The discourse as to whether bottleless or bottled water coolers has been going on for many a year and probably will go on for many more. Personally, I think that it is a personal choice, as both types of office water coolers have their merits.
Bottled Water Coolers
Bottled water coolers are very popular in smaller offices and homes, as they are more suited to serving less people than the mains versions.
Bottled water coolers have a large inverted bottle of water on the top of the cooler unit. The bottles can be plastic or glass and water content can be either filtered water, distilled water or spring water.
Bottled water coolers can either supply only cold drinking water, or tepid and hot water for making beverages and soups too.
Bottled Water Cooler Positives
- Bottled water coolers are convenient for use in any location (including remote locations where there are no handy mains water lines to tap into)
- Chilled water is available 24/7 (and hot too if you choose a cooler with that option)
- The water tastes better and is purer than tap water
Bottled Water Cooler Negatives
- Some water companies use ordinary tap water and charge for mineral or spa water
- There are costs involved for water delivery and servicing of the water cooler
- The bottles are quite heavy to lift onto the cooler unit
- Storage space for empty and refill bottles could be a problem
Bottleless Water Coolers
Bottleless water coolers are also called mains water coolers or point-of-use (POU) water coolers. They are plumbed directly into your main water supply, and can also be fitted with a filter.
POU water coolers eliminate the need for water bottles, which means no worries about storage space either.
Bottleless water coolers are hygienic and deliver a constant supply of chilled or hot water straight from the main water line. They are made of hardy materials and are very stylish; some can even be colour-coded to your corporate image or branded with your company’s logo.
Bottleless Water Cooler Positives
- No space or delivery problems
- Cheaper in the long run as the water comes from the mains, so no constant delivery of bottles of water
- No chance of running out of water due to bad planning or delivery snafus
- Low maintenance costs
- Eco-friendly as there are no bottles that may end up in landfills
Bottleless Water Cooler Negatives
- Initial installation costs can be a bit high
- Can only be installed where there is a mains water supply
- Requires periodic replacement of filters and hygiene checks
Still, as I said in the beginning of the article, the choice between bottled water coolers or bottleless water coolers is a personal one, often dependent on the size of the office, amenities, and budget. Either way, drinking water from a water cooler is far healthier than drinking water out of the tap.
