By now, you’ve probably figured out, unless you’re reading ahead, that I recommend filtered water instead of bottled. There are lots of reasons for this. It’s cleaner, less headache, better for the environment and more cost effective. Below are my picks for the various needs you may have.
All the units below come complete with an install kit that includes everything you will need to install your cooler, PLUS one filter which is good for 1,200 gallons or one year. Which ever comes first.
As far as filter changes go, as a general rule of thumb, in home, you’ll want to change your filter at least once a year depending on usage, same with the faucet filter above. In any other application, I recommend changing once every 6 months if you have 25 or fewer people using the cooler. If you have MORE than 25 to 35 people, you’ll need to change filters every 6 months. If you have more than 35 people, For example, a large retail situation where you may have 75+ people “on the clock” at any give time, you will need two coolers for sure, and change the filter every 6 months on each cooler. Trust me. 🙂
HOME USE
For the home, if you DO NOT already have a refrigerator that filters water, and dispenses cold filtered water and ice, then all you may want is an auxiliary line filtered that feeds an auxiliary faucet at your sink. For about $130, if you install it yourself, you can have room temperature filtered water at your finger tips. This wouldn’t be MY personal choice, but some folks I’ve found want this for various reasons. This will supply the same quality, filtered water as a Bottleless Cooler would, it’s just not heated or cooled like a Bottleless Cooler would supply. If you want a pro to install this, then add another $199. That’s $329, but when compared to the average yearly cost most folks spend on bottled water, $2 per day, and you’re SAVING over $400 your first year, and if you only replace your filter once a year, you’re saving $660. yearly after that. NO BRAINER! AND don’t forget, the water is actually CLEANER than the water your paying all that money for in the bottles.
This option would get the filter installed under the cabinet, on the waterline that serves this faucet.
If you want your filtered water to be heated, for instant coffee, soup, or tea, then you’re going to want a water cooler. You COULD go with a “Bottled” water cooler, but I don’t recommend those for several reasons that I’ll go into later. For home use, I like either the Denali, or the Mini sold by the folks at XO Water/Bottleless. If you have the counter space, the Mini is a GREAT choice for home use. Because you want to keep your cooler close to the water source ANYWAY, and it looks nice on the counter. The Mini does exactly the same thing as the Denali, it’s just smaller and it is less visually obtrusive. It heats AND cools the water so that you have ice-cold and HOT filtered water at your finger tips. Even folks who have a refrigerator that filters water buy these because it’s super nice to be able to make a cup of Ramon noodles, tea or coffee etc. without firing up the stove, and its filtered purified water.
On this cooler, the filter is installed under cabinet, on the waterline that serves the cooler.
The other option I recommend for home use, is the Denali, looks nice, does the exact same thing as the Mini, but it sits on the floor.
You have the option of installing the filter internally on this cooler however, I recommend installing it externally, on the back of the cooler or anywhere on the waterline that serves the cooler all the way back to the source, even under a sink in the cabinet which is usually where you would have connected to the water source.
Both of these options will cost you about $390, plus another $199 if you want a pro to install it, (which I suggest you do) for a total cost of approximately $590. Think about THIS, if you’re spending approximately $730 per year on bottled water (just 2 bottles a day) you’ll STILL save $140 your very first year!! Then the really EXCITING part is, you still save over $400 every hear thereafter when only changing the filter once a year, which should be plenty often enough, unless you have 10 kids. 😉 AND it’s a nice LOOKING appliance either model you choose.
OFFICE
For the office we’re looking at a whole other set of considerations. If you have a small office with 10 or fewer people, with the occasional Client or Customer coming in to visit, then the two choices above are the same here for the office. Either the Denali or the Mini (seen above) You don’t have a lot of volume, but you still want it to look nice for your Clients/Customers. IF you are in an office environment where you don’t have visitors, still less than 10 people working in the office then you may consider the Peak Model cooler.
The filter is installed EXTERNAL on this unit, which means it can be installed on the back of the cooler, or anywhere on the waterline serving the cooler all the way back to the source, even under a sink in the cabinet which is usually where you would have it connected to the water source.
If you have MORE than 10 people in your office, or the public will have access to your water cooler, then you’re going to want the more heavy-duty Everest model cooler. The Everest has a higher capacity, a faster recovery time, and is more durable but STILL looks nice. The Cost of the Everest is $479 and again, to have a Pro install it, add another $199 for a total of $678.
(my STOP WASTING MONEY RANT) Folks, if you have an office, with a BOTTLED water cooler, you’re most likely renting that cooler AND paying for the big 5 gallon jugs of water, that get REFILLED, after sanitizing of course, at least that’s what they SAY, and I don’t have to tell you what you’re paying yearly for that service, (but I will) and, someone in your office has to lift those heavy jugs every time you run out of water. Trust me, whoever does that job HATES IT! YOU pay the BIG bill for the water and the rental fee, and YOU hate THAT! Here’s the breakdown on the cost of renting a water cooler.
- Bottled water coolers typically rent for between $30 and $50 a month, PLUS an additional $6 to $9 per bottle a month. There may also be delivery fees every time new bottles are dropped off.
- Bottleless point of use coolers usually charge a rental fee of $35 to $40 a month+ and can cut back on expenses since there are no bottle fees to pay.
Any way you slice it, at the end of year one after buying a bottleless water cooler, you have SAVED MONEY. REAL money. And starting on year two, you’ve saved A LOT OF MONEY!!
Just like with your home, OWNING IS ALWAYS BETTER. Anyway, here’s the Everest. RANT OVER. 🙂
The filter is INTERNAL on in this model which is nice.
WAREHOUSE
In a warehouse type setting, it doesn’t need to be pretty BUT, it DOES need to be durable so I would recommend one Everest model cooler for every 25 people you have on the clock at any given time, OR one cooler for about every 50,000sf, which ever is greater. The installation part of installing in a warehouse is going to run you about $400 per cooler if you’re in a setting where you have super high ceilings and have no choice but to go overhead with the waterway. So, you’re looking at about $879 per cooler. And guess what? You’ll STILL SAVE MONEY. The good folks at QVC, Zulilly and Sephora can attest to this. I’ve installed bottleless coolers for all of these big companies, and they’ve never looked back and are EXTREMELY happy with their choice.
RETAIL
Retail settings are the same, but for a different reason. I can tell you unequivocally, you’ll be happiest with the Everest. Because of the high employee turnover rate, shift change times when you have a bulk of folks showing up at the same time, staff meetings etc. The Everest is the way to go. You’ll need the durability and the quick recovery time this cooler offers.
