Water Dispenser Maintenance: A Routine That Works

The dispenser that has stood in the corner of the office for years is used every day; but nobody takes on its maintenance. No one remembers when its filters were changed, the drip tray is usually full, and even though the taste of the water has changed over time nobody notices. The source of the problem is a simple assumption: that a dispenser is a “fit it, switch it on, forget it” appliance. Yet maintaining a water dispenseris the basic work that keeps the performance of the unit and the quality of the water going.

In this guide we take up which parts of a dispenser call for maintenance, which operations the user can carry out, which fall within the scope of technical service, and how to set up a maintenance plan in a business. The aim is not to create anxiety but to define a regular, workable routine.

Why Is Maintaining a Water Dispenser Necessary?

Maintaining a water dispenser keeps the filters doing their job and the surfaces the water touches clean. Done regularly, the performance of the unit is preserved and the taste and odour of the water stay steady. Neglected, problems such as a change in taste, a drop in flow and a loss of efficiency appear.

From outside a dispenser looks like a simple appliance. Yet inside it there is a filter line, a reservoir, cooling and heating units and the internal lines the water passes through. Every one of those components is in regular contact with water.

The first aim of maintenance is to preserve performance. When the filters have used up their capacity they stop removing taste and odour; the user usually notices that as “the water tastes different”. The second aim is keeping the surfaces clean; when the parts the water touches are cleaned regularly, hygienic use is maintained.

For a general framework on preserving water quality inside a building, the US Environmental Protection Agency guidance on maintaining water quality in buildings can be consulted; the source stresses the importance of regular maintenance at points of use.

The Parts a Dispenser’s Water Touches

In a dispenser the water passes through five main parts: the inlet line and the filters, the reservoir or tank, the cooling and heating units, the internal lines, and finally the tap and the drip tray. A maintenance plan should cover those five parts; cleaning only the visible surfaces is not enough.

Knowing the parts explains why maintenance involves different operations:

Those parts have different maintenance needs. The tap and the drip tray want daily attention; the filters call for periodic renewal; the internal lines and the reservoir fall within the scope of technical work.

A correct maintaining a water dispenser plan observes that distinction. Not confusing what the user can do with what calls for a service engineer protects both the unit and the warranty.

Changing the Filters on a Treated Dispenser

On mains-connected treated models there are sediment, activated carbon and, on some systems, membrane stages. Those stages stop doing their job once they have used up their capacity. The interval for changing varies with the intensity of use and the quality of the inlet water; the period in the unit’s manual should be taken as the basis.

Filters do not show their saturation from outside. The water keeps flowing, the unit looks as though it is working normally; but the stage may no longer be removing taste and odour.

So the monitoring is done with a calendar. The most practical method is to record the date of the change and plan the next period in advance. On office and business dispensers in heavy use that record is more critical still.

We took up in detail how the stages work and how to read the signs for changing them in our filter change guide . When the time comes, a spare filter set suited to the stage layout.

Renewing the filters is the only regular consumable operation in maintaining a water dispenser . Where the other headings are cleaning and checking, that item calls for a change of material.

Figure 1: The parts a dispenser’s water passes through and the maintenance points

Why Does Maintenance Matter More With Treated Water?

In mains water there is a residue of chlorine kept up along the distribution line. Because that residue is largely removed after treatment, biological build-up can form further along the line. That is a technical fact and it explains why periodic cleaning should not be neglected.

This section is the most misunderstood part of the subject, so it is worth being measured and clear. Chlorine residue is there in the mains for a purpose: it keeps the water protected along the line. The carbon stage removes that residue and so solves the taste and odour problem.

But the same operation also removes the element that protects the water further along the line. So in the parts after the treatment — the reservoir, the internal lines and the tap — regular cleaning becomes more decisive.

That is not a disadvantage of treatment; it is a natural result of how the system works and is managed with the right maintenance routine. We took up why the chlorine is removed and its effect on taste in our chlorine taste and odour article .

Cleaning the Tap, the Drip Tray and the Outer Surfaces

The spout, the drip tray and the outer surfaces are the parts touched most often. Those parts are cleaned in daily and weekly routines; the drip tray should be emptied and washed regularly. Before the work the unit should be unplugged and, where necessary, the water inlet closed.

That group is the only area of maintenance the user can carry out alone, and done regularly it makes a marked difference.

A workable routine is set up like this:

Materials that will scratch the surface should be avoided during cleaning. On which cleaning product to use, the guidance in the unit’s manual should govern; products not stated in the manual should not be chosen.

The drip tray matters in particular. A tray left full both creates a risk of overflowing and, when it is not emptied regularly, becomes a problem for cleanliness. On office dispensers in heavy use that should be part of the daily routine.

Cleaning the Reservoir and the Internal Lines

Cleaning the reservoir and the internal lines is a technical operation calling for the unit to be taken apart. So it should be done by an authorised technical service. A user attempting it alone can damage the unit, cause a leak and affect the warranty cover.

This is the heading in this article that most needs a clear warning. Cleaning the tap and the outer surfaces and cleaning the internal lines are entirely different in scope.

Work on the internal parts calls for opening the panel of the unit, separating the lines and making the reservoir accessible. At that stage the electrical components, sensors and fittings are exposed; a wrong move can do permanent damage.

The division of work between the user and the service engineer can be summed up like this:

That distinction also makes the practical side of maintaining a water dispenser should be made clear from the outset when it is planned. The left column is the daily routine; the right column falls within the scope of periodic service.

Maintaining the Cooling and Heating Units

The efficiency of the cooling unit depends on the cleanliness of the ventilation grille at the back and on where the unit is positioned. When dust builds up, giving off heat becomes harder and energy consumption rises. The unit should be positioned at a suitable distance from the wall, with its ventilation unobstructed.

That heading is the most overlooked part of maintenance. Users focus on the parts the water passes through; yet one of the things that settles the efficiency of the unit is the ventilation at the back.

What to watch is this:

• The ventilation grille: Dust build-up should be cleaned regularly; it directly affects how heat is given off.
• The distance from the wall: The unit should not be pushed against the wall; the clearance stated in the manual should be left.
• Positioning: Points in direct sunlight and near a heat source should be avoided.
• A level floor: The unit should be placed on a level base and vibration prevented.
• The hot water line: Build-up can form in the heating part over time; it is assessed at a service check.

The sign of a loss of efficiency is usually simple: if the water is no longer as cold or as hot as it was, the ventilation and the positioning should be checked first. That check is the most practical step you can take before calling a service engineer.

A cooling unit running constantly at full capacity both uses more energy and tires faster. So cleaning the ventilation should be a fixed item in the maintaining a water dispenser routine.

Dispensers Left Unused for a Long Time

Over holidays, seasonal closures or long weekends the water inside a dispenser stands. When bringing it back into service the system should be run for a while, the reservoir emptied and the state of the filters checked. If the period is up, the stages should be renewed before use.

That scenario is common in offices, schools and seasonal businesses in particular. It is the basic reason why a difference in taste and odour is felt in the first water taken after a long break.

The order to follow when commissioning it is this:

1. Flush the Line

   On mains-connected models the water standing in the plumbing should be run off for a while. That step clears the standing water from the line.

2. Empty the Reservoir

   The water standing inside the unit should be used up completely and the system allowed to fill with fresh water.

3. Check the State of the Filters

   Even where it has not been used, the period on the stages may have run. If the time is up they should be renewed before use.

4. Clean the Outer Surfaces

   The spout, the drip tray and the outer surfaces should be cleaned before it is brought back into use.

5. Review the Seals

   After a long pause the connections should be checked and the unit looked at for any dripping underneath.

6. Call a Service Engineer if Needed

   If the closure has been long, or if a difference in taste persists, service support should be taken for cleaning the reservoir and the internal lines.

Standing water changing character is not peculiar to dispensers; a similar mechanism works on systems with storage. We took the subject up in our tank water quality article.

In businesses with a seasonal closure those steps should be turned into an opening procedure. In that way the same checks are applied at the start of every season and maintaining a water dispenser carries on without slipping.

Figure 2: The periodic dispenser maintenance routine in offices and businesses

What Happens if Maintenance Is Neglected?

When maintenance slips, the first sign noticed is usually a change in taste and odour. A slowing of the flow and a fall in cooling and heating efficiency can follow. Over the long run the risk of failure rises and biological build-up can form in the parts the water touches.

The signs advance by degrees and each points to a different maintenance item:

Most of the signs in that table are solved with simple steps at an early stage. When a problem advances unnoticed, both the scope and the cost of putting it right grow.

We took up the order of diagnosis for odour and taste in a separate article; to tell the source of the problem apart step by step you can look at our odour and taste diagnosis guide .

A Maintenance Plan for Businesses

In areas of heavy use such as offices, cafes, schools and factories, maintenance should not be left to personal initiative. A responsible person should be named, the routine put in writing, the work carried out recorded and periodic service tied to a plan.

The most common reason maintenance slips in businesses is not technical but organisational: the question of who does what, and when, has not been made clear. Work that everyone is responsible for turns in practice into work no one is responsible for.

A workable plan consists of these four headings:

As the intensity of use rises that plan matters more still. On a business dispenser used all day the filter capacity is used up far faster; so the intervals in the calendar should be set to the intensity of use.

The choice of model affects ease of maintenance too. The stainless steel bodied business dispensersdesigned for heavy use, the bubbler models preferred in shared areas, and the countertop dispensers used where space is limited are all built for different patterns of use.

We took up the comparison between bottled and mains-connected models in a separate article; if you are at the decision stage you can look at it dispenser comparison piece . And the mains-connected treated dispenser models are assessed by their own stage structure for maintenance planning.

Water Point Su Arıtma Teknolojileri operates from Esenyurt, İstanbul, under its founder Ali Genç, with more than 20 years of experience in the sector. The information below sets out the concrete answers for maintenance planning.

Frequently Asked Questions