Water dispenser

Wall mount water coolers come in a wide variety of styles, from recessed models to splash resistant, contoured basins protruding out from the wall, traditional rounded square edge designs, bottle filler and water cooler combination units, bi-level designs, with other features and options.

Bottom-load water dispensers have the vessel mounted at the bottom of the unit to make loading easier.

[2] A freestanding design generally involves bottles of water placed spout-down into the dispensing machine.

Tabletop or kitchen worktop versions are available which utilize readily available five-liter water bottles from supermarkets.

Legislation in each respective country further differentiates between these two types of water and stipulates strict naming and labeling criteria based on natural source protection, total dissolved solids, and the amount of processing the water may undergo prior to bottling.

The water is often treated by ultraviolet light or ozone for antimicrobial reasons and re-mineralized by injection of soluble inorganic salts.

In developing markets, PET is often used for large bottles despite shrinkage and lower washing temperature will lead to making it a more challenging material to use.

Originally, these bottles were manufactured at 3,5 or 6 US gallon capacity (11.4, 18.9 or 22.7 liters) and supplied to rented water cooler units.

[4] These units usually do not have a place to dump excess water, only offering a small basin to catch minor spills.

On the front, a lever or pushbutton dispenses the water into a cup held beneath the spigot.

For many years and throughout the 20th century, glass was the main material used for bottling until the evolution of thermoplastics following World War II.

Advances in manufacturing and materials technology such as new blow and injection molding techniques have reduced the wall thickness and weight of bottles while improving durability and increasing service life.

It is often used in sterile manufacturing environments such as computer chips, where deionized water is a poor conductor of electricity.

Regular sanitization using hot water and steam is required to limit bacterial growth.

UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) is a commonly used disinfection method to kill or inactivate micro-organisms and leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions.

If the fluid is unclear, the UV light will not pass through completely, leaving the stream partially sterilized.

Water coolers using vapor compression refrigeration come in one of the following systems: Thermoelectric cooling is a green alternative to HFC refrigerant that uses a solid state device that acts as a heat pump to transfer heat from one side of the device to another using the Peltier effect.

Thermoelectric coolers use direct current power rather than refrigerant gas and a compressor and have no moving parts or complex assemblies.

Additionally, the hot tap is usually equipped with a push-in safety valve to prevent burns from an accidental or inadvertent pressing of the lever.

All bottled water coolers need to be periodically cleaned to prevent mineral build-up inside the heating tank, also known as scaling.