What is the best water cooler dispenser for home in 2022?

What is the best water cooler dispenser for home in 2022

What is the best water cooler dispenser for home in 2022? Water coolers come in a range of styles and designs. There are countertop, wall-mounted, plumbed-in (point-of-use), and freestanding units to fit any space. These coolers don’t just dispense freezing cold water, either. They can dispense cold, cool, room temperature, or hot water in an instant.

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Best water cooler dispenser from Avalon

Avalon Premium A1CTWTRCLRBLK 

A stylish, hot and cold water, countertop dispenser that is easy to carry and can hold a three or a five gallon water jug.

Pros

  • 3 or 5 gallon jugs
  • Easy carry handles
  • Can dispense 4 mugs of hot water
  • Hot water safety lock
  • 2 color choices
  • Energy Star and UL listed

Cons

  • No room temperature setting
  • Not trave flask friendly

This compact Avalon measures some 12 by 12 inches and 19 inches high, so it can sit easily on a kitchen table top, or any place suitable for a coffee or drinks station. It can’t go beneath a counter overhang, but it takes a three or five gallon bottle, so you can vary the extra height accordingly. The clearance height for the dispenser is 7 inches so it’s not a good fit for a travel flask.

The hot tank can hold up to 1 liter of water, which is enough for three to four mugs of coffee in the morning. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to heat up and there’s a hot water safety lock on the paddle. Cold water takes about an hour to get down to temperature and the tank holds 3 liters.

It’s just a basic hot (185℉) and cold (47℉) water dispenser, but if you switch off the heater or cooler at the back, you can choose to have room temperature water instead of either hot or cold. Additionally, it has a hot water lock, is UL certified and also has an Energy Star rating.

Avalon A3BLOZONEWTRCLR Self-Cleaning Dispenser 

Pros

  • Ozone injection
  • BPA free
  • Hot water safety lock
  • Empty bottle indicator
  • Quiet
  • Energy Star, UL and NSF 372
  • Excellent customer support

Cons

  • Ozone self-cleaning not automatic
  • Defective units could be fewer

If you’re looking for a higher grade of machine, then a machine with a self sanitizing function and other additional safeguards is the way to go. We took three of the most popular contending models and compared key features for this category:

Typical features of the Avalon include a night or drip tray light, a hot water safety lock, and an empty bottle indicator. Avalon and Brio both have Energy Star ratings as well as UL for electrical safety, and NSF 372 for lead free manufacturing contamination. In contrast, Whirlpool is not NSF certified.

Although Avalon had slightly more reports of defective units, they have the best customer service and their machines are relatively quiet. Sanitary features include ozone injection and BPA free plastic parts. Brio has an additional bacteria resistant backsplash, and Whirlpool is the only machine that has automatic ozone injection and hidden faucets.

The hot water tank holds 1.16 liters so it’s good for 4 hot drinks back to back, and the temperature is around 185 ℉. The cold water tank holds 3.6 liters and the low temperature is 47 ℉. The self-cleaning function has to be run manually at least once a week, and afterwards you cannot dispenser water for 90 minutes.

Best water cooler dispenser – Self cleaning

Whirlpool Self Cleaning Bottom Load Water Cooler

Pros:

  • Chemical-free disinfecting with unstable oxygen injection
  • Cools water right down to 40°F

Cons:

  • No information on exactly what contaminants are removed
  • No dispenser spouts – makes it difficult to see exactly where water pours from

The Whirlpool self-cleaning stainless steel bottom-load water cooler dispenses both hot and cold water. This water cooler uses a technology called 6th Sense Cleaning, which automatically injects unstable oxygen into water to eliminate contaminants. This oxygen, known as ozone, works just as well as chlorine to disinfect water, but is natural and chemical-free. 

There are a few design and safety features of the Whirlpool that make it more durable and safe to use by your whole family. The water faucets are designed to be unbreakable with normal use, and the hot faucet is toddler-resistant, so you don’t need to worry about accidental burns. 

With an LED display screen, the Whirlpool lets you know the exact temperature of your hot and cold water (and you can adjust this to suit your preferences), and displays a notice when the system’s self-cleaning is running. Being built to commercial grade standards, you can use this water dispenser in a home or office for many years, as it’s designed to last. 

Many water coolers struggle to maintain 50°F for their refrigerated water, but the Whirlpool goes one better and delivers water at 40°F, so it’s a good choice for you if you’re a fan of ice-cold water. Thanks to the unit’s simple bottom-loading technology, you’ll end up with less water left behind in the bottle, and there’s a heavy-duty water pump that sucks water powerfully and gets it to where it needs to be.


Brio Self Cleaning Bottom Loading Water Cooler

Specs

  • Type: Bottom-loading
  • Capacity: 3 or 5 gallons
  • Water temperatures: Cold, hot, and room temperature

Pros

  • Attractive design
  • Self-cleaning ozone feature
  • Energy Star approved
  • Option to switch off night light and cold and hot water to conserve energy

Cons

  • Pricey

With a bottom-loading design and a self-cleaning function, this Brio water cooler is as appropriate for home as it is for the workplace. It dispenses cold, room temperature, and hot water, and has a modern, stainless-steel housing that complements stainless kitchen appliances.

The hot-water dispenser is outfitted with a child safety lock to protect kids from accidental hot-water burns. Another point in this cooler’s favor is its convenient ozone self-cleaning feature, which runs a disinfectant cleaning cycle at the press of a button. Though the bottle is hidden in the cooler’s lower cabinet, a digital display will signal when the water bottle is almost empty and needs to be replaced.

This cooler accommodates 3- or 5-gallon water bottles and is Energy Star approved. For even more energy savings, the back panel has individual switches to control the hot water, cold water, and night light feature. To save energy, just switch off the features that aren’t being used.

Best water cooler dispenser – top loader

COSTWAY 2-in-1 Water Cooler Dispenser with Built-in Ice Maker

Pros:

  • Unique ice-making feature that can’t be found in most water dispensers
  • Sleek, attractive design

Cons:

  • Doesn’t filter water
  • More expensive option

This extra feature does come at a higher cost – the COSTWAY is about three times the average price of a basic top-loading water dispenser cooler. But if you think you’d get a lot of use out of the feature, it makes sense to buy an all-in-one unit instead of buying a separate ice maker. 

The COSTWAY is a top-loading water cooler with a unique feature: a built-in ice maker for extra-cold beverages. The hot and cold dispensers are in the middle portion of the unit as normal, but the space beneath these dispensers, which is usually left empty, is a slot where you can dispense ice into a basket (which can hold up to 4 lbs of ice) and scoop it into your cup before filling. 

With an elegant, sleek design, in either black or silver in color, there’s nothing ugly or dated about the COSTWAY. It has three buttons for three temperature options: hot, cold and room-temperature water, each of which have their own designated spout. The dispenser’s LED screen makes it easy to see when the machine is on or off, and whether it’s cooling, heating, or making ice. 

The hot water spout produces near-boiling water, which can be used for hot beverages or instant meals. It has a user-friendly security lock to prevent children from using it. The COSTWAY doesn’t filter water, so you’d have to buy your own bottled filtered water or a separate filter if that was important to you.

Giantex Primo Home Water Cooler Dispenser

PROS

  • Security lock prevents children from getting burned
  • Easy to disassemble for cleaning
  • Detachable water barrel seat
  • Affordably priced

CONS

  • Not for sale in California
  • Dispenses water slowly

For anyone on a budget, this Giantex Primo Home Water Cooler Dispenser offers an impressive value at an affordable cost. It’s still got all the features you need. Nothing was left off to keep the price low. For instance, there’s an easy to use security lock on the hot water dispenser to protect your children from accidentally getting burned.

This dispenser features a detachable water barrel seat. This makes it easy to disassemble for cleaning and disinfecting. Plus, it’s an anti-dust mite design, ensuring that no contaminants can reach your water, keeping it healthy for you and your family.

The drawback we noticed was the slow rate of water dispensing. It takes quite a while to fill up your cup, but for the price, we can deal with the slightly slower fill rate. Overall, we think it’s the best water cooler dispenser for the money and highly recommend it to anyone looking for the best value possible.

Best 5 gallon water cooler dispenser

hOmeLabs 3 or 5 Gallon 

A well built and affordable machine that dispenses hot, cold, plus room temperature water. It has an empty bottle alert and a premium two year warranty.

Pros

  • Well constructed
  • Hot, cold and ambient water
  • Hot water safety lock
  • Fits a 3 or 5 gallon jug
  • Water refill alert
  • Energy Star and UL listing
  • 2 year warranty

Cons

  • Only one dispenser nozzle
  • Sometimes a little noisy
  • Bottle a tight fit

The best water cooler dispenser to buy is one that offers affordable value and key performance features, with the least amount of potential hassle. We carefully examined hundreds of user reports and summarized our findings so you can make the best choice for yourself as well. We compared the following three popular and affordable bottom loading water cooler dispensers:

We chose hOmelabs because they have the best manufacturing quality, the best warranty, and key performance is good for the price. However, this machine is a little smaller than others so the bottle is a tight fit— which means some water brands might not be suitable depending on the bottle design.

Standard features and functions for this class of machine include: hot, cold and ambient water, 3 or 5 gallon bottle replacements, a hot water safety lock, an on/off switch for cold and hot water, a night light, Energy Star and UL listings.

A couple of things add some extra value for your money namely, a refill alert for when your water bottle runs low, and a two year warranty.

One key difference with this hOmelabs is it has just one water nozzle so you can’t pour more than one type of water at a time. For this price point, you are not going to get any self-sanitizing function—either ozone or a UV light— but it’s affordable and not a bad deal at all.

Igloo 5-Gallon Portable Sports Cooler

Pros

  • Portable
  • Budget-friendly

Cons

  • No heating/cooling mechanism

For a product you can take camping or tailgating, consider the Igloo Beverage Cooler, which has a compact, no-frills design. It can hold up to 5 gallons of liquid, and its insulated form can be filled with ice to keep your drink cool for up to three days.

The cooler has a push-button spigot at the bottom to dispense water, and it’s angled in a way that prevents dripping. The cooler itself is bright orange with a pressure-fit lid, and it can even double as a stool in a pinch. Keeper cords hold the lid tightly in place to keep dirt out of your water, and the cooler has reinforced handles that make it easy to move around.

Avalon A6 Touchless Bottom Loading Water Cooler

Specs

  • Type: Bottom-loading
  • Capacity: 3 or 5 gallons
  • Water temperatures: Cold or hot

Pros

  • Touchless design
  • Energy Star-approved
  • Replace filter indicator

Cons

  • Lacks room temperature water option

This bottom-loading water cooler from Avalon is a hygienic, no-touch option for those who will be sharing the cooler with other users. It features paddle-style spouts for easy pouring. With light pressure on the paddles, this cooler will dispense water without turning spigots or pressing buttons. The hot water spout has a child-safety lock, but it does need to be pressed to access hot water.

This cooler has two temperature options—ice cold or piping hot. When they’re not in use, either spout can be switched off on the back panel to conserve energy. The back panel also has a night light switch to turn the night light on or off. With these energy-saving features, it’s no surprise that this cooler is Energy Star-approved.

The bottom-loading design fits 3- or 5-gallon bottles and has an empty bottle indicator to notify when the bottle needs a refill.

Editor’s recommendations