Chilled, sparkling, boiling, ambient – a tap that innovates how we drink water

In the 21st century, an ‘economy of convenience’ has grown and flourished. Technological advances have ushered in a raft of services that make everyday life easier and more convenient than ever: products like food delivery apps, ridesharing services, and video streaming services come from some of the biggest and most well-known companies in the world.

Of course products that arise out of a desire and demand for convenience aren’t by any means a new phenomenon. The concept has been around since the industrial revolution: it follows the simple idea that if there’s a gap in the market for something that makes lives easier, then there’s room to introduce a truly innovative product.

This was the case when Zip Water first opened its doors in Sydney in 1947, where it specialised in bath and kitchen water heaters. Then in the 1960s, the company made its most significant innovation: it invested in a range of over-sink boiling water heaters catering to canteen, restaurant, factory and office kitchens. This was one of the first iterations of ‘instant boiling water’ technology, and it brought speed and convenience to kitchens everywhere: no more sitting by the kettle, no more waiting for a coffee.

Fast forward to this century, and Zenith Water, as the company is known in New Zealand, is continuing to innovate how consumers access drinking water – whether it be boiling, sparkling, chilled or ambient. And the physical embodiment of this innovation, says Zenith’s New Zealand Country Manager Daniel Cuthbert, is the HydroTap, the company’s flagship product.

First introduced in 1996, the HydroTap initially offered instant under-bench filtered boiling water. But in 2012, it went much further: it introduced the HydroTap All-In-One, which dispenses boiling, chilled and sparkling filtered water plus hot and cold water, from a single outlet.

Daniel says the HydroTap is not only convenient, but sustainable as well.

“Ageing water supply infrastructure in New Zealand means there’s a risk of potential contaminants reaching our drinking water from our taps,” he says. “For this reason, many Kiwis choose to drink bottled water – but of course this isn’t a sustainable approach, as it results in a lot of plastic waste.

“I believe designers and specifiers have a significant role to play in addressing this ‘plastic problem’,” says Daniel. “By specifying water filtration systems like the HydroTap, we can reduce the demand for plastic bottles, and the vast amount of waste that is generated through their use.”

Zenith’s water filtration technology is certified to reduce chlorine, taste, odour, bacteria, sediment and limescale in line with NSF 42 (aesthetic effects) and Watermark requirements. Fluoride, which is soluble, is not removed during the filtration process.

So how does the HydroTap system work? To start, the range offers different products that cater to different scenarios – some that are designed to be installed over a kitchen sink, or integrated into a mixer in a residential setting; or for commercial and office applications, the HydroTap can be a standalone fixture with its own drainage system.

“Within all of these products, there are different combinations of types of water that can be dispensed,” says Daniel. “For example, if you only want chilled and boiling water, you can specify that. Some people only want boiling, and some want the works, which includes sparkling and ambient water too.

“The size and extent of the command centre, which sits hidden under the counter, depends on the number of these combinations – since there can potentially be a boiler, a refrigeration system, and a carbonation system.

“That's all hidden out of the way and you've just got a nice sleek tap that can either be mounted over the sink; as a drinking water tap only; as a combined tap with a mixer; or it can be mounted away from the sink on its own dedicated drip tray.”

This ‘hidden’ factor also contributes to the HydroTap’s aesthetic allure: with no ungainly command centre visible from the surface, the tap has every opportunity to show off its good looks. There are the standard finishes like chrome, brushed chrome and matte black. There are also platinum finishes including brushed gold, gunmetal and brushed nickel, too.

“For every configuration of the HydroTap, there’s a finish that can suit a wider design aesthetic in the kitchen,” says Daniel.

Beyond the convenience, the potential to customise the different types of water, and the sustainability of doing away with bottled water, Daniel says that after years of research into customers who have had HydroTaps installed in their home or workplace, they discovered a surprising trend.

“We found that these customers are drinking a lot more water than they were previously,” he says. “When you've got great tasting water that's really accessible – that’s chilled or sparkling at the touch of a button – it just becomes a lot easier to drink it and so naturally, people drink more of it.

“So it’s not only convenient, but it’s good for you too.”

Learn more about Zenith Water and its range of HydroTap products.