The Forgotten Issue of Water Cooler Sanitisation

Once you have made the decision to buy a water cooler and considered the cost, location and type it is very easy to think that is the end of the matter and that you can move on to other things.

If you’ve done your research then perhaps it is the end of the matter, but for many they forget about the important issue of water cooler sanitisation. When you consider how many people frequently use the water dispenser throughout the day, week and even year and balance that against the sanitisation method it can be quite a disturbing thought.

How clean really is your drinking fountain?

Although these issues can be solved once you have the water cooler installed, it is much more efficient to plan the sanitisation before you buy it.  Nowadays many come with ozone installed, providing a clean and healthy form of sanitising so you don’t have to worry about calling someone out to do it for you.  Some companies will also provide quarterly call outs so that their technicians will provide a cleaning service for you, included in the package price.

In addition to ozone or manual cleaning you will also need to consider the other aspects of water cooler sanitisation.

The water cooler replacement filter will need to be changed twice a year to ensure that the water is both safe and palatable. You will also need to ensure that descaling is a regular part of the water cooler’s upkeep. In many cases the seller will provide all these services to ensure that you have a complete package, but it is advisable to check that these aspects are included.

Wherever the water cooler is provided, be it an office, a school or a public space, users always assume that because it is bottled water it is safe to drink, but they rarely consider the cleanliness aspect. How clean does water need to be to ensure it is safe to drink? How many dirty hands have touched the water dispenser and how often is it cleaned? All of these aspects need to be considered when purchasing a water cooler and maintenance is an essential part of the process.