The Coolest Thing in Our Kitchen - Zip Water
When we headed out on our kitchen design journey, we needed to solve a pressing problem - our refrigerator’s lack of chilled water and our addiction to canned soda water.
You can imagine our excitement when we first saw this faucet: The HydroTap Celsius by Zip Water - this thing does it all.
// This blog contains the HydroTap Celsius by Zip Water which was gifted to us for our Kitchen Renovation. This blog post was not required and opinions expressed are our own.
Shop Talk
Zip Water is an Australian company and household name founded in 1947. Their products focus on instant water solutions and they have something new - the HydroTap Celsius. To be honest - we had never heard of Zip Water before - and came across the faucet while searching for filtered water solutions. We promptly reached out to see if they wanted to work together.
Then something else kinda funny happened - We were invited by Fischer & Paykel to be guest panelists at the National Kitchen & Bath Association New England Chapter meeting hosted by Yale Appliance. During the Q&A session, we were asked about which faucet solution we were planning to use. When we said “Zip Water” the audience (mostly local kitchen designers and trades people) all started to frantically talk amongst themselves. They had heard of Zip Water - and they wanted to know more.
What Is A HydroTap?
The short answer: everything. From the top of your counter, it looks like a really elegant faucet. But below the sink, you have the Command center which is what makes this Zip product different than any other water filtration system.
Here’s how it works:
The control on the right side of the faucet is your standard hot and cold water tap control.
The control on the left side of the faucet is where the magic happens. There are three modes: Chilled, Sparkling , and Boiling - all filtered from a single tap.
Essentially, you have 5 water dispensers coming from one place because this also includes your regular, unfiltered hot and cold water
And to answer a frequently asked question, yes, you are able to adjust the amount of fizz to match your preference!
From a kitchen design perspective, it's important to note that these faucets are also stunning - there's no sacrificing function for style here. We chose the matte black for our traditional kitchen but there are a variety of timeless finishes available - Bright Chrome, Brushed Chrome, Matte Black, Brushed Gold, Nickel, Brushed Nickel, and Gunmetal. You can also pick between a more traditional arc shaped faucet, or cube.
We also were really impressed with the high filtration and the impact it has on healthy living. Zip water systems use a carbon water filter technology that performs about 25 times better than the best water filter pitcher! But to balance out all those health benefits, we'll be trying out this sparkling filtered water in cocktails, too!
Command Center
When speaking with Zip Water, they referred to the HydroTap more as an appliance than a faucet - and we agree. This is not just any ordinary kitchen faucet. The system requires a Command Center which for us is located in the sink cabinet below. This requires some planning ahead regarding installation layouts.
The Command Center (left) and the CO2 cartridge (right).
During the kitchen design process, we relied on the Zip Water technical drawings and product specifications to ensure that the command center would fit:
We chose a sink configuration with the drain on the right, rather than center
We chose a sink disposal with a much smaller footprint
We made sure that our plumbing was right aligned
Installation
In working with Zip Water, they were nice enough to send one of their professional installers to make sure that everything went smoothly. It only took about an hour and we were so pleased with the outstanding customer service. The unit was installed, there were holes drilled for air circulation (you can see the metal grill covering the holes), and we received a full walk through of how the product worked.
Should you ever need Zip servicing, there are specialized technicians all over the United States. And, the machine itself will actually remind you when it's time to change the filter (about once a year).
Experience
To say that we are obsessed with this Zip Water System, just doesn’t cover it. We are using all of the features several times a day - drinking all of the soda water (we ditched the cans) - using chilled water (goodbye bottled water) - the boiling water for tea/cooking - all with the touch of a button (or lever in this case). It’s also the only thing Stephen talks about whenever someone new visits. We'd say it's good enough to replace your soft drink addiction!
One downside is that because of all the stuff this faucet does (there are like 5 different tubes and a USB cord running through this thing) there is no sprayer. They also don’t have a sprayer accessory to match their design / metal finish. So we purchased this one, also matte black, plumbed it ourselves, and it matches perfectly!
Regarding the soda water - we received two canisters of C02 along with a shipping box to have them swapped out when empty. We use this A LOT and are still on our first canister, it will be interesting to see just how far it goes!
// UPDATE: We went through our canister in a couple of months. We then went to the perfect place, Airgas - and purchased a 5lb CO2 canister... now it lasts all year between refills.
Since getting our HydroTap Celsius All-in-One, the latest news is that there is now an updated model with a pull-down sprayer!
Final Thoughts
The HydroTap Celsius All-in-One by Zip Water is an amazing product that we use multiple times a day. There is no doubt that this is a luxury item and we were initially concerned about the sticker price.
Now that we own one, we would make the argument that if it’s in your budget, Zip's incredible HydroTap is an amazing addition to any kitchen.
