Perhaps you’re in the initial stages of a kitchen remodel, and your designer asks you if you want a pot filler added. Since this is the first time you’ve heard of such a thing, you decide to get back to your designer once you research your options. Or, maybe you’re simply looking for details on pot fillers so you can determine if you want one in your kitchen.
Either way, you’re in the right place – we’re here to explain pot fillers and whether they’re a worthwhile addition, so continue reading to learn more!
What Are Pot Fillers?
Pot fillers are fancy little faucets that hang out over your stove in the kitchen. The faucet usually has a foldable design that curls back against the wall, tucking it out of the way when not in use.
When you’re ready to use it, simply position a pot underneath it, extend the spout over the pot, and turn on the tap. Just like that, you conveniently have a pot full of water on your stove!
What Is The Point Of A Pot Filler?
Pot fillers simplify the process of filling a large pot with water and lugging it over to the stove. Instead of carefully balancing a heavy pot of water on your trek from the sink to the stove, you can bring your empty pot to the stove and fill it up there.
The addition is convenient but technically unnecessary. Many people appreciate the elegant touch a pot filler adds to the wall in the kitchen but rarely use it. So if you don’t think you’d use a pot filler, it might not be worthwhile to incorporate one into your kitchen.
Pros And Cons Of Pot Fillers
Like any fixture or feature, pot fillers have a few upsides and downsides. As you weigh whether these faucets are a good idea for your home, consider the pros and cons.
Pros
A few notable benefits of pot fillers include:
- Convenient: The convenience of these faucets is arguably one of their selling points. It’s a fun feature to add to the space that might inspire you to exercise your culinary skillset more frequently!
- Less strain on your back and arms: Large pots full of water get heavy fast. So, carrying those from your sink to your stove can strain your back and arms quite a bit. Save your body from the potential aches and use the pot filler instead.
- Easier to multitask: These faucets make it easier to multitask in your kitchen, as you don’t need to free a sink to fill a pot with water. You can keep your sinks for washing dishes and cleaning up inevitable messes (cooking can be messy), and leave the pot filling chore for the handy little faucet above your stove.
- Minimizes the possibility of messes: Trekking from the kitchen sink to the stove can be quite a treacherous journey, especially when you’re trying not to slosh water over the side of a giant pot full of water. On top of that, if the water does splash over the sides, it could cause you to slip with the massive pot of water, creating a large, impromptu slip-and-slide in your kitchen (and a big mess).
- Widely available: Pot filler faucets come in a variety of finishes, brands, materials, and price points, so finding one that matches your needs is usually a straightforward task.
Cons
On the flip side, a few drawbacks of these faucets include:
- Another fixture to add to your cleaning list: These fixtures sit right over the bubbling, delicious-smelling foods you cook on your stove. Given their location, grease and food splatters are nearly inevitable, so they’re another box to add to your cleaning list.
- Costly to install: Although these faucets are a fun addition, they don’t come cheap. Incorporating them into a new building project is simple enough, but adding one to an existing kitchen can be tricky.
- Leaks can be problematic: Since the plumbing lines are hidden behind the wall, problems with these faucets can quickly become a problem. For example, if a component fails or is improperly installed, accessing the issue to fix it can be quite the process.
- Might not be a good addition: If your kitchen faucet has a sprayer function with a retractable head, adding a pot filler might not be worthwhile. Since you don’t need to clear out a sink to fill the pot (simply pull the sprayer head to the pot), you won’t need the pot filler to save time with multitasking (but it still eliminates the trip from the sink to the stove).
Is It Worth Installing A Pot Filler?
For some folks, adding a pot filler to the kitchen simply to avoid carting pots from one part of the kitchen to another may seem preposterous. After all, this feature isn’t exactly known for its dual functionality. Instead, it serves a single functional purpose: conveniently filling pots with water at the stove.
As mentioned, many folks appreciate these fixtures for the design element. Many people view it as a refined touch that adds to the kitchen’s aesthetic, even though they might not use it enough to justify the cost.
It’s worth noting that adding a pot filler to your kitchen, even if you don’t use it, can add value to your home. It can add approximately 3.2 percent to your asking price premium, which can add a considerable chunk to the cost.
Ultimately, the choice is yours – if you like the added aesthetic touch of a pot filler, then, by all means, add a pot filler! Or, if you don’t see the point in adding one, it might not be the best option. But the choice is yours – it’s your home!
How Much Does It Cost To Install A Pot Filler?
The cost of installing a pot filler varies drastically based on how you decide to approach the project. For instance, if you choose to handle the project yourself, you avoid labor costs altogether. So, you’ll contend with the cost of plumbing parts, the faucet itself, and any additional parts necessary to open and close the wall.
Most pot filler faucets range anywhere from $100 to upwards of $700 (for high-end models), so you can usually expect to pay less than $1,000 for the installation if you do it yourself. Of course, the final cost depends on what faucet you choose and how involved the installation is, so you could get the job done for as little as $200 or $300.
However, if you’re unfamiliar with DIY plumbing projects, you might want to outsource the task to a professional. If you decide to go this route, the cost breakdown looks considerably different, as you’ll pay labor costs on top of material costs.
On the high end, you might pay as much as $3,000. The cost is highly dependent on your kitchen layout, plumbing setup, and labor rates in your area, so it can vary drastically. For example, if you’re adding a pot filler to a remodel project, it might not tack on a full $3,000 to your final bill.
Many folks end up paying around $1,500 for the installation, but this might vary depending on the model you choose. Generally, plumbers charge anywhere from $70 to $150 per hour, so you can expect to pay for a few hours of their time.
Can I Install A Pot Filler Myself?
DIYing a pot filler installation is doable, but it can be tricky, especially if your kitchen is already established. You’ll need to work around existing features to run a water supply line to the area of the system, which can be quite a task. If you have a tiled backsplash behind your stove, you’ll need to remove parts to access the wall behind it for installation.
If you’re remodeling the entire kitchen, the process is somewhat easier, as you don’t need to work around specific elements in your kitchen. You can complete the rough-in plumbing for the pot filler before completing the kitchen, so you won’t have to open any walls after the remodel is complete to finish the job.
Rough-in instructions vary based on the pot filler you choose, so some models are more complicated than others. That said, if you’re an experienced DIYer, you can probably handle the installation without a hitch.