Water Cooler, Water Boiler … Cuppa Tea

Water Cooler, Water Boiler … Cuppa Tea

by | Jan 23, 2017 | Water Boilers, water cooler, Water Coolers

There’s been some rather soggy weather in England this week – bit rude I’d say – it’s only October.

While you’re keeping warm indoors and contemplating life, the weather in general and how soaked you’ll get outdoors if you make a dash for it, here are a few thoughts that may make you beam with British pride; warm you up and intrigue your grey matter.

It was recently the 385th anniversary of tea in the UK.

They say that a cuppa cures all ills and they’re not far wrong – whether you’re using your hot water boiler or combination AquAid chiller/boiler in the office, or school or at home – or boiling water with the kettle at home – there’s very little that can’t be cured by the brew.

But a few years away from our four hundredth year of drinking tea, our knowledge may not be as encyclopaedic as we’d like to think it is! In celebration of this anniversary, a few facts and myth busters that may amuse or interest you:

How many cups a day?

More than 165,000,000 cups are being drunk in the UK every single day of the year.

Brits didn’t invent the tea bag

The tea bag was invented by a nation that is more associated with coffee – America.

Although there are some records of loose-leaf bags being used in ancient China, the first labour-saving teabag was created by US tea merchant Thomas Sullivan.

Tea breaks were invented by modern office workers

Tea breaks are actually a tradition which has been around for about two hundred years. Initially when workers commenced their day at around 5 or 6am, employers allowed a break in the morning when food and tea were served. Some employers repeated the break in the afternoon as well, according to The UK Tea and Infusions Association.

Between 1741 and 1820 industrialists, landowners and clerics tried to put a stop to the tea break maintaining that tea drinking and rest made working people slothful. Modern thinking couldn’t be further away from this – regular tea breaks can play a vital part in the day to help maintain a positive attitude towards work and a very necessary fluid intake.

And the best news of all;

Tea doesn’t go off

Take note though, if you leave your tea for a time, those little leaves won’t be as fresh after six months. The flavour may not suffer, but the brew will lose its antioxidants. The best way to preserve the efficacy of the antioxidants is by storing your tea in a sealed container in a dark, cool place.

If this weather keeps up, proper tea storage certainly won’t be hard.

If you’d like know more about AquAid water coolers and water boiler products, specials and our life saving charity partnerships, please *  e-mail or ☏ us on 0800 772 3003. We’d be delighted to assist you.

 

How to land yourself in hot water

How to land yourself in hot water

by | Jan 19, 2017 | Water Boilers

I’m a little nervous as I write to you – as I think that perhaps this topic could land me in a bit of hot water.

Then again, I don’t see that I should be nervous, as I’m sure that the food police aren’t out to get me.

The topic for discussion is all about Marmite. This has been spurred on by the recent #Marmitegate which has been trending in the UK.

I’m not joining the fray (ahaha) about this though, what I’m wondering is what everyone thinks about Marmite. And Fray Bentos. And Oxo and for those down under … Vegemite. The reason I include Vegemite is I watched an episode of Master Chef Australia recently and one of the mystery ingredient choices was to cook a dish using Vegemite – the expressions of horror on all of the contestants’ faces was a sight to behold!  I, not having ever tasted Vegemite, of course, cannot comment – although I would like to try this wonder spread.

Marmite was a staple in our house growing up – like tea – it was the solver of many problems – from warming yourself up to staving off hunger when a tablespoonful was drunk in a mug of hot water – through to spreading Marmite on buttery toast (mathematical precision was required to ensure the correct butter vs. Marmite quotient). My little world was all about Marmite.

As an adult I discovered that there were alternatives to Marmite, mainly Fray Bentos. I became a firm Fray Bentos fan and eschewed Marmite. Brand loyalty is a funny animal (although Marmite et al are all quite vegetarian ingredients, if you can Adam and Eve it), but I did think that the Marmite manufacturers would get by without me.

Now, winter’s on its way, a spoonful of Fray Bentos in a mug of hot water is calling or asking to be spread on toast … and I can’t find Fray Bentos anywhere. I’m a sad little person.

I’ve thought about rummaging in colleagues’ kitchen stashes at the office, or staking out our office water boiler when we all descend on it for our favourite hot drink break – you know, just to see whether anyone produces a jar of the good stuff – but I’ve a feeling that this would not be seen as good office camaraderie.

What’s your favourite of the savoury spreads? Are you bereft at the thought that there may be no more Marmite? Do tell!

Hot Water? Cold Water? What’s your opinion?

Hot Water? Cold Water? What’s your opinion?

by | Mar 17, 2016 | Water Boilers, water cooler

I’ll admit I’m the world’s biggest wuss when it comes to bathing or showering in cold water. Even when there are scorching hot temperatures, I’ll still opt for a mildly warm shower instead of ice cold. I may slowly turn the hot water tap down during shower but even then, I’d rather not switch off the hot tap entirely.

To be fair, if you live in a region with longer winters and icy cold weather for more months of the year than warm weather, it makes sense to keep that hot tap open, so you’d need to take that into consideration, but when all is said and done, are hot or cold showers better for you and why?

I splish-splashed across the web to find out.

In favour of heat:

  • Hot showers can relieve tension and soothe stiff muscles. If you have a powerful showerhead, even better! You can let the hot water work like a mini massage on your shoulders, neck, and back.
  • Studies have shown that taking a hot shower can amp up your oxytocin levels and ease anxiety. Anyone working with stress can use more of the love hormone in their life.
  • A hot shower also acts as a natural decongestant to relieve cold symptoms, since the hot steam moisturises nasal passages.
  • Under the weather and running a slight fever? A hot shower might be what you need to help break your fever and bring your temperature back to normal.

In favour of the cooler option:

  • Cold showers – as unbearable as they are – are actually really good for our bodies. Turning your shower cold for the last five minutes can help ‘shock’ your body awake. This instant change in temperature relieves your body of fatigue and increases your mental alertness.
  • A ’cooler’ shower (around 20 °C) for two to three minutes once or twice daily is recommended by researchers as a treatment for depression. Just make sure you check in with your doctor before testing this out.
  • On the more vain side of the spectrum, cold showers are better for our hair and skin. Where a hot shower can dry things out, cold showers hydrate and help with split ends and dry skin. I also have it on good authority that rinsing your shampoo out with cooler water places less stress on your hair, leaving your hair in a more sleek condition. All of those beautiful sleek looking seals can’t be wrong.

Whichever works for you, a cautionary note – no, I wouldn’t suggest that you filch the company water cooler or boiler to test out the hot or cold shower theory. That water’s for drinking, dear, not bathing.

 

 

The AquAid Compact Water Boiler vs. a Kettle

The AquAid Compact Water Boiler vs. a Kettle

by | Oct 21, 2015 | Water Boilers

Switching from a kettle to a hot water boiler not only reduces the amount of time spent waiting for a cup of hot water but the cost involved in production time and energy bills.

Obviously, each work environment is different, so this information will assist you in being able to look at your work place environment for potential savings. The essential question to ask is:

Q: How does an AquAid Water Boiler save you money?

A: You no longer have to waste time waiting for a kettle to boil.

An average 3kW kettle takes 4 minutes to boil and if all the water in each kettle is actually used, it will produce 5 mugs of hot water.

Scenario: If you have 20 staff that each have 4 hot drinks per day (80 mugs), the kettle will be boiled a minimum of 16 times. It will probably be boiled more often as no-one ever empties it entirely each time they use it. So assuming they do actually use all the water every time, the kettle is boiled 16 times a day.

… 16 x 4 minutes = 64 minutes or … let’s say an hour.

If the person, or the people, who make the hot drinks are on a salary of £20,000pa and they work a 40-hour week, their hourly wage is £9.62/hour.  You are paying £9.62 per day whilst the person waits for the kettle to boil.

£9.62 x 5 days = £48.10 per week
£48.10 x 52 weeks = £2501.20 per year
30 staff, 120 mugs a day = £3751.80 per year
40 staff, 160 mugs a day = £5002.40 per year
and so on …

Comparisons between a kettle and a hot water boiler

Energy Consumption:

In terms of actual energy consumption, there is very little difference between a kettle and an AquAid water boiler. In fact, the boiler becomes cheaper to run the more people use it; Unit of Electricity in kW/h = 12 pence (approximately). 

The Kettle: An average kettle is 3kW and takes 4 minutes (0.07 hours) to boil.

So 3kW x 0.07h = 0.21 kWh, 0.21 x 12p = 2.5p

So it costs 2.5p to boil a kettle of water. If all the water in the kettle is used it will produce 5 mugs of hot water.

Taking the same scenario; if you have 20 staff that have 4 mugs a day each, that’s 80 mugs, so the kettle is boiled a minimum of 16 times.

So 20 staff, 80 mugs, 16 boils 16 x 2.5p = 40p per day
30 staff, 120 mugs, 24 boils 24 x 2.5p = 60p per day
40 staff, 160 mugs, 32 boils 32 x 2.5p = 80p per day

and so on … 

The Water Boiler:

Standby (Idle Mode): The electrical consumption of the AquAid Compact (5 – Litre) 3kW boiler, whilst on standby is 0.07kW/h, which means it will use one unit of electricity (12p) in 14 hours (0.86p per hour), or 20.6p per day. A free timer allows you to turn off the boiler when it is not likely to be used – e.g. at night when the staff go home. 

Energy usage (when in use): The Aquaid Compact is designed so that it only boils the water that is used each time. It will run for approximately 30 seconds for each mug of water drawn-off … 1 minute for 2 mugs, 2 minutes for 4 mugs …

So for 20 staff, requiring 80 mugs, it will be on for 40 minutes (0.66 hours) throughout the day;

So 3kW x 0.66h = 1.98kWh 1.98 x 12p = 23.7p

Add this to the standby amount of 20.6p per day gives a total of:

For 20 staff, 80 mugs; 44.3p per day
For 30 staff, 120 mugs; 56.6p per day
For 40 staff, 160 mugs; 68.5p per day

Every Aquaid Hot Water Boiler is British Manufactured and WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) approved.

Our British manufacturer has offered quality hot water boilers for several decades. While many companies opt to use kettles, AquAid’s multitude range of hot water boilers offers an appealing alternative. Whether providing coffee or tea to an office of workers or hydrating an energetic audience in a stadium, our products are a worthwhile investment.

 

What Makes you Thirsty?

What Makes you Thirsty?

by | Aug 24, 2015 | Water Boilers, water cooler

Let’s fact check here for a moment.

This is a blog page.

The running (aha) theme is generally about all things watery.

There’s heaps of information about the supply of water and how we deliver said water to you, dear customer, through the provision of our spankingly smart range of:

Bottled Water Coolers

Mains Fed Water Coolers

Water Boilers

Hotel and Catering Solutions

Water for Schools

Water Fountains and

Accessories

so, it’s important to keep you informed about the importance of drinking water; to advise about how to keep from becoming dehydrated (occurs more often and easier than you might think); what to drink; how often to drink it and in general; how to keep yourself healthily hydrated.

But the one question I don’t think I’ve asked as yet is: What makes you thirsty?

Are you like me where when you go to the pictures, it’s not officially an occasion unless you have a bucket of very over-salted popcorn and then when your tongue swells up and you feel like you’ve been eating dry desert sand, you wonder why you are so thirsty?

or, are you more of a be out all day in warm weather, keeping active, running from place to place, sweating a bit and wait-until-the-last-minute where you’re absolutely parched and then you guzzle fizzy drinks (packed full of bad sugars) which will probably make you more thirsty than before you drank them.

or, do you load up on the Chinese or American fast food which is packed with too much salt (and then you still add loads of salt to your meal or chips) and again, wonder why you’re feeling so thirsty?

Whatever your thirst metiér is, I’m sure it doesn’t help realising that most of our extreme thirst is self-imposed. Us humanoids, such silly beings, aren’t we?

 

 

The Dinghy Stealing Seal

by | Apr 16, 2014 | Water Boilers, water cooler

I was trolling through the Google avenues when I came across this article about a seal that took up residence in a dinghy of a couple that were honeymooning on an island. When I saw the photo, I snorted my Kenco Coffee  that I’d just served myself up from our AquAid Compact Boiler and narrowly missed electrocuting myself in the process.

From the article in The Telegraph:

A newly-wed couple were stranded on a remote island three miles from the mainland when a giant bull seal climbed into their inflatable dinghy and refused to budge for four days.

Eddie Stebbings, 35, and his bride Bee Bueche, 36, spent their first three months of married life together with a colony of Atlantic grey seals on Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast.

But their wildlife adventure took an unexpected turn when a giant seal took up residence in the dinghy they used to reach the mainland.

Eddie and Bee were married in August and returned to the windswept island where they are wildlife wardens just in time for the seal pupping season.

Eddie said: “One morning in October the seal flopped itself into the boat.

“It refused to budge for four days and was at one point joined by another seal.

“He was about four times my weight, eight foot long and clearly not worried about people coming close to him.”

The couple chose to spend their honeymoon on one of Britain’s most remote islands, which they shared with over 400 adult seals.

Have another gander at the weight of this cubby chappy! Almost makes me feel good about my weight issues. (Then again, I don’t live in the icy cold water which would justify extra warm keeping blubber).

*Sigh* Oh well, guess I’ll just take another schlurp of my coffee … and where’s that Danish that I asked for?!

Photo: CATERS