Singapore Expats

Hi...I'm looking for advice and would be very grateful for any help. My family and I just moved into a super house in the Ang Mo Kio area. The only problem is that when we viewed the house we didn't know to ask/check whether the kitchen has hot water available in it (It's available in the bathrooms and we thought it to be like asking a Mercedes dealer whether the car comes with wheels!!). Anyway, it turns out that there isn't any hot water available and so we're looking for ways around the problem.....Is there some relatively inexpensive way for us to pipe cold water into some type of localised heating device/system in the kitchen for washing up dishes etc? If so, can we also connect a washing machine to it as well? What sort of cost is associated?

Grateful for any thoughts/ideas

You can use a small pressurized tank under the counter... cold water input line is tapped to the heater. Will also need to run electrical. Cost will depend upon capacity of tank, difficulty in tapping cold water line, and costs to run electrical service.

Most washing machines sold around here only have one water inlet line... cold. The machine itself will heat the water... and really you get clean clothes without needing hot water... warm is fine, too.

you will probably get the kitchen sink/tap changed to incorporate hot water because of the pipes, and a space for the immersion heater tank.

alternatively is to get an electric water heater that sits next to the sink which is on-demand but the flow is very slow, very similar to a water heater shower. not a pretty sight if your kitchen is all nicely deco.

since it is a super house, how about solar panel?

Most of us find that there is not a real need for hot water in the kitchen anyway. As SE indicated, most of the washing machines have built in heaters and it isn't really needed for washing of dishes and such using vegetable or canola oils with the local detergents. Course you would probably have a dishwasher anyway (normally either the electric kind or the FWD kind) so it shouldn't matter.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Most of us find that there is not a real need for hot water in the kitchen anyway. As SE indicated, most of the washing machines have built in heaters and it isn't really needed for washing of dishes and such using vegetable or canola oils with the local detergents. Course you would probably have a dishwasher anyway (normally either the electric kind or the FWD kind) so it shouldn't matter.

My FDW does appreciate the small hot water tank under the sink... especially when I make fried potatoes in goose fat.

use a kettle to heat up water if you really need it. We've moved to a place with no hot water in the kitchen and it's really not a problem. We survived the first 2 years without when we did have it so it was not an issue when we found out.

I guess it depends what you eat/cook etc but if you at least rinse dishes when they are fresh you'll probably find it less of an issue.

thanks
Tartan

Strong Eagle wrote: My FDW does appreciate the small hot water tank under the sink... especially when I make fried potatoes in goose fat.

Bet your doctor likes it as well. Fried tater in goose fat? Where you get goose fat here?

My FDW (the house husband) used to heat up some water in the microwave to wash really grungy dishes--they we bought him a Bosch dishwasher which he LOVES. We've been in our HDB for a year and a half and have forgotten what it's like to have hot water in the kitchen or at sink faucets.

...we were in the same boat as you. I assumed there was hot water in the kitchen because in the U.S. the only time you don't have hot water was when you are camping.

We just use one of those electric tea kettle warmer things. They probably have a name but I have no idea what it is. It is ghetto but works.

RULDS wrote: We just use one of those electric tea kettle warmer things. They probably have a name but I have no idea what it is. It is ghetto but works.

yeah, i know what you mean. it's like a BIG thermo kettle and you press the top to dispense hot water out. the original one was call AIRPOT but that was donkey years ago.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:

Strong Eagle wrote: My FDW does appreciate the small hot water tank under the sink... especially when I make fried potatoes in goose fat.

Bet your doctor likes it as well. Fried tater in goose fat? Where you get goose fat here?

There was a place here in Watten Estates that sold all sorts of French foods including cans of duck and goose fat. Great for perfect, golden brown potatoes. Unfortunately, it has shut down since the building was sold en bloc.