiest 15 minutes, not your daily headcount.
- For larger offices, start with the BRITA Extra C-Tap. For smaller commercial kitchens, look at RoyalFlow.
- Every tap needs a cold mains feed, a power socket and, for most models, a drain. Check these before you choose a model.
- Filtration protects the boiler as well as the taste, which matters in hard-water areas.
- Plan the servicing at the same time as the purchase.
Tell us your headcount and kitchen layout and we will suggest a tap. Request a Quote
In this article
- Why size a boiling water tap for an office by peak demand
- Which tap: BRITA or RoyalFlow?
- Quick comparison of our office boiling taps
- What the kitchen needs before installation
- Filtration, scale and servicing
- Safety in a shared kitchen
- A buyer's checklist
- Frequently asked questions
Why size a boiling water tap for an office by peak demand
The right boiling water tap for an office is the one that keeps up with your busiest few minutes. Total daily use matters much less than people expect, because a boiling tap refills and reheats all day. What it cannot do is serve more cups in a short burst than its tank and heater can deliver.
Most offices have two or three peaks: first thing, mid-morning and just after lunch. A meeting that ends at the same time as everyone else's adds a fourth. So start by counting cups, not people.
A simple way to do it:
- Count the people who use that kitchen on a normal day, not your total headcount.
- Estimate how many make a hot drink in the busiest 15 minutes. In many offices that is around half, but watch your own kitchen for a week if you can.
- Multiply that 15-minute figure by four to get a cups-per-hour rate.
- Compare that rate with the tap's rated output, and leave some headroom.
As a worked example, take a floor of 40 people. If 20 of them make a drink between 10:30 and 10:45, that is a rate of 80 cups an hour. At about 250 ml a cup, that is 20 litres of hot water an hour. The BRITA Extra C-Tap with the large boiler is rated at 30 litres an hour, so it covers that with room to spare. A smaller unit might cope on an average day but fall behind on a Monday.
If one kitchen serves several floors, the answer is often two taps rather than one. Two taps also mean the kitchen still has boiling water while one is being serviced.
Which tap: BRITA or RoyalFlow?
Both of our office taps work the same way. The tap sits on the worktop or sink, and the boiler and chiller sit in the cupboard below. This keeps the worktop clear and looks tidy in a client-facing kitchen. The cupboard needs good airflow, and room for the engineer to work.
BRITA Extra C-Tap for larger offices
For larger offices and busy sites, the BRITA Extra C-Tap is our most robust choice. One brushed steel tap gives up to five waters: ambient, chilled still, semi-sparkling, sparkling and hot up to 95 °C with anti-scald protection. You choose a medium boiler (20 litres an hour) or a large one (30 litres an hour), and the chiller is rated at 85 litres an hour for the lunch peak. BRITA filtration to 0.5 micron is built in and conditions the water against limescale, which protects the boiler.
RoyalFlow for smaller commercial kitchens
For smaller commercial kitchens, our RoyalFlow commercial range works the same way. The RoyalFlow BCS gives boiling, chilled and sparkling water from one tap. Its under-sink unit measures 230 × 435 × 395 mm. For a model-by-model view, see which RoyalFlow tap suits your site. Unlike the BRITA tap, it gives water at a full boil.
Quick comparison of our office boiling taps
| Option | Format | Waters | Rated boiling or hot output | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRITA Extra C-Tap | Tap with under-counter unit | Ambient, chilled still, semi-sparkling, sparkling, hot up to 95 °C | Medium boiler 20 L an hour, large 30 L an hour | Larger offices and busy sites, roughly 20 to 100 people |
| RoyalFlow BCS | Tap with under-sink unit | Boiling, chilled, sparkling | 3 L tank, 125 cups an hour | Smaller commercial kitchens |
The ratings above come from the manufacturers' published specifications. Treat the table as a starting point. The final choice depends on your peak, your kitchen and your water.
One point is easy to miss. The BRITA Extra C-Tap gives hot water up to 95 °C rather than a full boil. That suits tea and coffee rounds and instant food. If your team needs water at a full boil, choose the RoyalFlow BCS.
Not sure which tap fits your kitchen? Talk to Our Team and send us a photo of the space.
What the kitchen needs before installation
A boiling water tap is plumbed in, so the kitchen has to be ready for it. Check these before you settle on a model:
- A cold mains water feed close to where the tap will go, with a shut-off valve.
- A switched, fused power supply within reach of the unit. Boiling models draw more power than chilled-only ones, so check the rating on the datasheet.
- A drain or waste for models that need one, and a sink or drip tray under the spout.
- Cupboard space with airflow for under-counter units. Chillers give off heat and need room to breathe.
- A CO2 bottle position, if you want sparkling water.
- Access for the engineer at service visits.
In the UK, plumbing work and fittings on the mains supply fall under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. These are there to stop backflow and contamination of the public supply. The Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) publishes guidance on them. A competent installer will fit the right backflow protection as part of the job.
Our survey covers these points before installation day, so there are no surprises. The survey is chargeable.
Filtration, scale and servicing
Filtration does two jobs in a boiling water tap. It improves taste by reducing chlorine, and it protects the boiler from limescale. Scale is the main reason boiling taps lose performance, so the filter matters as much as the tap.
If your office is in a hard-water area, such as London and much of the South East and East of England, scale builds up faster. Ask what filter the tap uses, how often it is changed, and whether the change interval can be set by actual usage rather than by the calendar. For very hard water, a treatment stage ahead of the tap may be the better answer, and we specify this per site.
Servicing should be agreed at the same time as the purchase, not afterwards. A good plan includes filter changes, a hygiene clean of the dispense point, and a check of temperature and flow. Our planned maintenance programme covers all three. Keeping to the manufacturer's service schedule also keeps the warranty valid.
Safety in a shared kitchen
A shared office kitchen has a wide mix of users, so boiling taps are designed to be hard to use by accident. Look for:
- A child lock or push-and-hold action on the boiling button.
- An insulated spout that stays cool to the touch.
- A controlled flow that does not splash.
- Clear marking of which button gives boiling water.
Place the tap where people are not reaching across it to get to the sink or the fridge. Brief new starters on how it works. Both are simple steps that make the kitchen safer.
UK employers must provide an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water for staff under regulation 22 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. A mains-fed tap with a chilled option meets the drinking water need and the hot-drinks need from one fitting.
A buyer's checklist
Before you ask for quotes, have answers to these:
- How many people use this kitchen, and how many make a drink in the busiest 15 minutes?
- Which waters do you need: boiling only, or boiling with chilled and sparkling?
- Is there room, with good airflow, in the cupboard below the sink?
- Where are the nearest cold feed, power socket and drain?
- Is the water hard where you are?
- Who will change the filters, and how often?
- Do you need one tap or two, so the kitchen is never without hot water?
For the full range, see our commercial boiling water taps. If you are buying for a kitchen at home instead, our boiling water taps for the home page is the place to start.
Frequently asked questions
What size boiling water tap does an office need?
Size it to your busiest 15 minutes. Count the drinks made in that window, multiply by four to get cups an hour, and choose a tap rated above that figure. For a peak of around 80 cups an hour, the BRITA Extra C-Tap with the large boiler (30 litres an hour) gives you headroom. For a smaller kitchen, the RoyalFlow BCS is rated at 125 cups an hour.
Can one boiling tap serve a whole office?
It can for a small or medium team using one kitchen. For several floors or very sharp peaks, two taps work better. Two taps also keep hot water available while one is serviced.
Do boiling water taps need a drain?
Many models do, and all need a sink or drip tray under the spout. Check the installation guide for the model you choose. Our survey confirms the water, power and drain points before installation.
How often should the filter be changed?
It depends on the model, your water and how much you use. Hard water and heavy use mean more frequent changes. Ask for a service plan that sets the interval by usage, and follow the manufacturer's schedule to keep the warranty.
Is a hot water tap the same as a boiling water tap?
Not always. Some taps, such as the BRITA Extra C-Tap, give hot water up to 95 °C. That suits most tea and coffee. Others, such as the RoyalFlow BCS, give water at a full boil. Check the datasheet if boiling matters to you.
Talk to Sovereign Water about your office boiling water tap
Send us your headcount, a photo of the kitchen and where the water and power are. We will suggest a tap, or a pair of taps, sized to your peak, with the filtration and servicing your water needs.
Sources
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 22
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
- Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS)
- Manufacturer specifications: BRITA Extra C-Tap and RoyalFlow BCS datasheets, via the product pages linked above.