| According to the Pacific Institute, in 2008, 53% of | | | | Defense Council about 25% of U.S. bottled water |
| Americans were worried a great deal about | | | | sold is purified city water. |
| pollution of drinking water (Top Environmental | | | | Most water coolers have cold and room |
| Concerns of the American Public: Selected Years, | | | | temperature water dispensing; more expensive |
| 1997-2008). | | | | units have a heater. Here are the types available: |
| If you don't trust your city water, you do have a | | | | Cold-Only Units: These units dispense either cold |
| couple of choices: filter your water at Point of | | | | water only. They use a refrigeration unit to keep |
| Use; or purchase bottled water. With bottled | | | | the water cold. |
| water, you can buy cases of little plastic bottles, | | | | Hot-and-Cold Units: These units dispense both hot |
| contributing to landfill problems. Or, you can have | | | | and cold water. Some units may even have a |
| chilled, ready to drink spring water from a cooler | | | | third tap for room-temperature water. These |
| which holds 5 gallons of great tasting water. | | | | models have an electric heater and a refrigeration |
| A water cooler is a freestanding device that cools | | | | cycle. |
| water for drinking. This includes both bottled and | | | | Cook-and-Cold Units: These units dispense both |
| bottle-less water coolers. | | | | cold and room-temperature water, the latter |
| Most floor mounted water coolers are around 3' | | | | primarily for use for cooking, hence the "cook" |
| high. However, there are table-top models also | | | | part of the title (no, the water isn't cooked in the |
| available on the market, if you have room on | | | | cooler!) |
| your counter top or table. | | | | How hard is it to maintain one of these units? Not |
| There are basically two different types of water | | | | hard at all. |
| coolers available on the market: | | | | To clean your water cooler, follow these |
| Bottled-Water cooler: This cooler dispenses water | | | | instructions: |
| from a removable plastic (or rarely, glass) bottle | | | | -Unplug cord from electrical outlet of cooler. |
| commonly positioned on top of the unit. Most | | | | -Remove the empty bottle from your cooler. |
| bottles are 5 gallons, but 3 gallon bottles are also | | | | -Prepare a disinfecting solution by adding one |
| available on the market. | | | | tablespoon of household bleach to one gallon of |
| Point Of Use water cooler: This cooler connects | | | | water. Other disinfecting solutions may be suitable. |
| to your city supplied water system, and holds the | | | | Some people have had good results with a |
| water chilled, ready for drinking. Also called a | | | | combination vinegar/water mixture. However, I |
| bottle-less cooler, there are filtered and unfiltered | | | | personally use bleach. You just have to be careful |
| units available. | | | | to rinse it extremely well afterwards! |
| And there are two different types of bottled | | | | -Pour the bleach solution into the reservoir. |
| water available: | | | | -Wash reservoir thoroughly with bleach solution |
| Spring water, the most popular. Spring water is | | | | and let stand for not less than two minutes so as |
| generally defined as groundwater that flows | | | | to be effective. |
| naturally and discharges to the land surface or into | | | | -Drain bleach/disinfection solution from reservoir |
| a stream, river, or lake. About 75% of bottled | | | | through faucets. |
| water sold in the U.S. comes from natural | | | | -Rinse reservoir thoroughly with clean tap water, |
| underground sources, which include rivers, lakes, | | | | draining water through faucets, to remove traces |
| springs and artesian wells, according to the FDA. | | | | of the bleach/disinfection solution. Repeat at the |
| Purified water, which may have been purified by | | | | very least, four times. |
| any one of a number of methods, may have | | | | -Lift off the drip tray under the faucets and wash |
| started out as plain old city water. The most | | | | the tray in mild detergent. |
| popular method for this water to be purified | | | | -Rinse well in clean tap water and replace on |
| include reverse osmosis, de-ionization, and | | | | cooler. |
| distillation; various methods of filtration may also | | | | -Place new bottle of spring water or purified |
| be used, depending on the bottler. According to a | | | | water on cooler. |
| four-year study by the Natural Resources | | | | Now enjoy your fresh, clean, chilled water! |