If you’re anything like me, you spend your free time ravenously researching the latest cooking technology. There is a specific kind of giddiness that comes with unboxing a new gadget or planning a major equipment upgrade.
Usually, I’m the first person to tell you to go for it—unlock that next level of culinary comfort! But after living with one of the trendiest kitchen upgrades on the market,
I’m here to tell you to put your wallet away.
I’m talking about the pot filler.
It seemed like the ultimate aspirational addition to my backsplash—a sleek, folding faucet right above the stove. It promised to save my back from lugging 40-pound pots of water from the sink. But months into owning it, the reality has set in: I rarely ever use it. Here is why this “fancy” upgrade is the one kitchen decision I’ve come to regret.
The “Convenience” is Mostly Imaginary
When I first saw these online, the logic was easy to understand: why walk ten feet to the sink when you can fill the pot right on the burner? For those with genuine mobility issues, this is a lifesaver. But for the average home cook? It saves me roughly twelve seconds of walking.
The biggest “aha!” moment of regret came when I realized the fatal flaw in the pot filler’s logic: The water still has to go back to the sink. Unless you’re only making soup, you eventually have to carry that heavy, boiling pot of pasta water back to the sink to drain it. The pot filler only solves 50% of a “problem” that wasn’t really a problem to begin with.
Maintenance Anxiety is Real
A leaky faucet at the kitchen sink is an annoyance; a leaky faucet behind your $3,000 range is a catastrophe. Because the pot filler is installed directly into the wall, any pipe issue becomes a major construction project.
I find myself constantly double-checking the valves, worried that a slow drip will ruin my backsplash or seep into the wall behind the oven where I can’t see it. It’s an added layer of stress for a tool I use maybe once a week.
It’s Just One More Thing to Clean
Professional interior designers often warn about the “aesthetic impact” of a random faucet interrupting a beautiful tile backsplash, but they rarely mention the grease.
Because the pot filler sits directly above the stovetop, it is constantly splattered with oil, steam, and food particles. I spend more time polishing the chrome and scrubbing off grease than I do actually using it to fill pots. As one experienced chef on Reddit put it, most pros “couldn’t care less” about adding yet another piece of equipment to their cleaning rotation.
Kitchen upgrades burn through money fast. If you have a few hundred (or thousand) dollars to spend on a makeover, put it toward under-cabinet lighting, a high-quality dishwasher, or even a second sink prep area.
Take it from someone who fell for the hype: don’t install a permanent fixture for a task you only perform occasionally. Skip the pot filler—your future self (and your backsplash) will thank you.