Water Coolers: A Buyer's Guide
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It makes up fifty-seven per cent of human body weight, covers two-thirds of the earth’s surface and is essential to all known forms of life. Access to water is a fundamental human need and a water cooler is a way of making sure that you, your employees and your visitors always have access to clean, pure, cool water at your place of work.
Water coolers come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit home, office, retail and leisure spaces. This Buyers’ Guide will introduce you to the main varieties and offer some helpful advice on choosing a water cooler supplier.
Why Water Coolers?
A water cooler is useful in locations where there is no tap or where you simply want to enjoy deliciously cool, filtered fresh water at will. Water coolers are also available which, as well as providing cold water, carbonate the water so you have sparkling water at the touch of a button or which heat the water to a suitable temperature for making teas and coffees.
There are two main varieties of water cooler: bottled water coolers and mains (or plumbed-in) water coolers.
Bottled Water Coolers
As the name suggests these water coolers dispense water from 18.75 litre, usually plastic, bottles. The water is purchased from the water cooler supplier and is normally a mineral water which comes with the attendant health benefits.
The coolers themselves will dispense water chilled or at ambient temperature and can come fitted with a plastic or paper cup dispenser which your supplier will be able to re-stock. The water cooler doesn’t need to be near a water source but does need a power supply.
The drawbacks of a bottled water cooler are that you have to arrange delivery of the water bottles, usually once a week. Aside from the environmental implications you run the risk of running out and have to replace the bottles in the machine yourselves. As each bottle weighs over 15kg when full this is an impossibility for some.
Mains Water Coolers
Mains water filters and coolers are connected to a mains water supply by way of a narrow flexible tube. As well as chilling the water a mains cooler filters normal tap water with ceramic or carbon block filters to remove hardness and chlorine. The mild chlorination of drinking water to kill bacteria is the reason for its sometimes unappealing taste and smell.
Mains coolers need a normal 3-pin power supply and need to be connected to the mains water. A water cooler supplier will usually be able to install the machine for you by fitting a valve to your mains water outlet and then running a tube to the water cooler via trunking or even through walls and floors where only a pencil sized hole needs to be made. If you have special requirements, such as a long distance between the mains outlet and the machine or the need to identify which of your pipes is carrying safe drinking water, a qualified plumber might need to be called in.
The chief benefits of a plumbed-in water cooler are no need for deliveries and never running out of cool filtered water.
Water Heaters
Both bottled and mains water coolers are available with a hot water option. While bottled water coolers can produce enough hot water for a small office or home, the mains machines are recommended for higher volumes of output.
Because of the tendency of water heaters to scale up, especially in hard water areas, they need regular servicing and replacement of filters.
Choosing a Water Cooler and Supplier
There are a number of factors you need to take into consideration when choosing a suitable water cooler and supplier:
- Location: If you’re obtaining a bottled water cooler your supplier will need to cover your location for delivery of fresh water and collection of empty bottles. Machines also need regular servicing, cleaning and, in the case of mains water coolers, installation and replacement filters so the location of your supplier will be a factor.
- Volume: Make sure the machine has the capacity to handle the drinking requirements of all your personnel. Mains water coolers fill up from narrow plastic tubes which means that they can empty if you’re getting through more than a couple of litres at a time. Water heaters will also have a maximum capacity and can run out of hot water when demand is too high, leaving you waiting around for a new tank of water to heat.
- Payment plan: Many suppliers of bottled water coolers offer effectively free rental of the cooler itself on the condition that you purchase your bottled water from the same company. Remember to check how much the water costs and try to estimate as accurately as possible how many you’ll be getting through. Mains water coolers can be rented or purchased outright. Always check the cost of maintenance and replacement parts (e.g. filters) when purchasing.
Many water cooler suppliers offer a bottled or mains water cooler for a trial period with no obligation to buy. If you’re unsure about whether you’ll get enough use out of a cooler, why not try before you buy?
