by Fern Shaw | Jun 3, 2019 | bottle fed water coolers, mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
How do bottle fed coolers and mains fed coolers differ?
Bottle fed water coolers are free standing units that use a large polycarbonate bottle to deliver water, and can be either bottom or top loaded. Mains fed water coolers connect to the main water supply and utilise filtration services to provide clean, refreshing, chilled water. Both types of water coolers have an on/off switch that controls the cooling and/or heating functions of the dispenser.
How is the water kept cold?
In order to chill the water prior to dispensation, water coolers have a reservoir within the dispenser that holds a set amount of water. The reservoir is the place where the water is chilled by a refrigerant, or through thermoelectricity.
What stops the bottle fed dispenser water from flooding?
When the bottle of water is inverted and placed into the opening on the top of the water cooler, the seal of the water bottle is severed or punctured by a part referred to as the ‘spike’, allowing the water to flow into the water cooler. Inside the water cooler is a valve that prevents the water from the bottle flooding the water cooler.
How are the water coolers kept clean?
Both Bottle-Fed and Mains-Fed Dispensers are kept clean by being sanitised.
At AquAid, bottle fed machines are sanitised every 3 months. Mains fed are sanitised every 6 months.
An ozone generator is used for this purpose.
What is an ozone generator?
Ozone (O3) is a gas very similar to normal oxygen (O2), just with an added oxygen molecule. In water the effect of ozone is that it will kill all unwanted bacteria, spores and viruses, leaving the water container and water dispenser clean, clear and safe.
Where does the water in the coolers originate from?
Based on your location, the bottled water delivered to you from AquAid is either water bottled at source, or drawn from natural springs in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
All the spring water is bottled at source.
The water is poured directly into the various sized bottles which are hermetically sealed to lock in the natural purity.
And there it remains until it emerges from your water cooler, just as it left the source: cool and pure.
What benefits derive from installing an AquAid Water Cooler?
We offer a free on-site survey to assess what your needs are and what combination of hot water boilers, bottle-fed water coolers or mains-fed water coolers best suit your requirements.
Your personal Account Manager, based at our head office and reporting directly to the Managing Director, is dedicated to providing the highest level of service to meet your exact needs.
A single point of contact for placing new orders and making any enquiries, along with a centralised billing system allows for a streamlined process that delivers maximum efficiency.
If any issues arise, your local depot is encouraged to speak directly to our local depot which facilitates immediate action and minimises any potential misunderstandings or delays.
Regular spend report analysis and account reviews allow us to measure and track performance to highlight any cost saving opportunities and to ensure we are constantly meeting your goals.
By partnering with us, an award-winning design water pump, dedicated to and bearing your company name, will be built in Africa which will bring life-saving water to hundreds of families every day.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 28, 2019 | bottle fed water coolers, water cooler, Water Coolers
Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulation 1992, the employer has a responsibility to provide an adequate supply of drinking water. However, the employer must ensure that the facilities provided are done so safely and are maintained correctly to avoid any risk to the employees.
The location of your water cooler is the first step to ensuring the safety of your staff. The water cooler needs to be seen to encourage drinking water yet it should not impede the flow of movement in and around the office. Power cables need to be tucked away and any spare water bottles should be stored safely to avoid any mishaps.
The installation of your machine should also be carried out by a qualified technician. The EDWCA (European Drinking Water Cooler Association) is an association that was formed to ‘promote, develop and maintain the highest standards of hygiene, safety and ethics within the European Point-Of-Use Drinking Water industry to the benefit of customers.’ The EDWCA only use WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) approved training courses. It is highly recommended that when considering your water dispenser supplier you choose one that is a member of the EDWCA. In this way you can be assured that the minimum required standards are being met.
By using an EDWCA member you can also be assured that the materials used for the installation of your water coolers are suitable for contact with drinking water and that the technician installing your dispenser is EDWCA trained.
Should you opt for a Mains Fed Water Cooler: a water cooler that is connected directly to your water mains – there are further installation guidelines that will be adhered to by the technician.
- The machine must be connected to a fresh water supply and not to a water storage tank.
- The water cooler should also be located within a close proximity to both the power socket and the mains water supply.
- The EDWCA guidelines advise that the location of the machine needs to be within five metres of the mains supply to ensure optimal hygiene is taking place as well as getting the best water pressure levels available.
As with all equipment it is not enough to just ensure that the water dispenser has been installed safely and correctly. Maintenance, servicing and cleaning play a vital role in ensuring you are getting the optimal value out of any piece of equipment and the water cooler is no different.
Due to the nature of their water delivery, Bottled Water Coolers need to be sanitised every three months whilst Mains Fed Water Coolers should be serviced and their filters cleaned every six months.
Keep a formal record of the services carried out by your supplier, ensure the guidelines are being met and good quality filters are being used. However, do not simply rely on your visit from your supplier to keep your machine in its best condition. By carrying out simple yet effective maintenance you can easily contribute to ensuring your water cooler continues to offer high quality drinking water. Empty the drip tray regularly and keep all external parts of the water cooler clean. A dirty water cooler will not encourage staff to drink.
Having a water cooler on site is indispensable to any organisation and it plays a vital role in the well-being of your office staff. To be assured that you are getting the best out of your water dispenser, begin by ensuring it offers no risk to your employees.
by Fern Shaw | Jan 19, 2017 | bottle fed water coolers, mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
When you’re looking to purchase a water cooler for your workspace, speak to us at AquAid. Here’s why:
- AquAid is local to you. We have 29 depots throughout England, Ireland and Scotland. This means we’re able to attend to and action your requests; orders; deliveries and queries faster and as each AquAid branch knows their customers, they are able to provide a more efficient service.
- As we have considerably more than any other water cooler company, this also means far less diesel is used delivering our water, thus minimising our carbon emissions.
- As a business, we are always cognisant of the impact on our environment and continuously strive to minimise our carbon footprint. These efforts include switching over to paperless billing systems (e-mail invoicing) through to giving our customers the best advice when it comes to whether you should be installing a mains-fed or bottle-fed water cooler to suit your drinking water needs.
- We place a high importance on corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this vein, since the inception of the AquAid business, we have collaborated with charities that provide sustainable solutions to poverty and aid in emergency relief where needed.
- This means by using AquAid as your water cooler supplier you are bringing life changing solutions and creating better futures to some of the world’s neediest families.
- An added bonus of these charitable donations is that your participation is generally passive – the donations we make to both The Africa Trust and Christian Aid stems from our water cooler sales. We do, however, encourage our customers through various campaigns, to spread the word about how your water cooler purchases are making a substantial difference in others’ lives.
Telephone us on 0800 772 3003 or contact us at our website today to find out more about how we can provide you with our tailor made water cooler solutions.
