A plumbed-in dispenser connects to your cold water line, filters the water and serves it chilled, hot or sparkling from a tap on top of the unit. A water filtration and dispenser system means no bottles to order, store or carry, and no running out on a Friday afternoon. It suits offices, clinics, restaurants, schools and homes with a cold water point nearby. Tell us your site and suppliers in your area quote you directly, to buy or to rent. The request is free and carries no obligation.
How a plumbed-in unit works
A small pipe takes cold water from the supply to the dispenser. On the way it passes through one or more filter cartridges, usually sediment and carbon, and sometimes a reverse osmosis or UV stage. The unit then chills the water, heats some of it and serves it from separate taps. Some models also add carbonation from a gas cylinder.
Because the water comes from your own supply, the result is only as good as that supply and the filters. A site on a borehole should have the water tested first, and may need a borehole filtration stage upstream. Read more about reverse osmosis if the water is salty or hard.
What to check on site
The installer needs three things within reach:
- A cold water point with an isolation valve, close to the unit.
- A 230 V plug socket, and a drain or waste pipe if the model has a drip tray or reject line.
- Enough water pressure. Low pressure from a tank on the roof or a weak borehole pump can mean slow flow, so a booster pump may be needed.
A plumber's call-out is usually about R500 to R850, and the dispenser supplier may include a standard install in the quote. Ask exactly what the install covers, because extra pipe, a new valve or drilling through a counter are often charged on top.
Costs to compare
Plumbed-in units are more expensive to buy than bottle dispensers, which is why many are rented by the month with filter changes and servicing included. Over time you save the cost of bottles, delivery and storage. Compare the monthly fee, the contract length, how often filters are replaced, and who pays for repairs. Prices are quoted per site, since pipe runs and filter stages differ. For a smaller option, see countertop dispensers.
Keeping it safe and running
Filters do not last forever. Sediment and carbon cartridges are often changed every six months, and sooner on dirty water, and a unit that is not serviced can end up serving worse water than the tap. Ask for a service schedule in writing, and for the dispenser to be sanitised at each visit. See dispenser filters for what to expect.
What to include in your request
- How many people will drink from it daily
- Where the cold water point and plug are
- Municipal, tank or borehole water
- Chilled, hot or sparkling wanted
- Buy or rent, and servicing included
Plumbed-In Water Dispensers for different sites
- Households: a mains-fed dispenser beside the kitchen sink, so the family never carries or orders a bottle
- Offices and business parks: one or more rented plumbed-in units in the tea room, serviced and filter-changed on a schedule
- Schools, crèches and colleges: mains-fed drinking points in the staffroom and hall, with the filter changed in the school holidays
- Clinics, practices and care homes: a filtered, plumbed-in dispenser in the waiting room, sanitised at every service visit
- Lodges, hotels, restaurants and events: chilled and sparkling water from a plumbed-in unit in the bar, lounge or breakfast room
- Factories, mines and building sites: a mains-fed unit in the canteen of a factory or workshop, with a sediment filter for dirty water
- Shops, gyms and refill stations: a plumbed-in cooler for staff and customers in a gym, salon or showroom, with no bottles to store
- Farms, smallholdings and villages: a dispenser fed from a treated borehole or farm tank, after a water test and a suitable filter
Frequently asked questions
What does a plumbed-in water dispenser cost?
Do you install plumbed-in dispensers?
Can I connect one to borehole water?
Does it work during load shedding or a water cut?
Plumbed-In Water Dispensers 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