In modern Canadian homes and workplaces, easy access to clean hot and cold water makes your life healthier, safer and productive by enhancing your hydrating habits. A lot of systems can provide you with easy access to water, but not all systems provide you with the convenience to clean water of your own choice.
Two types of systems you can use in your Canadian homes and offices for easy access to water. A water cooler is a system that provides you with only cold and chilled water. In contrast, an Oaks water dispenser is a hygienic, cost-effective, and eco-friendly system that provides you with filtered and clean hot and cold water or water at room temperature.
What Is a Water Cooler?
Water coolers are the traditional bottled water systems that take water from the bottle and dispense it to provide chilled and cold water for keeping you hydrated in homes and offices. Some of the modern water coolers also provide hot water by using an additional heat mechanism.
Water coolers use a cooling and heating mechanism to provide you with water at the temperature of your choice. Water coolers are specifically used in places where you need mostly cold and chilled refreshing water, like offices, schools, gyms, and waiting rooms, etc.
The bottle water coolers are of two types, depending on the bottle placement:
- Top-load water cooler, which carries the bottle on the top of the system unit
- Bottom-load water cooler, a modern system that carries the bottle in a cabinet inside the unit
Key Features of Water Coolers
- Water coolers use 3–5 gallon bottles to provide you with a good water supply.
- It provides chilled water, and some of the modern systems also provide hot water.
- It requires bottle refilling and replacement.
- You need storage space to store the spare bottles.
- It is more suitable for temporary setups, so you can replace it whenever you want.
What Is a Water Dispenser?
An Oaks water dispenser is a system specifically designed to provide you with hot, cold and water at room temperature from one tap.
It could be of two types:
- A bottled water dispenser is a system that uses bottled water and dispenses it at the desired temperature.
- A bottleless water dispenser is a water system that is directly connected to the water line to provide a continuous water supply of clean, hot and cold water.
Now, most of the modern Oaks water dispensers are bottleless systems that are more hygienic as they filter the water through built-in filtration technologies like Reverse Osmosis, carbon filtration or UV purification and then dispense the water to provide hot and cold water in homes, offices, hotels and industries where hot and cold water is in demand.
Key Features of Bottleless Water Dispensers
- A bottleless water dispenser provides its consumers with an unlimited water supply.
- It provides better filtered water by removing all the contaminants before dispensing it.
- It saves your money and efforts by reducing the hassle of refilling and replacing the bottles.
- It is an eco-friendly solution as it reduces plastic waste.
- It is a modern and space-saving system, as you don’t need any extra space to store bottles.
Water Dispenser vs. Water Cooler – Key Differences
Water dispensers and water cooler are differed from each other on the basis of water source, filtration processes, water supply, environmental impact, cost and the water temperature they provide you:
1. Water Source and Supply
Most of the water dispensers come with bottleless convenience, and it is directly attached to the water line and provides you with an unlimited water supply. In contrast, a water cooler takes water from a water bottle, and you may run out of water.
2. Filtration & Water Quality
Oaks water dispenser filters the water through the in-built six-stage filtration processes and provides cleaner, healthier and hotel-quality water. In contrast, water dispensers don’t provide any filtration in the system.
Most of the water dispensers use the following built-in filter in the system unit:
| Filtration Type | Removes |
|---|---|
| Carbon Filter | Chlorine & odor |
| RO Filtration | Heavy metals & impurities |
| UV Purification | Bacteria & viruses |
3. Hygiene & Safety
Oaks hygienic and touchless water dispenser ensures the hygiene and safety of its consumers by providing them with UV sanitation systems. On the other hand, water coolers have a bottle contamination risk along with the germ buildup in bottles.
4. Environmental Impact
Bottleless water dispensers support ESG and sustainability goals by reducing plastic waste and carbon footprint. Whereas, bottled water coolers produce plastic bottle waste and cause risk to the environment.
5. Cost Comparison
In a long-run water cooler is more expensive than the water dispenser as it has higher operational costs than the water dispenser. For a workplace view, compare bottleless and bottled water coolers.
| Expenses | Water Cooler | Water Dispenser |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Cost (System unit) | Lower | Moderate |
| Monthly Cost | High | Low |
| Water Deliveries | Required | Not needed |
| Maintenance Cost | High (for changing bottles) | Moderate (for Filter replacement) |
| Long-Term Savings | Lower | High |
A Quick Comparison- Bottled Water Cooler vs. Bottleless Water Dispenser
| Feature | Water Cooler (Bottled) | Water Dispenser (Bottleless/Plumbed) |
|---|---|---|
| Water Source | 3-5 gallon bottles | Direct water line |
| Filtration | None | Advanced (RO, carbon, UV) |
| Supply | Limited | Unlimited supply |
| Maintenance | Frequent bottle changes and refilling | Filters replacement every 6-12 months |
| Environmental Impact | High plastic waste | Eco-friendly, No bottles |
| Long-Term Cost | Higher | Lower |
| Hygiene | Open reservoir risks, bottle contamination | Closed and touchless system, UV-sanitized |
| Installation | Plug-and-play | Plumbing needed |
| Best For | Small offices, gyms (where you need only limited cold water) | Modern workplaces, homes, offices, Gyms, schools, hotels, and hospitals |
| Water Options (temperature) | Cold and sometimes hot | Hot, cold, and room-temperature |
Pros and Cons of Water Coolers
Like every system and appliance, a water cooler also has some pros and cons:
Pros of Water Coolers
- You can install it easily; you don’t need any professional installation.
- It is a smaller and portable system.
- It is good for temporary use.
- You need no plumbing to install it.
Cons of Water Coolers
- It is very expensive over time.
- It produces plastic waste.
- It provides a limited water supply of cold water.
- You need extra space for bottle storage.
- It is very risky due to refilling and replacement of bottles.
Pros and Cons of Water Dispensers
Like a water cooler, a water dispenser also has some pros and cons:
Pros of Water Dispensers
- You can get an unlimited supply of filtered water by using a water dispenser.
- It is an eco-friendly solution for staying hydrated.
- It has very low operational costs
- It has a lot of modern features, like it can give you cleaner and healthier water at any temperature of your choice
- You can get better water taste due to the built-in filter in the water dispenser system.
Cons of Water Dispensers
- It may have a higher upfront installation cost
- It requires some plumbing connections.
- You need to change the filters periodically.
Which Option Is Better for Your Workplace?
Every workplace needs the best water supply for its employees for their better health and to increase their productivity. It is highly dependent on the office type and your needs that you should install a water dispenser or water cooler:
| Workplace | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Small Temporary Office | Water Cooler |
| Corporate Office | Bottleless Water Dispenser |
| Healthcare Facility | Touchless Water Dispenser |
| Gym | High-capacity Water Dispenser |
| Restaurant | Filtered Water Dispenser |
It is highly recommended for the busiest workplaces to contact Oaks professionals for tailoring a system according to your needs and for long-term savings and sustainability.
Signs to Upgrade from a Water Cooler to a Water Dispenser
Some signs tell you that you need to upgrade from a water cooler to a water dispenser:
- Rising bottled water costs monthly
- Frequent bottle refilling and replacements
- Limited space for water bottle storage
- Your focus on ESG and sustainability goals
- You have hygiene and safety concerns
- You are running out of water often
- Having high monthly bottle delivery bills
Final Thoughts: Water Dispenser vs Water Cooler
Water coolers are suitable for providing you with cold water in smaller setups and at places where you need a low supply of water. On the other hand, the Oaks water dispenser is the better long-term cost-saving solution for the filtered, cleaner, healthier and hotel-quality hot and cold water supply.
If you are a sustainability-focused business owner, it is recommended that you contact Oaks professionals for installing a tailored NSF-approved water dispenser system with a 20+ year warranty.
