Water Cooler Troubleshooting Guide

March 9, 2023
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Encountering issues with your water dispenser? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find some helpful solutions to common problems that may arise with your bottled or mains-fed water cooler. Whether it’s a leak, unusual taste, or temperature concerns, we’re here to assist you in resolving these issues and getting your water dispenser back to working perfectly. Read on for troubleshooting tips that will keep your hydration experience smooth and enjoyable.

Mains Fed Troubleshooting Guide

This can be caused by a number of issues.

  1. Airlock – This is a very simple problem that occasionally occurs with coolers that have just been installed or serviced. The cooler simply needs to be reset. This can be done by holding down/pressing both taps at the same time for a couple of minutes to allow the air to escape. Once the flow of water resumes, you can use the cooler as normal. If this does not work, we will arrange for an engineer to visit to resolve the issue.
  2. Water filter blockage – Your water filter is designed to shut down once it drops below optimal performance. If this happens please contact us and we will have an engineer come out and change the filter for you. If this is an ongoing problem we may need to increase your servicing requirements.
  3. Someone has just used all the water – If someone has just filled 4 jugs of water the machine may need 5 minutes to refill and catch up. If the machine still isn’t refilling there may be another issue so again please contact us to arrange an engineer visit.
  4. Someone has cut off the water supply – This can occur via the shutoff behind the machine, at the connection to the mains or very occasionally into the building itself. The first 2 are very easily resolved by re-opening the shut off valve. With the 3rd one, unfortunately, we’re in the hands of whoever has cut off the water to the building, however, it is unusual for the water to be cut off for a long period.
  5. Power shortage – Check that the machine is receiving power. Some water coolers require power in order to operate the dispensing pumps so check that it’s plugged in, turned on and that the power cable is connected behind the machine. We advise that you remove the power lead from the back of the cooler, then re-insert firmly – you should hear the compressor working. If no lights are visible, the cooler is probably not receiving any power and may be unable to dispense.
  6. A tap is broken – Some machines use mechanical taps to dispense water and these can be broken by heavy or inappropriate use. If your tap is broken or damaged we will arrange for it to be replaced.

The compressor or heating exchange may be leaking. Switch off cooler and call customer services to get it exchanged.

If you have a leak please shut off the water supply to your machine immediately (there’s a shut-off connection in the tubing behind it), drain all the water into a jug/bowl using the tap and give us a call or email to let us know.

Your leak could be caused by a number of issues.
  1. Bad connection inside the machine – sometimes the internal connections in the machine develop very small leaks which develop over time. These are easily solved by replacing the connection.
  2. Dripping tap – Over time a slowly dripping tap will fill the drip tray and then the water will start to slowly dribble down onto the floor. It’s normally just a simple case of replacing the tap to fix the problem.
  3. People using the drip tray as a drain – Please always try to make sure that all staff are properly advised that the drip tray is just that, a drip tray, and not a drain. The consequence of it being used to empty cups/bottles is that the drip tray overfills and water runs doing the machine, giving the impression of a leak. If coffee or soft drinks are tipped into the tray, these will develop mould or turn black – not nice!
    The drip tray has to be emptied out and cleaned regularly by yourself, but if you have ongoing issues it may be advisable to have a water cooler with an internal drain. If you think this would suit you better, please give us a call and we will provide pricing for this.

If you have any concerns at all about the quality of the water being dispensed by your water cooler, please contact customer service 0344 579 3999,  We take all our customer’s concerns very seriously and will send an engineer to test it.

The usual resolutions for water problems are

  • draining and sanitising the machine
  • altering the filtration

On rare occasions, there could be an issue with the water supply to your building – in these instances, you would need to contact your mains water supplier.

This may be caused by a number of issues

  1. Your machine is not receiving any power – If the machine is not turned on or receiving power (indicated by the lights being on) it can’t chill the water. We advise that you remove the power lead from the back of the cooler, then re-insert firmly – you should hear the compressor working. If Crystal Mountain, listen to the rear of the cooler to see if it sounds like a fridge, if not then new cooler required.
  2. Someone has just emptied the cold tank – If someone has just taken all the cold water out of the cooler it needs 5 minutes to refill with water and then 5 minutes to chill that water.
  3. Someone has adjusted the temperature – some machines come with temperature adjustments, so we can tailor the water temperature to your requirements. It may require a little bit of adjustment to turn up the chill on it a bit further.
  4. Your cooler is being used by too many people – This is similar to someone emptying the tank. If your office has 50 people and they’re all using one water cooler it will struggle to keep up. If this is the case you may need to get an additional cooler or alternatively try one of our high capacity models.
  5. The cooler is broken – It does happen. If none of the above applies and your water is still tepid then you may have a broken cooler. Broken coolers make us sad. But don’t worry we’ll come and have a look at it and if we can’t fix it straight away we’ll either give you a replacement, or arrange to get it fixed for you.

This can be caused by a number of issues.

  1. Your machine is not receiving any power – If the machine is not turned on or receiving power (indicated by the lights being on) it can’t heat the water. We advise that you remove the power lead from the back of the cooler, then re-insert firmly – you should hear the compressor working.
  2. The hot tank is not turned on – All hot and cold coolers have a hot tank switch at the back. Normally a hot light will come on when the water heater is turned on. Check the switch is in the correct position.
  3. Someone has just emptied the hot tank – This is the same principle as the cold tank. If someone has just taken all the hot water out of the tank it needs 5 minutes to refill with water and then 5 minutes to heat it up.
    Please bear in mind that all our coolers are principally designed to chill water, the hot function is an added bonus – you can only make 2 or 3 cups of tea/coffee at any one time as the tank is relatively small. If you use regular volumes of hot water, please ask us about our boilers which may suit your hot water requirements more adequately.
  4. The cooler is broken – If none of the above applies and your water is still not hot then you may have a broken machine. Broken coolers make us sad. But don’t worry we’ll come and have a look at it and if we can’t fix it straight away we’ll either give you a shiny new one (if you’re a full service rental customer) or arrange to get it fixed for you (if you’ve bought it and it’s still in warranty). Even if it’s no longer in warranty we’ll try our best to get you a temporary replacement while we see how we go about fixing it.
  5. You don’t have a hot & cold water cooler – Not all water coolers provide hot water. If you have a cooler that does not have a red tap, you don’t have hot water. However, if you would like this, please give call us and we can make the necessary arrangements to get

Bottled Cooler Troubleshooting Guide

This can be caused by a number of issues.

  1. The bottle is empty – Simply replace the empty bottle with a new one (removing the seal from the bottle cap before putting on the cooler). It will take a couple of minutes for the bottle to fill the internal chamber which holds and chills the water, then a further 10 minutes or so to fully chill the water.
  2. Airlock – This is a very simple problem that occasionally occurs with coolers that have just been installed or serviced or sometimes when the bottle has been replaced. The cooler simply needs to be reset. This can be done by holding down/pressing both taps at the same time for a couple of minutes to allow the air to escape. Once the flow of water resumes, you can use the cooler as normal. If this does not work, we will arrange for an engineer to visit to resolve the issue.
  3. No power – Check that the machine is receiving power. Water coolers require power in order to operate the dispensing pumps so check that it’s plugged in, turned on and that the power cable is connected behind the machine. We advise that you remove the power lead from the back of the cooler, then re-insert firmly – you should hear the compressor working. If no lights are visible, the cooler is probably not receiving any power and may be unable to dispense.
  4. A tap is broken – Some machines use mechanical taps to dispense water and these can be broken by heavy or inappropriate use. If your tap is broken or damaged we will arrange for it to be replaced.

If you have a leak please take off the water bottle immediately, drain all the water into a jug/bowl using the taps and give us a call or email to let us know.

Your leak could be caused be a number of issues.
  1. Leaking Bottle – This is the cause of the majority of leaks with bottled coolers. Occasionally, a hairline crack can appear in the water bottle. When the water gets down to this level, the air vacuum within the bottle is broken and the water continues to feed in the chamber of the cooler and overflows – you will usually see a puddle at the base of the cooler. Once the bottle has been removed and the chamber drained via the taps, a new bottle can be put on the cooler. If the problem persists, please give us a call.
  2. Bad connection inside the machine – sometimes the internal connections in the machine develop very small leaks which develop over time. These are easily solved by replacing the connection.
  3. Dripping tap – Over time a slowly dripping tap will fill the drip tray and then the water will start to slowly dribble down onto the floor. It’s normally just a simple case of replacing the tap to fix the problem.
  4. People using the drip tray as a drain – Please always try to make sure that all staff are properly advised that the drip tray is just that, a drip tray, and not a drain. The consequence of it being used to empty cups/bottles is that the drip tray overfills and water runs doing the machine, giving the impression of a leak. If coffee or soft drinks are tipped into the tray, these will develop mould or turn black – not nice!
    The drip tray has to be emptied out and cleaned regularly by yourself, but if you have ongoing issues it may be advisable to have a water cooler with an internal drain. If you think this would suit you better, please give us a call and we will provide pricing for this.

If you have any concerns at all about the quality of the water being dispensed by your water cooler, please contact us. We take all our customer’s concerns very seriously and will send an Edgars representative to collect the bottle and test the water.

  • The usual resolutions for water problems aredraining and sanitising the machine
    replacing the bottle of water

Please be assured that all our batches of water are tested to the highest standard to ensure that there is nothing in the water that should not be there. However, there are factors that can degenerate the quality of the water once is has been put on the water cooler:

    • Sunlight – can cause algae to form if the water is not used quickly. We recommend that a bottle should not be on the cooler for longer than 6 weeks.
    • Cleaning – please ensure that your cleaner does not use any detergents and sprays on or around the cooler as these can settle on the top of the cooler and enter that water causing a bad taste
    • Time – if a glass of water is sat on a desk for a while before being drunk, it can taste different to a fresh chilled glass
    • Limescale – over time, limescale can build up within the chamber of the water cooler and then crumble off into your glass. This is simple to rectify with our de-scale service
    • Storage – If your bottles are stored in an area with items which give off an odour, the smell can transfer through the polycarbonate bottle into the water. We advise not to store water in damp areas, or anywhere with paint/chemicals etc.

This may be caused by a number of issues:

  1. Your machine is not receiving any power – If the machine is not turned on or receiving power (indicated by the lights being on) it can’t chill the water. We advise that you remove the power lead from the back of the cooler, then re-insert firmly – you should hear the compressor working.
  2. Someone has just emptied the cold tank – If someone has just taken all the cold water out of the cooler it needs 5 minutes to catch up and refill with water and then 5 minutes to chill that water.
  3. Someone has adjusted the temperature – some machines come with temperature adjustments, so we can tailor the water temperature to your requirements. It may require a little bit of adjustment to turn up the chill on it a bit further.
  4. Your cooler is being used by too many people – This is similar to someone emptying the tank. If your office has 50 people and they’re all using one water cooler it will struggle to keep up. If this is the case you may need to get an additional cooler.
  5. The cooler is broken – It does happen. If none of the above applies and your water is still tepid then you may have a broken cooler. Give us a call and if we cannot rectify the problem over the phone, we’ll come and have a look at it we’ll either give you a replacement, or arrange to get it fixed for you.

This can be caused by a number of issues.

  • You do not have a hot & cold cooler – Not all coolers provide hot water. If you have a cooler that does not have a red tap, you don’t have hot water. However, if you wuld like this, please give a call and we can make the necessary arrangements to get you one with hot water.
  • Your machine is not receiving any power – If the machine is not turned on or receiving power (indicated by the lights being on) it can’t heat the water. We advise that you remove the power lead from the back of the cooler, then re-insert firmly – you should hear the compressor working.
  • The hot tank is not turned on – All hot and cold coolers have a hot tank switch at the back. Normally a hot light will come on when the water heater is turned on. Check the switch is in the correct position.
  • Someone has just emptied the hot tank – This is the same principle as the cold tank. If someone has just taken all the hot water out of the tank it needs 5 minutes to refill with water and then 5 minutes to heat it up.
    Please bear in mind that all our coolers are principally designed to chill water, the hot function is an added bonus – you can only make 2 or 3 cups of tea/coffee from the hot tank at any one time as the hot tank is small. If you use regular volumes of hot water, please ask us about our boilers which may suit your hot water requirements more adequately.
  • The cooler is broken – If none of the above applies and your water is still not hot then a fault may have developed with the machine. In this case we will visit you to either fix the cooler or replace it for you. Don’t forget, that if you rent the cooler from us, this service is provided free of charge.

If you need urgent assistance or have any concerns with your water cooler, please call our Customer Service Team on 0344 579 3999

 

This article was originally featured on Edgar’s Water blog.