Choosing a Water Cooler for Your Home or Office

If you’re in the market for a water cooler in Chicago, Dennis Friedrichs of Chicagoland Water Conditioning & Purification in Morton Grove, Illinois, can help. Many people associate the idea of a water cooler with a freestanding unit that delivers chilled or heated water from a replaceable plastic bottle. But are these systems the only options available? “Not by a long shot,” says Friedrichs. According to Friedrichs, water coolers have come a long way in recent years, and systems that rely on bottled water are soon to be a thing of the past. Friedrichs says that plumbed-in drinking water systems are not only more effective than bottled water coolers, but also more environmentally responsible and much more cost effective.

Is Bottled Better?

Many people assume that water delivered in plastic bottles is cleaner or more healthful than water that comes from the tap. “That’s not necessarily true,” says Friedrichs. “Some bottled water isn’t any better for you than tap water, and people are starting to finally realize that.” Unless the water that comes from your delivery service is labeled “purified” or “filtered,” it likely contains many of the same contaminants that are commonly found in tap water. Those contaminants could include chlorine (commonly used in the municipal water treatment process), heavy metals like lead, and biological contaminants (bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses).

By contrast, says Friedrichs, his company offers drinking water systems that are the perfect alternative to bottled water. “Our systems deliver the same convenience - instant hot and cold water - as a freestanding water cooler, but with the added benefit of a sophisticated filtration system. The water quality is actually much better than bottled.”

Environmental and Health Concerns

Over the past few years, says Friedrichs, it has become more and more apparent that Americans’ obsession with bottled water is contributing to an already out-of-control waste management problem. Unfortunately, he says, only about 15% of plastic water bottles are recycled, and discarded water bottles have become the leading cause of plastic pollution in the U.S. Furthermore, the energy required to produce and distribute enough bottled water to satisfy our seemingly unquenchable thirst requires substantial expenditures of fossil fuels and contributes to ozone depletion.

The bottles themselves present health concerns, Friedrichs says in reference to recent reports that some types of plastic bottles may actually allow a certain toxin called Bisphenol A (BPA) to leach into the water inside, particularly if such bottles are re-used or inadvertently heated by being left in a warm car.

Thanks to these concerns and a growing understanding that bottled water may not even be more healthful than water from the tap, says Friedrichs, some major cities, including Chicago, have begun to ban the use of public funds for bottled water. “It’s just wasteful,” says Friedrichs, “and people are beginning to realize that the problems associated with bottled water outweigh the potential benefits.”

Cost Savings and Convenience

“Not only are bottled water coolers environmentally irresponsible, they’re also incredibly expensive,” says Friedrichs. The systems used by Chicagoland Water Conditioning & Purification, he says, offer a savings of between 35% and 70% over bottled water. “The amount you save depends on how much water you use. The more water you go through on a daily basis at home or in the office, the more you’ll save with a plumbed-in system.”

The added convenience of getting hot and cold drinking water directly from the faucet is another benefit, says Friedrichs. “With a plumbed-in system, there are no heavy bottles to lift, no storage issues and no need to worry whether you’ll run out before the next delivery.” Friedrichs explains that his company’s contracts with businesses include replacing water cooler filters every six to 12 months, depending on use. “So you’ll always have access to clean, healthy, great tasting water for hot or cold beverages in an instant,” he says.