Manhattan Kitchen Mixer Tap

Kitchen taps supply hot and cold water to the sink. This category covers mixer and pillar taps, pull-out spray taps, boiling water taps, high-neck utility taps and support brackets, plus a few inset and sit-on sinks.

Tap styles

• Monobloc mixers: one body and spout in a single tap hole, with a single lever or twin handles.
• Deck or bridge mixers: one spout fitted across two tap holes, with separate hot and cold handles.
• Pillar taps: a separate hot tap and cold tap, each in its own hole.
• Pull-out sprays: a spray head on a hose that pulls out from the spout.
• Boiling water taps: draw near-boiling water from a heated tank under the sink. The tank needs a switched 13A socket, and many use a filter cartridge that needs regular changing. The water can scald, so children should only use one under supervision.

Pressure and fitting

Every tap lists a minimum working pressure. Some mixers run from 0.3 bar, which suits low-pressure gravity systems, while some pull-out and boiling water taps need 1 to 1.5 bar or more. Mixers perform more evenly with balanced hot and cold pressures. Check the number of tap holes and the maximum worktop thickness. Fit isolating valves so the tap can be serviced, and flush the pipework first. A pull-out hose left in sink water could draw dirty water back, so follow the instructions on check valves.

Regulations

Taps on drinking water must be suitable under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999; look for taps tested under the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS). If a boiling water tank needs a new circuit, that work is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations in England.

See also kitchen sinks and bathroom taps.