Worry-free Water: Innovations in the
Bottled Water Market
Water Conditioning and Purification Magazine
The water cooler ---- a
familiar office fixture and an increasingly common home "appliance" ---
is set to make waves in the bottled water industry. Sales in this market
have grown dramatically in the last 10 years as more and more people
have become aware of drinking water problems. And the future of this
market looks to be even more successful. However, typical water coolers
present some equally typical concerns for their users; posing a risk for
back injury, heavy bottles must be lifted and set in the unit; and the
reservoir itself can become contaminated or unsanitary, presenting a
potential health risk due to increased bacteria counts. In response to
these concerns, several innovations have recently appeared in the
bottled water market, including the always-full self-filling bottle ---
a unit which eliminates heavy lifting and minimizes the threat of
bacterial contamination.
Bacteria in the water
Traditional water coolers involve changing the water bottles on a
regular basis. And though the water inside the bottle is clean and pure,
the outside of the bottle (particularly the neck) can become
contaminated through handling. When the water bottle is placed on the
cooler, the neck sits inside the cooler's reservoir inadvertently
introducing bacteria. In a study conducted at Boston's Tufts University,
bacteria counts from 10 water coolers on campus were found to be "four
times the 500-organism limit the government recommends."1 And with
increased bacteria counts, users increase their risks of contracting
gastroenteritis, an illness characterized by vomiting and diarrhea.
Labor
More and more, businesses are becoming aware --- often through
litigation --- of back injury risks to employees who engage in heavy
lifting. And in addition to the threat of employee injury, consumers may
also shy away from bottled water due to the delivery schedules,
maintenance, and storage of the bottles themselves. Simply put, many
people would rather not hassle with pick-up and delivery of water
bottles, nor do they have the extra space to store the bottles once they
arrive.
The self-filling solution
By eliminating many of the problems associated with traditional water
coolers, the point of use Always-full Self-filling bottle essentially
provides "worry-free water." The design itself is relitivly simple,
consisting of a mechanical unit which draws water from any municipal
water line. This water is then directed through two five-micron filters
and fed up into the bottle. A leak-proof, umbrella-style float-valve
assembly enables the unit to automatically fill as the water is
consumed. Then, as water is dispensed from the spigot, it passes through
a granular activated carbon (GAC) gravity flow filter to remove chlorine
and other volatile organic compounds.
The result? The
self-filling unit gives the "look and feel" of traditional bottled
water, while eliminating bacteria and many of the traditional hassles.
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