Water coolers are gaining popularity in businesses, schools, sports venues and homes, and come in two types; bottled water coolers and mains or point-of-use (POU) water coolers.

There are various things that you will need to consider when shopping for a water cooler. There are various options available, and it is easy to make a wrong choice if you do not have all the relevant information at your fingertips.

The first choice that you need to make is whether you want a bottled water cooler or a mains water cooler:

  • Bottled Water Coolers mean that you will have to have space for both empty and full water bottles; you will need to arrange a water delivery schedule with your water cooler company that works for both of you, and decide whether a bottled water cooler will adequately suit your needs – bottled water coolers are more suited to homes and small businesses.
  • Point-Of-Use (POU) Water Coolers are a bit more expensive than bottled water coolers but they are plumbed directly into your main water supply so there is no need for additional space, bottles or delivery schedules. Mains water coolers also provide chilled drinking water virtually non-stop, so are suited to large offices, schools, sports venues and anywhere else where there is a lot of traffic.

The second choice that you need to make is whether you want a freestanding, counter-top or undercounter water cooler:

Countertop and freestanding water coolers are both popular and offer pretty much the same features.

  • Countertop Water Coolers are great for a vacation home, small apartment or small business where space is at a premium. Countertop models are usually a bit cheaper.
  • Undercounter Water Coolers are also compact so great where both space and counter area are at a premium.
  • Freestanding Water Coolers are also popular as they can often be branded with a business logo and come in different colours so that they can be colour-coordinated to suit the décor or corporate colours.

While budget is certainly a concern, don’t forget to look at the bigger picture – virtually every water cooler will pay for itself within a mere few years and an added benefit is that drinking that pure, filtered water will increase your overall health and wellbeing.