What to look out for when choosing a watercooler

The world of watercoolers has expanded at an astounding rate in recent years, with an increasing amount of technology, and a wider variety of products available. The problem is, with so much choice, how do you know which watercooler would work best for you, and your specific needs?

Never fear, we’ve compiled an easy guide to help you understand which watercooler features you need to look out for, and where you can find them.

Assess your situation

The first element to consider when purchasing or renting a watercooler, is the situation in which it will be placed. If for an office environment, you will need to consider amount of people who will be using your watercooler, if it’s going to be in heavy use, look for a machine with a high output capacity.

If you’ll be installing your watercooler in a health or leisure environment, you will need to consider a dispenser with accessibility and hygienic protection, as well as the space to fit a refillable bottle, such as the Borg & Overström b4, or b5 .

If your water dispenser will be installed in a staff kitchen or breakout area, you may need to consider installing a device that can be configured to be a countertop watercooler, such as the Borg & Overström b2, b3, or b4. If space is at a premium, consider an under-counter system, such as the Borg & Overström u1 or u2.

Preferences and choices

The days of watercoolers only dispensing chilled water are long gone. With the watercoolers of today, you can dispense hot water, ambient water, and even sparkling water. Consider which water options will be most popular in your office, and with your visitors, when choosing your water dispenser.

Bottle top or POU?

One of the key differentiation factors to consider when choosing your watercooler, is whether it is a point of use dispenser, or a bottle top dispenser. What do we mean by that? A bottled water cooler is fed by a bottle. The bottle is inverted onto a spike which feeds a reservoir with water. A POU, or ‘Point of use’, watercooler is plumbed directly into the main source of water, and dispenses it through a tap, ensuring water is fresh, hygienic, and cool.

Whilst the initial costs of a bottle top cooler may be lower, over time you will need to restock the bottle frequently, whereas, once a POU cooler has been installed, it takes water directly from your water source, saving you money over time.

With bottle top watercoolers, the drinking water is stored over time in an exposed reservoir, creating an ideal environment for bacterial growth. This reservoir often develops a biofilm, which is a coating of microbial matter, which can enter your watercooler. The sealed drinking water pipe used within POU systems ensure that your water is transported directly from the source to the dispense faucet, greatly reducing the chances of contamination and impurity in your drinking water.

You can find out a little more about point of use and bottle-top systems here.

Style preferences

You’ve spent your budget on ensuring your office or Horeca environment looks absolutely spot on, you don’t want to ruin it with a giant white watercooler with an ugly blue bottle on top. As the watercooler industry ages, the choices available increase. You can view the variety of colours and styles Borg & Overström offers here.

Whatever your situation and preferences, Borg & Overström will help you find the perfect watercooler to complement your workplace, boardroom, or kitchen. If you’d like to discuss your requirements further, contact us at [email protected]