Hot Water Dispenser: Which Type Suits a Malaysian Home?
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A hot water dispenser saves you boiling the kettle for every cup of teh, coffee, Milo or instant noodles. In Malaysia you can buy one in four forms: a countertop unit you fill by hand, a floor-standing dispenser with a bottle on top, a plumbed dispenser with a filter, or an instant hot tap with the machinery hidden under the sink. This guide explains how each one works, which temperature is for what, and what to check before you choose.
Quick answer
- Want no bottles and no refilling?
- Choose a dispenser that draws from your water supply, not one you fill.
- Want filtered water, not just hot water?
- Choose one with a filter in front of the heater. A dispenser only heats what you put in it.
- Short of counter space?
- An under-sink system leaves only a tap on the counter.
- Need cold water too?
- Check for a chilled setting. Many dispensers, including the VATTI One Tap, have none.
The four types of hot water dispenser
| Countertop | Floor-standing, bottled | Plumbed, with filter | Under-sink instant hot tap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where the water comes from | You fill a tank by hand | A large bottle on top | Your water supply | Your water supply |
| Filtered? | Only if you pour filtered water in | Only as clean as the bottle | Yes | Yes |
| How it heats | Keeps a tank hot | Keeps a tank hot | Usually keeps a tank hot | Heats water as it passes |
| Space | On the counter | On the floor | On the counter or floor | Under the sink, tap on the counter |
| Ongoing chore | Refilling | Changing bottles | Filter changes | Filter changes |
Countertop and bottled dispensers are the simplest to start with: plug in, fill, and they keep a tank of water hot. The water is only as clean as what you put in, and a bottle needs lifting and changing.
Plumbed dispensers connect to the water supply and filter it, so there is nothing to refill. Most still keep a tank of water hot all day.
An under-sink instant hot tap puts the filter and the heater in the cabinet below and heats water only when you draw it, so nothing sits hot in a tank while you are out.
Kept hot, or heated when you need it
A dispenser with a hot tank boils a few litres and holds them at temperature, ready for the next cup. The water sits in the tank between uses, and the tank stays hot through the night.
An instant heater works the other way: water passes through the heater on its way to the tap and comes out at the temperature you chose. There is no tank of hot water standing in the cupboard. The VATTI V818WD heater works like this, under the sink beside the WDHG01 purifier.
Which temperature is for what
Most people search for one thing: what temperature does the hot water come out at? On a dispenser with settings, the answer depends on what you are making. The VATTI One Tap has four modes, and VATTI labels each one for a use:
| Setting | VATTI's label | Also good for |
|---|---|---|
| 100°C | Brewing tea | Chinese tea, herbal drinks, instant noodles |
| 85°C | Brewing coffee | Instant coffee, 3-in-1 drinks, Milo |
| 45°C | Making milk | A warm drink of water |
| Room temperature | Room temperature | Drinking, cooking, filling the rice pot |
Use 100°C when you want water at the boil. For a baby's formula, follow the water temperature printed on the tin.
Filter first, then heat
A hot water dispenser heats whatever goes into it. Boiling kills germs, but it does not take out sediment, the taste of chlorine or what is dissolved in the water. That is why a dispenser with a filter in front of the heater gives you better water than one that only heats.
The VATTI WDHG01 filters through its VPC system and an RO membrane before the water reaches the heater, so the hot water and the room-temperature water are both filtered. Our guide to RO water explains what reverse osmosis removes, and water purifier vs water filter explains the difference between the two.
What to check before you buy
- Temperature settings
- One hot setting is enough for tea; separate settings save you waiting for water to cool for coffee or milk. The One Tap has 45°C, 85°C and 100°C, plus room temperature.
- Flow
- A slow tap is fine for a glass and frustrating for a pot. The One Tap gives 1.5 L a minute.
- Filtration
- Look for a filter in front of the heater, and for RO if you want the finest filtration.
- Filter reminders
- A filter past its life stops doing its job without telling you. The One Tap has a filter change reminder. See how often to replace a water filter.
- Materials
- The One Tap's tap is SUS 304 stainless steel.
- Space
- Measure the cabinet. The WDHG01 purifier is 439 x 385 x 168 mm and the V818WD heater 175 x 295 x 120 mm; the tap on the counter is 374 mm tall.
- Cold water
- If you want chilled water, check for a chilled setting before anything else.
Where it goes in the kitchen
Put the tap at the sink you fill the kettle, the cups and the rice pot from. In a home with a wet and a dry kitchen, that is usually the dry kitchen for drinks; our guide to the wet kitchen and dry kitchen explains which appliance goes in which. An under-sink system suits a condo kitchen, where a floor-standing dispenser and its bottles take up room you do not have.
Hot water dispenser FAQs
Is a hot water dispenser better than a kettle?
For a household that makes several hot drinks a day, yes: the water is ready at the temperature you want without waiting for it to boil and cool. A kettle is still the simpler choice if you only boil water once or twice a day.
What temperature is the water from a hot water dispenser?
It depends on the dispenser. Many give one hot temperature; the VATTI One Tap gives 45°C, 85°C or 100°C, plus room temperature.
Does a hot water dispenser purify water?
Only if it has a filter. A dispenser that only heats gives you hot tap water. The One Tap filters through an RO membrane before heating.
Can I get cold water from the One Tap?
No. It has no chilled setting. Its fourth mode is filtered water at room temperature.
Do I need to change bottles?
Not with a dispenser that draws from your water supply. The One Tap has no bottle; the filters are what you change.
Final thoughts
The right hot water dispenser depends on what you want from it: hot water fast, filtered water, no bottles, or a clear counter. If you want all four, an under-sink system with a filter in front of an instant heater does it with only a tap in sight. See the VATTI One Tap and the water purifier page, or find a dealer on our store locations page.
