A water cooler for office use has to keep up with a full staff at ten o'clock and again after lunch, without leaks, noise or a flat bottle nobody replaces. Offices in South Africa also lean on dispensers when the municipal supply is off for maintenance or the building tank runs dry. The right choice depends on headcount, floor layout and whether you want bottles or a plumbed-in unit. Send one request and suppliers in your area quote you directly. It is free and there is no obligation.
Sizing a cooler to your headcount
A common rule of thumb is about one and a half to two litres per person per working day. An office of 30 staff therefore needs roughly 45 to 60 litres a day, which is two to three 18.9 litre bottles. One dispenser can serve around 20 to 30 people if it has a compressor for chilling, but queues form at peak times, so larger offices put a unit on each floor or in each kitchen. Count visitors and meeting rooms too. The quote form on this page does the sum from your staff numbers.
Bottle, bottom-loading or plumbed-in
The three common choices for offices are:
- Top-loading bottle cooler: lowest cost, but someone lifts a 19 kg bottle overhead.
- Bottom-loading cooler: the bottle sits in a cabinet, which is tidier and safer for staff. See bottom-loading dispensers.
- Plumbed-in cooler: connected to the cold water line with a filter, so there are no bottles to store. See plumbed-in dispensers.
Plumbed-in units suit offices with a water point close by and 20 or more staff. Bottles suit smaller or older premises.
Placement, power and hygiene
Put the cooler where staff already gather, away from direct sun and with a plug within reach. Leave a gap behind it for airflow, because compressor units run hot and cool poorly when squeezed against a wall. If the building has load shedding, ask how long the water stays cold with the power off. Hygiene counts in a shared space: agree who changes bottles, and book regular cleaning so the taps and reservoir stay fresh.
Buying or renting for the office
Many offices rent, so that the supplier handles delivery, sanitising and repairs for one monthly fee. See water dispenser rental for what to ask. Whichever route you take, get quotes in the same format: unit type, bottles per month, delivery day, service visits and notice period. Pricing is quoted per site, so give every supplier your headcount, floor layout and whether you need hot water for tea and coffee.
What to include in your request
- Number of staff and floors
- Hot water for tea and coffee or cold only
- Bottle, bottom-loading or plumbed-in
- Where the cooler will stand: plug and water point
- The suburb, business park or building
Office Water Coolers for different sites
- Households: a home office cooler with a small bottle so you stop refilling jugs from the tap
- Offices and business parks: one cooler per floor or kitchen, sized to staff numbers, with bottles delivered weekly
- Schools, crèches and colleges: a staffroom cooler and an admin office unit, with bottles delivered during term time
- Clinics, practices and care homes: a reception and staff room cooler, sanitised on a documented schedule
- Lodges, hotels, restaurants and events: a back-of-house cooler for staff and a unit in the conference room
- Factories, mines and building sites: a cooler in the site office and canteen, sized for shift changes
- Shops, gyms and refill stations: a cooler in the staff room or back office, small enough for tight floor space
- Farms, smallholdings and villages: an office cooler at a farm or depot where municipal water is unreliable or absent
Frequently asked questions
How many water coolers does an office need?
Should an office choose bottled or plumbed-in water?
Can an office cooler give hot water for tea?
Do you supply office water coolers?
Office Water Coolers by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg