Ready Hot 41-RH-200-F560-BN Instant Hot Water Dispenser System, 2.5 Quarts, Manual Dial Dual Lever Hot and Cold Water Faucet Brushed Nickel

This is the third instant-hot hot/cool water dispenser combo I've installed in my kitchen. The first two were ISE/Insinkerator brand products that failed after 7 years or so when the boiler started to leak. No other plumbing item in my home has as short a lifetime as those ISE instant-hot water systems, so this time I went looking for a different brand. At $210 for the faucet/boiler combo, better than a third less than the cheapest ISE brand alternative, I was a little worried this system would look cheap. I am delightfully surprised. If anything it makes the ISE combos look shoddy. The Ready Hot faucet is sharp looking and a better build quality than its competitor. The faucet install was easier than ISE, too. With ISE the whole faucet unit is installed with a single plastic clamping nut, so you have to go underneath the sink to install the nut, come back out to check alignment, back underneath to tighten some more, back out for a final check, then back below for the final tightening. The ReadyHot faucet has a separate mounting ring and clamp assembly that you can install entirely from above, if you like. (ReadyHot has a nifty folding clamp ring that cam be dropped through the hole then held in place with a piece of string. The approach looks really well thought out and would work well for a single installer. In my case I asked my wife to turn the two screws a few times from above while I held the folding clamp ring in place from below, then went back topside to tighten them down.) Then you set the faucet on the base and lock the alignment in using a set-screw on the back. Much easier. The rest of the plumbing process was same-same between ReadyHot and ISE. The ReadyHot system comes with everything you need to connect it except the physical junction to connect to your existing plumbing. Since my project was a simple swap of an old boiler/faucet set with a new one all I needed from the hardware store to install it was a cone compression washer and sleeve that cost less than $2 at Home Depot. If your project isn't replacing old hardware, do remember you'll need a 120v electric plug under the counter at your sink to plug this unit in. In most cases you can use a garbage disposal or dishwasher plug-in connection for this. Beyond the electrical connection and standard handyman tools all you'll likely need to complete a new install is a 1-3/8" hole saw and T junction plumbing hardware appropriate to your existing undersink plumbing. Pros: * Really nice faucet unit. Looks like a quality bar sink faucet set. (See pics) Best build quality and finish I've seen for a hot/cool water system. * I really like the high arch of the faucet head, 12" at the top of the arch & 9" at the tip, and that I can set a coffee a carafe or coffee machine reservoir on the counter then twist the head to the left or right to fill it. * Less expensive than other instant-hot systems. * Faucet and boiler tank can be purchased separately (and and affordably). * Easy install for an experienced handyman. (Slightly more difficult than replacing a standard faucet set.) Hardest part is the getting in and out from under the sink. :-) * Clear-ish instructions. If you've done home plumbing repairs before you'll be able to figure them out pretty quickly. (See Cons, below.) * Almost everything you need to finish the job, other than standard handyman tools and a 1-3/8" hole saw, is included in the box. The only additional item needed is plumbing hardware appropriate to connect the unit to your existing plumbing. Cons: * The instructions are fine for folks who've done a few home plumbing projects already, but could be clearer. Some photographs or illustrations might be handy. * If you're doing a fresh install -- in other words, not replacing an old instant-hot system -- you need to be comfortable doing plumbing projects. If you're new to plumbing you might want to do a couple other projects first. You might try installing a new kitchen faucet to match the looks of the instant hot water faucet, before you take this on. * My experience with ISE brand instant hot water boilers has been they started to leak after about 7 years. That's a much shorter lifetime than any other plumbing item in my home, and I don't know if this Ready Hot unit will last longer. I really hope it does. If it fails sooner I'll come back and update this review.

This ReadyHot Hot and Cold Dispenser seems to work very well, looks good and was a straight forward installation/retrofit for the existing unit. I already had the water supply T and shut of valve, as well as an inline water filter from a previous hot/cold installation. The electrical outlet was already under my sink for the garbage disposer unit, so nothing to do for the electrical. Because of the previous installation my retrofit time was somewhat less than if I had started from the beginning of the process. (Note: The ReadyHot system that I purchased here did NOT include a filter). I just needed to provide an extra tubing coupler to add to the parts included with the Hot and Ready kit. It was available at my local hardware store for less than $4.00. After using a hot water dispenser on our sink for years, it is hard to imagine being without the convenience of having instantly available hot water for making tea and other beverages, as well as for quick cleaning tasks, and quick cleaning of dishes/utensils. It replaced an 8 year old Little Butler hot and cold dispenser, which was much more expensive and had developed problems over time. We liked the Little Butler until it started to cause problems, but its design and connecting hose materials caused leaks under the counter at unexpected times. More than a few times, it caused a mess of leaking water and damage to our cabinetry. Its upper faucet valves started leaking onto our counter and would not shut off reliably. The Little Butler is not made to be repaired, although I took it apart and did receive the hard parts that I could get from the manufacturer. For as much as the Little Butler costs, it was very disappointing to find that out it is assumed the customer will consider it a throw away item. That said, I was able to extend the life of our Little Butler by replacing some of the tubing and some of the hot and cold lever shut off parts. They had used latex tubing for the main faucet tubing and that disintegrates and bursts. I had done several repair over the years to various parts of the Little Butler, but the manufacturer tech support says that they are not actually user serviceable. To my knowledge, they have not upgraded these components to change that. Therefore, this time I looked for an alternative. This Ready Hot appears to have better build quality overall than the Little Butler, but time will tell for longevity. The price of the Ready Hot units is right. Again, I had no issues in the installation. If you don't mind spending an hour or two under your sink cabinet with a light and some basic tools, you can install this unit yourself. For someone without any electrical or plumbing experience, you will need to hire a professional. That would be true for any brand or model. Although I don't have any reason to suspect that the Hot and Ready unit will leak under the sink, I will continue to keep a catch pan under the hoses and heater unit just in case. I have read about disasters from leaking heating units and hoses from other users of the various brands, so it is wise to add a little protection. Note: I spent a lot of this review on the old unit rather than the one we just purchased. But that is because we have only been using the new one for a day. Perhaps this will help someone deciding on a purchase. In conclusion, I am very happy with the Hot and Ready hot and cold dispenser.

Installing it is awful - a terrifying experience. Get comfortable with the directions to your nearest specialty plumbing store. Not Lowes, not Home Depot, not Ace, but a real actual specialty store - the kind that your plumber goes to every day. I swear to you that you do not have the correct connections already, and you will have to buy some parts! Get help! Using it, however, is great. It has a good sized tank, water comes out hot or lukewarm as expected (it does not refrigerate, it only heats or passes). We also bought an under-sink filter so that the cold water would taste great and the hot water would not build up calcium or other deposits and hopefully extend the life - I recommend this approach - that you connect it to a filter of some type. Of course this meant clearing out the entire cabinet under the sink, and guarding it against those family members who want to stuff things under there. The device gets warm, and they recommend you keep it away from objects and sink cabinets, so seriously, you will need to rearrange your under-sink space. Expect to bend over backwards in order to actually use this. It's a great product but you have to make some real room for it.

I love the convenience of filtered, almost-boiling water being ready anytime for hot drinks, filling pots while cooking, and for cleaning items. I find I’m drinking a lot more delicious tea than I ever did before since it’s so fast and easy now. I’m also a huge fan of the Instant Pot electric multi cooker and found that starting my recipes with near-boiling water makes them cook about 5 minutes faster (since less time is required for the Instant Pot to turn the water to steam and come to full pressure). The price point for the Ready Hot was great…this unit with the dual faucet cost way less than just the similar faucet alone for a competing brand. The faucet is attractive and operates very smoothly. I hooked this up to a Filtrete Maximum undersink filter and love the hot and cold functionality out of a single spout (with just one extra hole in the sink). One big advantage of this unit over competing hot water dispensers is that although the hot water has a safety feature to prevent it from being turned on accidentally, you don’t need to keep holding the lever to fill a large pot…it stays open by itself. However, just to be extra safe, since I installed this shortly before a whole bunch of houseguests came to visit, I put a small sign on the wall right behind the faucet warning folks that the water is extremely hot. I found the included faucet pairs really nicely with the main Delta Trask faucet on my sink. I opted for chrome for both my main faucet and Ready Hot since I wasn’t sure about how well the brushed or satin finishes from different manufacturers would match. I did wonder about the power consumption of keeping 2.5 quarts of water at near-boiling temperatures 24 x 7. Using a plug-in Kill-A-Watt meter, I measured the power consumption for 12 hours of standby (i.e., with no water drawn out) and found it to be 0.21 KWH (e.g., 0.42 KWH for 24 hours). At the electric rates here, that comes to $0.05/day or $18.87 per year, which is well worth the convenience I am getting. I expect the heating costs for the actual hot water I draw from the Ready Hot to be a little less than heating it in a kettle on my electric stove. The Ready Hot is well-insulated and I’m not going to be heating any extra water like I usually wind up doing in a kettle…it just needs to re-heat the exact quantity of water that I actually dispense into my cup. To minimize the potential for burns, I set my unit to provide water at 190 degrees. Also, for those concerned about electrical/fire safety, the heating unit bears the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) marking. I’ve noticed in other reviews that some folks have reported issues with flow rate and taste. The cold water doesn’t come out with great force but it’s an improvement over the flow rate in my fridge dispenser so I’m not bothered by it. I have a sensitive palate and haven’t detected any off tastes whatsoever on the hot water, although the water passes through a Filtrete Maximum before it gets to the Ready Hot. I did flush the system for a full 5 minutes through the hot faucet before connecting the power for the first time. The hot water comes out with adequate force. I notice that very occasionally (every couple of months), the unit spits out a little hot water after it completes a heating cycle. Also, if the unit happens to be heating the water in the tank while you are dispensing cold water, the cold water spurts a little while dispensing (since the tank vents through the spout). I can also sometimes hear the water sounding like it’s approaching a boil, but all of these are very minor annoyances to me. At 1300 watts (10.8 amps at 120v), this unit draws a lot of current and per its manual (and the National Electrical Code), it should be connected to its own dedicated 15 or 20 amp 120V circuit rather than a shared lighting or appliance circuit. However, if it’s not convenient to install a new circuit for the water dispenser and you have a disposer that’s already on its own dedicated circuit, you could consider an InSinkErator STS-00 dual outlet air switch. This toggles the power from your disposer to the Ready Hot whenever the disposer is not in use. Please note that I have the manual dial Ready Hot and the dual outlet switch mentioned would work with that but might not work with the digital display Ready Hot since sometimes heating devices with electronic controls revert to a default temperature setpoint when power is removed and reapplied. If you go the dual outlet air switch route, since a lot of current passes through that switch when the unit is heating, for safety reasons I’d personally go with the UL-listed InSinkErator air switch over some of the cheaper knockoffs out there that seem to completely lack any safety certifications. The Ready Hot installation was not difficult (I have experience as a homeowner with plumbing) but I thought the installation instructions were terrible. I did like the convenience of installing the faucet completely from above so I didn’t need to contort myself to fit under the sink. The prevailing opinion based on friends who have had them and the many reviews I have read is that under-sink instant hot water heaters will likely leak over time (regardless of manufacturer) and can cause a big mess. So I also invested in a FloodStop FS3/8CD device and an Xtreme Mats Under Sink Kitchen Cabinet Mat to provide an alarm and automatic shutoff in case unwanted water is detected under the sink. I’ve written separate Amazon reviews for those. These additional purchases doubled the cost of the project but it feels good to know my cabinets and floors are well-protected and I will avoid a whole lot of aggravation from a leak or flood. I’m sad to report that in September 2020, just 16 months after installation, my Ready Hot stopped heating. It visibly appeared to be working (the red LED lit up) but the water never got hot. But I’m happy to note that it was completely painless to get it replaced under the 3 year warranty. The toll free number was answered directly by a live person who handled the whole transaction for me…no annoying phone menus! I had the replacement unit in my hands at no charge less than a week after I called them and emailed my original Amazon proof of purchase. While it’s disappointing that the Ready Hot failed less than halfway through its warranty period, since they handled it so smoothly and it only took 20 minutes to swap the units under the sink, I’m not going to deduct any stars for that. During the time I was waiting for the replacement unit, I had to heat water manually every day. I used my old methods of a kettle on the stove and a cup in the microwave, and the added inconvenience and time constantly reminded me of what an awesome time-saver the Ready Hot is. Last but not least, given the relatively low price point of the Ready Hot and how indispensable it has proven to be, even if I need to replace the unit again after its 3 year warranty expires, I won’t be that disappointed. I’ve gotten very spoiled and should I ever move, I will definitely want one of these in my new place!

This item broke in less than a year. It stopped making hot water and the faucet/spout started spurting water all day long. It cost me $850 in plumbing fees to change it out to another brand, which I had used prior which worked for almost 20 years. I spoke with Jennifer at customer service, and they said they would have been willing to provide me with a new one, but i had no confidence that after spending hefty plumber fees, that I would not have to pay again soon for the plumber to return and replace the new item. STAY AWAY. No quality.

Faucet has easy to use on off handles. The hot water tank is functioning well

This is a good priced hot water dispenser that worked with our reverse osmosis(RO) system. The more positive stuff... -The Faucet is of high quality and is heavy duty. -The hot water part needs to be pressed to activate (for protection) -The hot water seems to be sucked back down each time. This seemed odd at first and does cause a 1-second delay in getting hot water HOWEVER all the water is hot because of this. There is no water sitting in the pipe that is cold water the first second or two... its hot from the first drop. This surprised me and I like this feature. The more negative... -We got the first unit but the LED did not work. (it shows different colors when the heater coils were on) It was minor but we were not sure if there was any other damage so we exchanged it. The exchange process was super smooth and fast. -As others mentioned there is this particular taste when first using it. It takes some time to go away but does seem to eventually clear out. I think we noticed it more because we ran it through our RO system. If you connect this to your RO you may want to first connect it to normal tap for a day or two and flush it lots of water(While powered on)... just my two cents if I did this again. It wastes lots of RO water flushing it out. Other notes... -There is a little bit of noise from it boiling the water sometimes but I personally like this because I know it is boiling the water sometimes. (I do have it at a high setting though.) -Installation was okay. It comes with nice instructions but they are not super easy to follow because it is hard to identify what parts they are talking about. (It was a mostly easy install though.) Even though I returned the first one because of the bad LED on the Faucet I am still going to give this 5 stars still as I have been very happy with it. The quality seems pretty good and the price was lower than similar items...by a large margin. Thank you Ready Hot for making a nice quality part.

I’ve owned 3 of these instant hot heaters over the years. First two were the Anaheim quick and hot models, those failed about the same time frame also but the heating element is not stainless and with RO water corodes/disolves the heating element in the water and eventually fails. Im glad to say that is not the issue on this model as the element is stainless steel (an improvement). But unfortunately there is another flaw in the design. The plastic drain assembly eventually starts to get brittle due to the type of plastic used and heat. Eventually the plastic gets brittle enough that many small cracks form and it’s just a matter of time before they start letting water by the seal. Mine failed after just over 3 years (outside of the 3 year warranty). Purchased August 28th 2019 and failed mid October 2022. I’m an engineer and it’s fascinating to do failure analysis. It’s crazy to me the manufacture doesn’t just weld a stainless bung on the bottom tank that can drain the water and have a provision for a metal tube to fill the tank. This is a design flaw the manufacture could easily fix with a redesigned. I’m my opinion the drain isn’t important and just a failure point. There should just be a stainless 90 degree metal tube welded on the tank bottom to fill the tank. Unfortunately I haven’t seen a better design on the market so I’ll probably just buy this one again and when fails I’ll tig weld a plate and tube where the plastic drain assembly is to permanently fix the issue. The other suggestion I have is to put catch pan (small aluminum cookie sheet) below this tank wherever it’s installed. When (not if) it fails in its current design you will have half a gallon of water soak into the bottom of your cabinets. It’s too bad about the flaw. I think everything else is great! The faucet works well and absolutely I love having near boiling water at my fingertips. I’d gladly pay a little more money for this unit as well if the tank longevity issues are fixed.

Good

Unlike other purchasers, i did indeed receive the brushed nickel faucet. Everything was new and in perfect working order. I did have to buy some additional quick connect adapters for my incoming water feed but that was expected and noted in the documentation - they dont know size / type of water line you have. Mounting in the sink was easy as i had an existing hole to install into. It warms up quickly, is very quiet and water is hot. I tested and it sits around 88c when coming out. If i go any higher it boils and starts spurting out the faucet each time it warms up. Its plenty hot for me but my wife would have liked the 92c it stated. We are at a high elevation, so i dont believe its the manufacturers fault.

I read the reviews online before purchasing and it is a worthwhile exercise. First off, Amazon Customer service : excellent. I ordered the chrome but brushed nickel was delivered instead. New one was sent immediately. Thanks Amazon. Secondly, for the supply line, go to your local hardware store and tell them you need to “add a 1/4” cold water supply line”. There is a genius adapter that you just add to the shut off (photo in review). The supplied white 1/4 hose was enough to run both supply line and “cold to tank” line. If you have a long way to go, may need more length. Everything else is included. One major mistake I made, was to use my power drill to secure the mount to save a few seconds. Don’t do it. Since the under-counter lock nut is hinged (did not go on level), it basically cross-threaded itself and it was impossible to reverse. I ended up having to get my angle grinder and cutting disk to cut off the screws. Fortunately I had the hardware from the other unit (thanks again Amazon). After learning my lesson, I hand tightened both screws and it secured easy. The unit itself is operating fine. After plugging in, it took about 5 minutes to heat up to 70-80 F. Haven’t set it it max yet, but I will give it a try soon. Overall, very pleased.

Purchased this for my kitchen refit.. All seemed good on arrival, looked reasonable quality. Then I noticed the plug on the emersion heater and on further inspection realised it was designed for 110 volts.. This could cause a serious fire if hooked up to 240 volts.. DO NOT BUY IF IN THE UK..

Useless product,the instant water tap I bought doesn't work...worst product I ever bought on Amazon...better to invest on a kitchen geyser