Guide to Drinking Fountains

Find the right commercial water coolers and water drinking fountains to quench your thirst

By Rodney Ruff

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Water is essential to life. It covers 71 percent of Earth’s surface and constitutes 55 to 60 percent of the adult human body; 78 percent of an infant’s body is water. Humans can go three weeks without food, but only three days without water. A regular supply of clean, potable water is important for survival; the first drinking fountain was invented out of a concern for children’s well-being.

Drinking fountains provide a convenient supply of water to thirsty people away from home, eliminating the need to carry water around. Drinking fountains also provide an excuse to get away from one’s desk for brief periods of time and an impromptu gathering place for short meetings "around the water cooler."

Drinking fountains are available in the following styles:

Box-shaped freestanding or wall-mounted units that touch the floor. Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, this style is decreasing in popularity.
Pedestal-mounted units, commonly called "bubblers" in some parts of the country, some of which feature multiple fountains at different heights.
Wall-mounted water coolers designed with clearance for wheelchairs. (Some include built-in chillers, while others require a separate water chiller.)
Recessed-mount wall units designed to provide side-to-side clearance in narrow and high-traffic areas.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Drink with a drinking fountain provider you trust

In business, brand name and reputation are key selling points for products. The same is true for drinking fountain providers, many of whom base their reputation on the purity of the water their units provide, as well as function and style.

I recommend: Elkay offers the broadest line of commercial water coolers and drinking water fountains under its self-named and Halsey Taylor lines, with features like a No Lead design and its Filtrex water-filtering system. Markstaar sells electric water coolers made by Haws Corporation, whose founder, Luther Haws, invented the drinking fountain in 1909.

Place the water where it's needed with outdoor and indoor drinking fountains

Moses provided water for the Israelites in the desert by striking a rock. People today have to settle for less miraculous methods, but drinking fountain providers offer units that can bring forth water anywhere a supply line can be laid.

I recommend: Discount Crowd Control offers outdoor drinking fountains for sale in vandal-resistant concrete and replicas of nostalgic cast-iron bubblers, as well as floor- and wall-mounted indoor drinking fountains in several shapes and styles. Limpia Water deals in four major brands – Elkay, Halsey Taylor, Haws and Oasis – and features design, brand and price comparisons of its products and shipping anywhere within the contiguous United States.

Drink in a good deal

With the number of quality drinking fountain products available, many drinking fountain providers offer free shipping or other services in an effort to clinch the deal.

I recommend: Markstaar offers free shipping on four or more of its commercial water fountains purchased anywhere in the continental United States. Discount Crowd Control offers free shipping on three or more drinking water fountains and chillers.

Keep the water flowing

There's nothing more annoying to a thirsty person than a drinking fountain marked "out of order." Keep your bubbler bubbling with quality replacement parts.

I recommend: IraWoods.com offers a complete line of parts and accessories for the Elkay water fountains it sells. DrinkingFountainDoctor.com sells commercial water fountains from Elkay, Halsey Taylor and Oasis and offers a searchable database of replacement parts for its units.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Consider the placement of the drinking fountain as well as its design before purchasing. Drinking fountains should be placed where everyone has easy access to the unit without being in other people's way while slaking their thirst.

The official source of Drinking Fountains is the Drinking Fountains page at Business.com

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