Seeking Advice on Stand-up Water Coolers

We have awful water here where I live,and we had an electric
water dispenser that had both hot/cold water. I did'nt care for it. We ended up getting a counter top croc (ceramic) water dispenser from walmart and it holds 5 gallon jugs of water. We love it and have had no problems and about 1/4- 1/3 the cost of an electric one. If I want cold water I use ice. And @25 cents (roughly) a gallon we save money over store bought water. Good luck!

We use a Brita dispenser in the refrigerator and love the convenience and the taste. We just change the filter once a month. We also have one on the counter my husband uses for making coffee,

Sam's warehouse has a water dispenser that uses tap water, I tasted the water & it was good. I forgot the price & it needs two filters at the same time. I heard that Costco carries the same thing too. Good Luck !

A.C.

I signed up with Sparkletts at the home expo, and I am happy with the service. It was a little rough in the start, I ordered the cold and room temp stand up but when they delivered the cooler they only had cold and hot, which was fine, but then a week later they delivered another cooler and more 5 gal jugs. For the first month they delivered weekly which was too much, but once I talked to a delivery guy he explained they were switching drivers and apologized for the confusion and took the extra cooler away and got me on a regular schedule where they deliver 3 5 gal jugs monthly. It works out great for my family and I can cancel the delivery or get an earlier one if needed. The water tastes great!

I use a Brita water filter that screws onto my kitchen faucet and I recycle my plastic water bottles by filling them with water from the filer. I can keep as many as I want on hand in the fridge.

The gizmo is not very expensive and the only maintenance is a periodic inexpensive replacement of the filter. They are sold at lots of places including Costco, Sam's, Target, etc.

Go and look at the box or go to www.brita.com. They have several different versions.

You can also buy a small filter for your refrigerator from Home Depot or Lowes.

Hi,

We have an Energy Star brand that we got for a present from Sam's. We use the Primo water from Lowe's. They recycle the bottles. We have been please with our brand.

W.

I know my hubby and I enjoy our water dispenser very much. We have the one that dispenses hot and cold water and it's invaluable in either making or warming formula. I originally got the system because I can't stand the way our tap water tastes and it has been such a convenience. Good luck!

My family had a stand up cooler several years ago. It was nice tohave cold water or hot water for tea. but the month to month rent was getting expensive and finding a spot for it every time we moved was difficult. We didn't want to buy one at the time. So, instead of renting month to month and fighting with the 5 gallon jugs of water, we purchased a decorative crock. IT will sit on the edge of a counter or in a stand. You can use the 5 gallon bottles of water, but also the 2 gallons and 3 gallons that are much lighter, shorter and easier to handle. The water stays cool but not cold, even in the summer. I buy water at a place that sells reverse osmosis, not just filtered and not some of these windmills that sit around the towns. I don't use the machines at the grocery stores either. The reverse osmosis takes out more of the contaminates and the taste is actually better than soem of the bottled water you get at the stores.
Hope this helps.

Hi!
We have a Sparkletts dispenser at work and we are pleased with the service. I work in a 2 person office, so the usage would probably be less than your home.
Hope this helps.
D.

I do not have any advice reguarding water coolers but I do know that bottled water is not regulated, tap water is regulated by the state and therefore can be trusted. If your water tastes funny try getting a filter for you faucet. You just need to make sure you change the filter regularly. By the way, I work for the City of Houston Drinking Water Operations so I know a little something about water. :) Hope this helps.

Great question R.! We began using an in-home system about 5 years ago from Sparkletts. They deliver to the home, provide a calendar when they will arrive and will leave as many or NONE of the bottles we need (if we are traveling, we of course require fewer bottles for the next delivery). We have 3 living in our home, adults, and we go through two 5-gallon bottles per deliver (approximately twice per month). With the rental of the equipment that provides scalding hot water and cold water spouts (the hot has a safety feature), and we use it to cook with and drink. We like Sparkletts.

I don't know anything about standup water coolers and I wish you well on finding the right one.

I wanted to comment on your three awesome boys. I wish you had told us the ages. I had 2 boys and they sounded a bit like your boys.

Good luck.

I have one of these coolers, LOVE IT! I can't remember the brand name. I've used mine for years and have only replaced one of my 2 large bottles during that time, it sprang a leak. I use the BYOB Water Store on main street in Lewisville. They carry the bottles in and out for you, they clean and disinfect the bottles and notify you when you need to replace the caps. They sell a bottle of disenfectant spray that you use to clean the cooler water storage tank and chiller that works wonders. We had to purchase the child-proof knobs because of the grandbabies, but the cost was minimal and the result was great, no more puddles on the floor! I use the spray to clean and disenfect my hand-held bottle that I refill from the cooler and it stays fresh for a month, I also hate the waste of the small water bottles. I've seen the coolers for sale at Sam's Club and the price was reasonable. Our's was a gift, so I really don't know what the cost was.

A WELLNESS water filter is a smart investment. They are exspensive....but, ALL city and some well water is so full of terrible pollutants. Good water will change your health!!!!! And it tastes so good! The counter top one that hooks up to your faucet is the best way to go $$ wise. Read up about them on their website. I've had one for 2 years and I love it. I use it to cook too, and it really improves the taste of the food!

After doing research on all of the services that come to your house with the water and how much it costs to rent on e of the coolers from the service, we decided it was too much. We ended up buying one from Conns about 2 years ago. Greenway is the brand and although we have never heard of it before, it has never given us any trouble. It has cold water, cool water and hot water (with a safety button). Plus you can buy the 3 year warranty that is not that expensive and Conns will fix it or replace it for free (you can renew warranties for up to 10 yrs.). It did not come with a bottle, I just went to Lowe's and bought one. Then I go to the "watermills" that you see in grocery store parking lots or the "glacier" system in front of Krogers and fill it up when I need to. The water tastes great (exactly like bottled water) and it is one $1.25 to fill up the 5 gallons. In the long run, we saved hundreds of dollars considering we are a bunch of fishes when it comes to water.

We have been using Sparkletts water for at least three years and have been very happy with it. We also have a multi-pure water purifier on the kitchen faucet. I am not very keen on tap water. You may want to take food supplements if you feel that you are not getting the minerals from your water any more, but this is far better than getting the contaminants. J. K. :)

I suggest the Culligan drinking water system. It filters your water three different times before coming out the spout. They mount it on your sink. It was about $900 I think. We had the upright dispenser in our kitchen and used plastic until I got cancer. We learned a lot of about plastic at that point. We then switched to the glass containers. My husband dropped one and cut his feet on the glass. At that point, we purchased the Culligan. My whole extended family has this drinking water system and just loves it. None of us use the bottled water- saves earth, money and resources. In the long run, it is worth it and you can take it when you move as well. They come out and take it out and install in the next home.

Hi R.,
We have a GE water cooler and it gives both hot and cold water. Great for making tea in a hurry as it comes out very hot. It also has a saftey on the hot water so small children can't use it. We love ours!
Vee

Hi R.!

My name is S. Layman and I am an independent business consultant for the only total wellness company in the world - Nikken Inc. We have the best water system I have ever tasted in my life. The water is filtered to .1 micron which is the same level of purity as a dialysis machine. It is all my family uses now and my son even insisted I buy him one for his apartment in college. There are several different models but the two stand up dispensers are my favorite. You don't even buy bottled water for them, you just pour regular tap water into it. I would love to tell you more about it so as you are doing your research you can look at Nikken's too. It is reasonably priced too. My cell number is ###-###-####. I hope to hear from you. S. Layman

Look into a reverse osmosis system that you install under the sink. If your frige is near the sink you can hook it up to the icemaker/water dispenser (if you have one). You can get a unit at Sam's or Costco for under $200. It saves having to get the 5-gallon water bottles filled or having them delivered which is expensive. It also won't take up space in your kitchen like the stand up dispensers. Hope this helps.

R.,
i don't know from what area you are. We get our services out of san antonio, texas (sparklet & sierra springs water).
When we decided to get the stand up water cooler a year ago. It was the best decision we made. I wanted us to drink more water & the faucet water had a different taste and it worried me that it could be contaminated. We have the hot/cool my son loves hot choc. So all we do is use the hot. So i'd say go for it i know you will not regret it.

S.

I've had a stand-up water cooler for over 20 years. We have Ozarka water delivered once a month and we purchased the stand (wooden, rustic-looking)about 5 years ago. Before that we had a metal stand that looked like a commercial box-type container that took up too much room in our kitchen. Our wooden stand holds up a country crock reservoir with the two classic blue rings around it, making it look like an antique butter churn type container. The water jug fits upside down in it and fills up the crock. A plastic spout on front releases the water. We love it. The Ozarka delivery man has remained the same friendly guy all these years. When we are not home, he picks up our bottles and sets the new ones beside our back door. When we are here, he comes inside and changes out our water on the stand if we need it. The cooler is not electrical so our water is room temperature. We keep a pitcher full in the fridge during the warm months. We live out in the country so this arrangement works perfectly for us. We even have automatic bank draft so we don't have to mail in a monthly payment. This system may be a little more expensive but it's worth it. I completely trust this system and will continue being their customer!

We boguht the little counter top dispenser from Wal-Mart for around $40 it is FANTASTIC! It does hot and cold water and has a child's saftey feature on the hot water dispenser. VERY cool. Inexpensive and had held up well now for 3+ years. Still hot and still cold.

A. <><

Be careful about drinking only bottled water, though! There is usually no fluoride in it. If you only give your kids bottled water, you need to get a prescription for fluoride from your dentist.

We have hard, bad-tasting water and we have never regretted getting Culligan. The RO (reverse osmosis) water is the best. My children have drank more water in the past three years than I ever dreamed they would and they love it. In my area we pay around $60/mo for it (water softener and RO). I think you can get just the RO for drinking. Call them and see what it would cost. It's worth every penny and doesn't require those bulky 5 gal jugs sitting around and certainly isn't another item sitting in the kitchen taking up space. The stand-alone could get knocked over by your Ninja Turtle!

We have had an Avanti for a while now and have not had any problems with it. It has a cool and cold setting (we weren't interested in the hot function). It works great, is quiet, and the water is awesome. It was reasonably priced (don't remember exactly what we paid for it) and we are very happy with it. My husband usually does a lot of research before he decides on something :) and it paid off.

Hi R.,
A stand alone water cooler is just what it sounds like. There are advantages as well as disadvantages, depending on the size of the area you want to place the cooler, monthley cost, so you want a water service or are you going to go and refill these 5 gal water bottles yourself. If you have the space, money, and time it could be what you are looking for if you are going to use the water for drinking only. If you are a little short on space and/or cash, Britta makes several vvery affordable devices worth looking into. The tap connection from the kitchen sink, on top (at the spigot) or attached to the water supply underneath the sink are options. If you are looking for water just for drinking and mixing with powders etc...Britta has several size containers to be used with filters and pitchers. These small systems will filter the water as you pour it into the container. We have a great deal of sodium in our water and use the small fridge container. The filters are mot expensive and you can see what is being filtered out. Sometimes it shows me more than I need to know about. If your current water source is supplimented with floride and you choose a purifying system, yu might want to supplement your diet with some extra floride. I do not work for Britta, I have used and liked the product. Hope this helps answer some questions and dosen't create more. Good luck. S. S

I bought a Whirlpool brand cooler from Lowes. It also has a small refrigerator at the bottom which has come in handy at party time for storing extra drinks. You can buy the 3 gallon or 5 gallon jugs from Lowes or Albertsons and bring back the empty bottles and get discounts on new ones. I need my husband to place the 5 gallon jugs as they are too heavy for me to lift as high as necessary to place them on top. I also bought another Whirlpool cooler for the office, but without the refrigerator. They have hot or cold dispensers and the hot dispenser has a safety to prevent small children from burning themselves. I actually use the instant hot water more than the cold because I like hot tea. Also good for instant oatmeal or instant coffee etc.

Before committing to any more plastic in your home, I would recommend reading up on various plastics. Yahoo! and Reader's Digest have both had articles on plastics and water lately. Their bottom line recommendation was a filter for your tap water (whether on the faucet or a pitcher) and using stainless steel containers (like Klean Kanteen) for your out-and-about stuff.
hth
K. H

We have a very pretty water dispenser system from Whole Foods--a large ceramic crock that dispenses water and sits on top of a decorative metal stand. You can fill the crock and put its lid on, or turn a large water bottle upside down on top of it and leave it there till it's empty. They have both 3-gallon and 5-gallon water bottles. We bought 3 of the 3-gallon ones, which we keep refilling over there. The full bottles are expensive on the original purchase, but refills are quite affordable at only 39 cents a gallon. They have deionized water (more pure than distilled) and reverse osmosis water. I usually get a combination of the two.

Our whole family only drinks filtered water now and have for years, because of the delicious, cold, filtered water we get
from Rainfresh Water. Their number is ###-###-####. Tell them we sent you. It's filtered in numerous ways and you CAN taste the difference.

J. Gilchrist
Dallas, TX

have you thought about putting one of the PUR water filters on your tap? They work really good!
And they have favors in some of them now...

Hi R.,

Another way to go besides the stand up dispenser is to buy something like a Brita water filter pitcher. That way there is no water bottles to throw away and you alway have fresh water to drink. You can also put a filtration device on your kitchen sink.

We also have nasty tasting tap water where we live, so we have always had bottled water delivered to the house. For a long while we rented a cooler from them as well, but got tired of having problems with it. I bought a GE cooler with a refer on the bottom and love it. I have had it for at least 5 years and never had a problem with it. The kids keep their drinks in the refer part. It also has a hot water dispenser, with a safety knob to prevent accidents, and the kids like having hot chocolate when it is cold outside.

Get a water cooler if you like, but I've really enjoyed just have a pitcher type water filter. I used to buy filtered water, lugging bottle back and forth, and I've used the in-sink variety, changing the filters. I just really like teh filter kind: easy to use, easy to change filters, especially easy to tell when the filter NEEDS changing.

I knew a family of young children who used a floor model water cooler just to put tap water in so the children could reach water themselves. NOt a bad idea, just using a water cooler as a place to store water. But if you dont like lugging big bottle of water around, you won't like a big water cooler.

We have Ozarka delivered to our home. We purchased the cooler ourselves from Home Depot. We also did not like the taste of the water here. Ozarka has been very reliable and you can add a delivery or cancel a delivery online. Although we have been very happy with Ozarka we are getting ready to switch to a local person called the Wetvet. I have heard very positive feedback about them and they are a little less expensive.

A reverse osmosis (RO) system is the best choice. My husband has owned his own water business for about 20 years and is pretty much a water expert. You don't have to buy water. No one has to deliver to your home. They just require a filter change every year or so. They remove the most impurities far more than one you'd attach to your tap. You can rent them but I recommend buying, it is less expensive in the long run. If you can buy from a family owned business, you'll receive (usually) better customer service and they will change your filters for you. We live in Midland (West Tx) and the water here is pretty yucky, but with our RO the water is better than distilled. Best of luck to you!

I would have my water tested before i invested in a water dispenser. You might want to consider a filter system for you water also. Check into that, it might be a better option for you and you family. You can get one for you whole house or buy one that goes on you sind faucet. Good luck, I have a friend that her water is so bad it caused her daughter sickness from bathing. Again, it can't hurt to get you water checked, their should be a free service in you area.

I also bought a pretty ceramic crock from a water store here in The Colony. I also bought a nice wooden stand for it to sit on. And then I bought several PC#7 3 gal water jugs at the Abundant Life Health food store in Lewisville, off of Main street. You can also get them at Whole Foods and water stores. It costs between 25 cents to 39 cents a gallon to refill with reverse osmosis water. Again, you can get the water from health food stores and water stores. I fill up three or four 3-gal containers at a time, and then flip it on top of the ceramic crock and use as needed. So it's a bit costly up front (around $40-$50) but then it's really cheap to refill.... much cheaper than water bottles!

we use the big bottles of water and have for 15 years. i have a normal container not the hot and cold, which you can buy at sams club as serveal of my friends have they like them. our bottled water is from pepsi and the only water that tastes better is german tap water,haha. hope this helps. oh one thing you do not get floride in bottled watter so talk to dentist to paint the teeth. D.

You could opt instead for a purifier that fits under your sink. You can buy a reverse-osmosis purifier for about $300 or so. Then you aren't having to buy water, mess with bottles or storage or finding a place for a stand.

Hi R.!!!!

I have been an environmental scientist with a consulting firm for tooo long!!! I drink distilled water ONLY!!! It comes in a giant plastic bottle with a dispenser. And is recyclable!

Good day R.,
My name is K. and I wanted to respond to your delima. If you are consirned with the plastic issue then...don't do it at all. If your water is grose get a purifIer that attaches to your faucet.That way not plastic is used at all,and you and your family can go green.They have a new one that has flavors in the filter.I know beretta is a great one. I uses this one in my house.My daudgter loves it and it promotes healthy water intakes.Let me know what you have desided.

i have had one for a while and my entire family uses it. i love mine. We bought a GE Profile (we got ours from home depot but i'm sure you can get it elsewhere). We fill up our water bottle at our local walmart. The water taste clean and fresh. The feature i love about ours is it provides cold, room temp, & hot water (no need to boil water for hot chocolate or a cup of tea). The hot water has a safety feature that prevents little ones from using it, but is easy for us to manage quickly. It also has a compartment in the bottom that is a little fridge. it is great to store sodas or juice boxes. It will hold 12 sodas. And is available in black, white, and stainless look (which is what we have). I am a completely satisfied customer. And it is so much more cost effective and better for the enviroment than all those plastic bottles

Hi R.,

We too are Sparkletts fans! If you don't want to worry about schlepping bottles home (with kids in tow); you don't want to waste valuable refrigerator space with jugs of filtered water; you don't want the hassle of maintaining a store bought cooler, and you DO want hot and cold water at the touch of a button (I have even used the hot water to warm my baby's bottle on late nights, instead of waiting for a kettle to boil), we too would recommend Sparkletts! They have some really stylish stainless steel water coolers which look great to boot, and they will come and install your water cooler (as well as clean and maintain it) wherever you like. Then, all you have to do, is leave your empty bottles out to be replaced with full bottles on delivery day, and voila! you have a constant supply of fresh, healthy, great tasting water. They even provide you with little sticky notes, so if you're not home, you can leave a Sparkletts note for the driver for any special requests. Sparkletts: 1-800-492-8377 or www.water.com (they have a fully interactive web-site for set up, service inquiries and payment). When we signed-up, we got two Free 5-gallon bottles PLUS a whole case of 250ml bottles (great to take on the go -- and, for your boys if they are in sports) with cooler rental and purchase of your first two bottles. Hope this helps.

Hi R. -

I am not sure if you had ever thought about just getting a PUR water filter that attaches to your faucet. It filters the tap water and is inexpensive to purchase. I purchased one last summer (June) and we only use it to fill up water jugs that I keep in the fridge for purified water. I have only changed the filter once(retails for about $14), and the filter itself only cost me $11 up front, first filter included. I think it retails for $16, I had a $5 off coupon! It seems that they are lasting on average about 3-4 months. It works great, and you don't have to have the added expense of buying those large water bottles, or worry about keeping the cooler clean, etc. Just my thoughts.

Thanks,

I totally agree with the tap water tasting nasty lately. I think it taste like soil. THis might be a very expensive alternative but it was my solution. We bought a new refrigerator with filtered water and ice on the door. We needed a new frig anyways.