# Hot or cold water from pot filler?



## bethy41 (Jul 17, 2004)

My recent kitchen renovation included a pot filler over the stove. Although I specified cold water, the contractor mistakenly connected it to hot water. Correcting to cold water now requires removing tile, opening the wall, running new pipes, etc. The contractor says it doesn't matter and that traditional advice about cooking with cold water reflects old restaurant boilers that may have been rusty. Obviously he doesn't want to fix the problem, but frankly I'm dreading the intrusion as well. How important is it to start with cold water in cooking?


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

It's not so much a question of potentially rusty water; it really depends on what you're cooking. If it's pasta it doesn't make all that much difference; you won't be adding the food to the water until the water has reached a boil. If it's potatoes, and you prefer to start them in cold water, it could make a difference. (There are different schools of thought about the right water temp. for starting potatoes.) And if you're making stock, the water temperature matters a lot. You never want to cover your bones with hot water; starting them in cold allows the loose proteins and impurities to rise to the top gently and be removed easily, while starting them in hot can make the loose proteins much more likely to glom up and cloud your stock. So take all that into consideration to help you decide whether or not to have the contractor fix what he messed up.

(I have to deal with contractors for my apartment building, and I would never, ever let them just walk away from a mistake like that. They messed it up, they should fix it as fast as possible -- ALL of the necessary work.)


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## scott123 (Dec 23, 2003)

Rust has nothing to do with it. The safety issue is that hot water leaches more lead/contaminants from the pipes and the solder used to weld the pipes together. By law, new houses (built post 1986) can't have lead in the pipes/solder, but they may have other nasty stuff. I would cook with cold water.

From the Minnesota Department of Health Website:

Use cold tap water and heat it on the stove if you need hot water for food preparation. Hot tap water absorbs more lead from pipes and pipe solder. Let tap water run for at least two minutes if the water has been standing in the pipes for 6 hours or more. This flushes out the water that might have absorbed lead from the pipes or the solder that joins the pipes together.

Here is the link:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/h.../npa/lead.html


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

I'm not a plumber by any means. I thinking that there is a location somewhere where those two line are close and accessable where the hot can be capped and the cold can be tapped.


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## scott123 (Dec 23, 2003)

I was thinking the same thing. Moving the tile?!


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

It doesn't matter what the contractor told you about cooking with hot water. It's not what you wanted, have him fix it.

The cold water is nice to have because you can knock down a boiling over pot real quick. You could do it with hot too I guess since it's not boiling. But it's quicker with cold.

But the thing about the stock... yeah, you never wanna start your stock with hot water.

But nevermind all of that. Just tell the contractor to fix it. Plain and simple.


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## geebs (Jul 18, 2004)

Hi Everyone. This is my first post here so be gentle 

If the contractor did not do what you requested then you should make his do what he promised to do. It sounds to me like he is just trying to get out of doing work.

Personally I would prefer the hot water. It is true that you do not always want to start with hot (potatoes and stock are two good ones as others have already mentioned), but for me I find that more often then not, I start with hot.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

OK, I'm grabbing my tool belt. I carry everything I need, a small hammer for the little problems and a large one for the bigger problems,with my special little string holder for my duck tape, Tell me where to go  

You really need cold, right? what about boiled eggs and thing like that.
I'm editing myself because it's not really funny for you. I'm really sure if you look hard enough there is some way to get cold water to that installed pipe without ripping out tile. If you have to do major thigs then ,oh well. He or she will just have3 to do it


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## tuboe (Jul 16, 2004)

Having cold water out weights the hot water for cooking in the long run. I would force the contractor to do the job right. I'm in a new home, myself and I'm after them to fix the small things that they missed, they finally painted my atrium door after 5 months. Keep on them.


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## scott123 (Dec 23, 2003)

Welcome to the forum Geebs. That's some impressive photography you have on your web page.


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## geebs (Jul 18, 2004)

Thanks for the welcome Scott123 and thank you also for checking out my photos!


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## headless chicken (Apr 28, 2003)

Dispite the fact that cold water is better to use then hot, the contractor still made a big booboo and should be held accountable. Bethy41, if you've got a written contract that clearly states that hot water was requested and that the contractor refuses to fix or reinburse you for their mistakes, you've got legal grounds. Nasty idea but they made a mistake and aren't willing to fix it, I wouldn't stand for it even if it was for a greater good. 

You ask for oranges and get apples, I'd be complaining!


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## benjasmin (Apr 19, 2008)

I know the original post on this was quite some time ago so I hope someone is reading this and can help. My question may seem dumb, but my wife and I are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and want to make sure we don't make any mistakes. So here it is: when putting in the pot filler the contractor asked us if we wanted hot or cold. We did not know the difference so we said hot. Come to find out hot pot fillers in the style and price range we want are few and far between. We dabble in cooking every now and then nothing big. Would putting in the cold pot filler on the hot water outlet have any adverse effects? 

Thanks in Advance


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Cold. Definitely cold.


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

Hot water brought to boil doesn't taste as fresh as cold water brought to boil. This might not matter as much in some things, but for others it would.

I'm thinking that the reasons for the taste differences are 1) leached substances due to temperature 2) leached substances due to longer time sitting in the pipes and 3) much lower dissolved oxygen in the hot water. I don't have a reference for my suggestions, but I definitely notice a difference in taste.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

You can make cold water hot faster than you can make hot water cold, and when you need cold water in the kitchen, it's normally NOW!


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## deltadoc (Aug 15, 2004)

I would never ever use hot water from the hot water heater for cooking. Besides the obvious ability to dissolve stuff in your pipes, you don't know what's growing in the hot water heater. Even if you have it set at 140 F the hot water heater has a sensor that waits until the water temperature falls a certain amount before it turns on and heats the water again. If they can find living organisms in hot water geysers at the bottom of the ocean (and elsewhere) you really don't know what might be in that hot water.

I wouldn't take the chance. And as others have pointed out, cold water heated up will be better tasting.

Anyway, how far from your pot filler is the hot water heater? It certainly isn't going to be hot water coming out that filler immediately anyway. Just like it takes awhile for the hot water to show up on my tub or sink hot water faucet.

doc


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## ashley (Aug 7, 2008)

We all know it is much quicker and more convenient in your busy schedule to throw some water in a pot and boil it for your instant coffee, instant cereal, top-ramen, spaghetti, etc. But there are reasons you should never use water from the hot side of the kitchen faucet, even though it saves you about 5-7 minutes.

Here comes the science:

The insides of a hot water heater contain metals that can, and do corrode. Some of the pipes in your home that are not made of PVC may have lead soldering. Hot water will dissolve metals, especially lead, much quicker than cold water will. Not to mention that over the years of daily use of drawing gallons throughout the day in cycles causes the water from the local utility, with all of it's impurities to collect and precipitate in the bottom of the hot water heater. This is a prime breeding ground for bacteria. Perhaps they cannot survive in an environment where the water is around 140°, but as soon as the water cools down enough due to a power outage or extended leave (if you turn off your water heater), all the necessary nutrients are there in an 80 gallon soup.

I personally saw a demonstration by a company that was in the business of manufacturing and selling water distillers for the consumer market. They had 2 five gallon glass jugs filled with water. One of the jugs was filled with with the water that been taken from an 80 gallon water heater that had been in use for a few years, and boiled down from 80 to 5 gallons. The other was filled with distilled water. While the distilled water was crystal clear, the other had a 3 inch layer of precipitate containing heavy metals, impurities, and bacteria. Truly a revolting sight. Also, ask any gas or electric utility worker or plumber who does work and repairs on water heaters and they will confirm this and probably offer a few horror stories of their own.

If you plan to cook with tap water, run the cold water for a minute or so and use that cold water for your cooking. You may want to save the 'non-potable' water that you flushed from the pipes as you can use it for cleaning and such. And by all means, NEVER draw warm water for infant formula. Since infants are developing at a rapid rate, they are much more vulnerable to the concentrations of impurities and lead and could potentially get lead poisoning from warm tap water.

Lead toxicity and water treatment information taken from the following pamphlet
Cooperative Extension Service
University of the Virgin Islands
#2 John Brewers Bay
St. Thomas, VI 00802-9990
(340) 693-1080


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

.........a demonstration by a company that was in the business of manufacturing and selling water distillers for the consumer market.

that should tell you everything you need to know.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

Have you ever tasted water out of a hot water heater? Do a side by side taste comparison. Should be an easy decision after that. Not to mention Kuan's spot on comment about the needing cold water NOW.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

My water supply(municipal) has quite a few nasty minerals etc in it. The cold water will leave a layer of scum in the bottom of the pot when it is boiled. I did the same with the hot water and the whole kettle turned murky. I use cold, and for bread and canning I buy gallons of purified at the store. Another thing is the chlorine seems to intensify in the hot water heater and thats not good to drink!


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## suzie spicey (Jun 27, 2012)

so i take it u r a woman! CALL THAT CONTRACTOR N MAKE HIM FIX HIS MISTAKE !!!!!!!!  an at his cost u paid for a job u didn't get !!!!!! what r u going to do for cold water ses. r u going to wait till u refrig ?


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

This thread is eight years old.


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## lpm67 (Jun 29, 2012)

My hubby is in water treatment and he wont even allow us to fill the kettle from the hot tap (if he wont, what does that say about contamination in hot water). Cold water is a must for your kitchen source.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Kuan,

_Eyes they have, but will not see._

BDL


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

(edited for clarity; with picture illustration added)

The hot water line can have added contaminants that come from the hot water tank and its anode. It's better to use the cold water line as a fill line.



After reading the many replies, I can only hope that you get this problem corrected soon. I wouldn't rule out calling the contractor as soon as possible so he can come out and correct his mistake...don't let too much time pass before you do this. I'm sure you have been waiting to fill your pots with this fill line (until you fix the line)...so just keep filling the pots with cold water from a different station until you can get the problem resolved in a timely manner.

We hope to hear from you in the next couple of days to hear how things progressed...have a great day!

Dan


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

> I can only hope that you get this problem corrected soon. I wouldn't rule out calling the contractor as soon as possible so he can come out and correct his mistake...don't let too much time pass before you do this.


Would eight years be too long?

BDL


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

boar_d_laze said:


> Would eight years be too long?
> 
> BDL


lol (shhhhhh....)

(edit add BDL, perhaps now you can see where I placed my tongue in relationship to my cheek


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## coupe633 (Dec 30, 2015)

My neighbor made a suggestion to me about adding a pot filler in my kitchen near my stove and as I am positively considering this I had thought that for btu efficiency, tapping into the hot supply would be better than the cold line. Since I am about to rip up the sub floor in the kitchen, this would be a perfect time to do this. As I briefly looked up a few styles I noticed that many of them are for cold water use and I thought that was unfortunate. I am so glad I did some further research and found this forum and particularly this comment by Ashley, about not using the hot water for all the above reasons I feel that my education has gotten off to a good start and will tap into the cold water and probably add a filter system as well. The research is on going but your discussion about the impurities, especially heavy metals in the water tank would be a huge negative. I am going from an electric stove to a duel fuel so I don't mind using more gas to heat up a pot of cold water rather than save a few minutes and use the hot water and everything you said makes total sense. I am sure there are other issues related to cooking that are spelled out by others in this topic that relates to the art of cooking I am very glad I found this forum and read many of your comments as it saved me from making a mistake. I am not a chef but like to cook and want a nice kitchen when I am done remodeling and the idea of a pot filler my neighbor suggested was a good one and your chemical reasons as to why not to use the hot line I can totally understand. Thank you so much Ashley. 

David


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Nice revival of an 11 year old thread!


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