In certain circumstances, there is a safety reset mechanism on your Seraphina tap’s boiler tank that will cause it to shut down.

Examples of when a tank will shut down include if there is no water in the tank or if there has been a power surge.  So, first of all, check the power supply to your Seraphina tap’s tank.  If this is satisfactory, try resetting your boiler tank.

It is normal for water to occasionally drip into the tundish to relieve the pressure that builds up in your Seraphina tap’s boiler tank.  It can help to think of the tank as a giant kettle; once the water has boiled, the steam has to be released!  It is also normal for water to drip for up to 20 minutes when the tap and boiler tank has been first switched on.

If, however, water continues to drip or run into the tundish, you should check that your water pressure is not exceeding 5 bar.  The pressure relief valve is designed to open when pressure reaches or is higher than 5 bar.  If this is the case, constant dripping/running will be seen.

Ensure your water pressure is measured accurately and at a low-demand time.  If water pressure is excessive, a pressure reducing valve can be fitted.  This can be purchased online and will allow you to adjust your water pressure to the recommended 4 bar.  The valve should be fitted on the cold water feed, before the inlet of your Seraphina tap’s filter cartridge.

In the very unlikely event that you see water continuing to drip into the tundish after a pressure reducing valve has been installed, a new pressure relief valve assembly is required.

Buy a pressure reducing valve here

If you’re new to boiling water taps, their water delivery can take getting used to.  In fact, this question is probably one of our most common customer enquiries!  

However, it’s important to remember that the boiling water flow will never be smooth as a normal hot or cold flow.  It is, after all, being dispensed from the tap’s spout at a boiling temperature and accordingly, you should always expect to experience some steam, spluttering and spitting – it can be helpful to imagine the noise a cappuccino machine would make!

When you use your boiling water tap, it’s sensible to turn the tap on and run off the lag of non-boiling water first – until the tap starts to steam.  Then place your mug, or other receptacle under the tap – position it high up and so that the end of the tap’s spout is completely contained.  This is the best and safest way to use your Seraphina tap – as it contains the boiling water and prevents splashes.

If you have read the above hints and tips, but still believe your Seraphina tap is spluttering excessively, there are some simple checks you carry out to ensure the pattern of the boiling water flow is optimized.

• Remove your Seraphina tap’s filter cartridge from its housing, reassemble the empty housing and run the tap’s boiling water flow without the filter cartridge.  If you see a marked improvement in the flow’s pattern, it indicates your tap’s filter cartridge is partially blocked, thus impeding the flow.
  
  Check when your filter cartridge was last replaced – the recommended replacement cycle is every 6 months – but as water quality varies from area to area, this can of course be more frequent.  Buy the standard Seraphina replacement filter cartridge, the CP08, here.

• Take a look at the flexible hoses that connect your Seraphina tap to its boiler tank.  Check they have not become kinked.

• Check that the green-handled stop valve that is connected to the Mains water supply is fully open.  If it is, the lever should be fully aligned with the pipework.

• Check that the stop valve in the pressure relief valve is fully open by turning the smaller of the two knobs on the valve anti-clockwise as far as it will turn.

• Check your water pressure, using a proper gauge.  Your Seraphina tap system requires a minimum water pressure of 1.5 bar and pressure should not exceed 5 bar.  3-4 bar pressure is ideal for optimum performance.  Do take care to measure water pressure accurately.

If the boiling water handle of your Seraphina tap isn’t springing back into place, a replacement boiling valve is required.

Buy a replacement boiling valve here.

If the spring on the button of your Seraphina tap’s boiling water handle has failed, you must replace the boiling water handle.

If your Seraphina tap is constantly dripping from its spout (the end of the spout, not from around the joint), then one of the tap’s valves requires replacing.  To establish which valve needs to be replaced, follow the below steps –

• Turn off the power supply to your Seraphina tap’s boiler tank
• Shut off the water supply to the boiler tank – use the green-handled stop valve to do this.
• Run the flow of boiling water to release the pressure, then watch the tap.  If the dripping stops, you will need to fit a new boiling water valve.
• If the dripping continues, you will need to replace your tap’s mixer valve.

Once you are satisfied you know which valve you need to replace, take care when getting your Seraphina tap up and running again.  It is essential that the water supply is turned on before the power supply is switched on, otherwise the tank will trip.

Buy a replacement hot/cold mixer valve here.

If your Seraphina tap is dripping from around its spout outlet – you might see little bubbles of water forming – you will need to replace the spout outlet.

If your Seraphina tap is leaking from around the base of its spout – where it swivels and joins the tap’s body – it is likely you will need to fit a new seal kit.

Buy a replacement seal kit here.

If your Seraphina tap is leaking from its crunch fittings, you can purchase replacement crunch fittings.

Buy replacement crunch fittings here.

Replacing the copper washer between your tap and its boiler tank should resolve leakage from this area.  If you believe the boiler tank is leaking from anywhere other than the joint between the tank and the tap, please contact The FreshWater Filter Company.

Buy a replacement copper washer for your tank here.

If the boiling water flow of your Seraphina tap seems slow or restricted, it might indicate your tap’s filter

cartridge needs replacing.  Filter cartridges should be replaced every 6 months.  However, it’s worth remembering this is a recommendation only – water quality varies from area to area – and in some areas, there will be higher turbidity (particle contamination).  This means your Seraphina tap’s filter cartridge might need replacing more regularly.

It’s also good to remember that as well as your Seraphina tap’s filter cartridge keeping your water free from contaminants, it’s helping to minimize limescale deposits.  This, in turn ensures your tap’s boiler tank can deliver optimum performance.

To find out if a blocked filter cartridge is the reason for your tap’s poor boiling water flow, remove the filter cartridge and use the tap’s boiling water function without the cartridge.  If you see the flow has returned to normal, purchase a replacement filter cartridge CP08.

If this test does not resolve the problem, please call or email the customer support team for further assistance.

Buy a replacement CP08 filter cartridge here.

Check the filter cartridge and housing element of your Seraphina system has been correctly installed.  The filter should only be filtering cold water feeding your Seraphina tap’s boiler tank – not the flow of Mains cold water to your tap.

If the hot flow of water (not the boiling flow) seems poor, it is wise to check your hot water pressure.  Your Seraphina tap requires a minimum pressure of 1.5 bar, but pressure must not exceed 5 bar.  Think about your home’s plumbing system, too.  Remember that homes with gravity-fed plumbing systems (tank in the loft) will often need a helping hand in the form of a pump on order to achieve the pressure required by tap appliances such as the Seraphina.

The purpose of your Seraphina tap’s filter cartridge is three-fold – to protect the boiler tank from limescale deposits in hard water areas (50% of the UK), to prevent erosion in soft water areas and to remove chlorine from your water.  However, the filter cartridge will not stop the film appearing on the surface of hot drinks that is caused by the calcium and magnesium deposits that occur in many hard water areas.

For tea, some customers find that using specialist hard-water teabags, or teabags made from organic, natural material can also minimize the problem.

Sometimes, a light foam or froth on the surface of hot drinks can be seen and this is the result of the millions of tiny air bubbles that are produced by the boiling water combining with the ‘base’ of the drink – e.g. hot chocolate powder or instant coffee granules.  With tea, it is often the tiny amount of oil in the tea bag that creates the froth – and it can look unsightly.  Try using a teapot with loose leaf tea, putting the boiling water into your cup followed by the tea bag or switching to unbleached or organic tea bags.

A leak between the bottom section of the filter cartridge housing – where the cartridge is placed – and the upper section can be resolved by replacing the housing’s seal.

Buy a replacement housing seal here.