This page is a translation of the Italian version, which remains the reference text. The service is installed in Italy, in Lazio and Emilia-Romagna. Read the Italian original
Water purifier or cooler bottles?
Cooler bottles solve the problem of good water without touching the plumbing: they arrive, they sit on the dispenser, and that is that. It is their real advantage, and the reason many offices still have them.
The comparison with an under-sink purifier comes down to three things: what they cost per litre, who lifts 18 kilos, and the hygiene of an open container standing for days at room temperature. All three are here.
Try it free for 30 days €29,90 a month if you stay. Nothing up front, no penalty.
The comparison in brief
| Cooler bottles | Under-sink purifier | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | none | connection under the sink |
| Cost per litre | €0.15 – 0.30 | a monthly fee, not per litre |
| Who carries the weight | you, 18 kg a bottle | nobody |
| Space | the dispenser plus the spare bottles | in the cupboard, out of sight |
| Sparkling water | usually not | yes, with the carbonator |
| If it runs out | you are left without water | it does not run out |
| Hygiene | open container, depends on turnover | closed circuit, depends on the filters |
The line that decides it for most households is the third. An 18-litre bottle weighs 18 kilos and has to be lifted above head height to turn it over onto the dispenser: that is why many people move to 5-litre formats, which cost a great deal more per litre.
What they really cost
The price of a bottle looks low until you divide it by the litres and count the months.
A household getting through around 1,600 litres a year needs about 90 bottles of 18 litres. At €3–4 each, which is a common band, that is €270–360 a year, plus the dispenser rental where there is one. With the small formats, easier to handle, the cost per litre doubles.
It is the same order of magnitude as a monthly fee, with one difference: a bottle is a consumable, so the spend rises if you drink more. A fee does not. The full sum for a purifier.
The hygiene point
This is the part least talked about and the one that matters most, and it holds for cooler bottles as for any other system: an open container in which water stands for days at room temperature is a favourable environment for bacteria.
When a bottle is turned over onto the dispenser, the air that comes in to let the water down is the air of the room. From then on what counts is how quickly it is used, at what temperature it stands, and how often the dispenser is sanitised.
- Getting through a bottle quickly is the first defence: better small formats used in days than large ones left for weeks.
- The dispenser has to be sanitised periodically, and in an office that is something to put in the contract, not to hope for.
- Sun and heat speed everything up: a spare bottle in the sun on a balcony is the worst possible condition.
An under-sink system does not have this problem, because the water does not stand in an open container; but it has one of its own: the filters have to be changed.
When cooler bottles remain the right choice
- Where the plumbing cannot be touched: a rented office, a building site, a temporary space.
- Where it is needed straight away, with no survey and no installation.
- Where use is low and irregular, because you pay for what you use.
- Where mobility matters: the dispenser moves from one room to another.
In a home where people drink every day and there is a sink with a cupboard under it, these advantages weigh little, and what remain are the weight, the cost per litre and keeping stock.
And the switch from one to the other
People coming from cooler bottles usually notice three things in the first week: that there is nothing left to order, that the water never runs out at nine in the evening, and that the corner where the spare bottles stood has gone.
What some people do miss is the gesture: with a bottle you can see how much water is left. It is a small thing, but anyone running an office notices it.
30 days of free water. You only pay if you stay.
We install the system without you paying a single euro up front. If it does not convince you, write to us by day 30: we come and collect it at our own expense, with no penalty.
If you stay, from day 31 it is €29,90 a month plus a one-off €120 installation fee. Cancel whenever you like. The terms
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Questions about cooler bottles and purifiers
What does bottled cooler water cost a year?
It depends on the format and the supplier. A household getting through around 1,600 litres needs about 90 bottles of 18 litres: at €3–4 each that is roughly €270–360 a year, plus any dispenser rental. With 5-litre formats the cost per litre is appreciably higher.
Are cooler bottles hygienic?
They are if they are used quickly, kept cool, and if the dispenser is sanitised periodically. The delicate point is that the water sits in a container open to the air at room temperature: the longer it stays, the more the risk of bacterial growth rises. In an office, sanitising should be written into the contract.
How much does a water-cooler bottle weigh?
An 18-litre bottle weighs about 18 kilos, and has to be lifted and turned over onto the dispenser. It is the main reason many households move to 5-litre formats, which however cost a great deal more per litre.
Can I have sparkling water with cooler bottles?
Generally not: bottle dispensers give water at room temperature and chilled, rarely carbonated. Sparkling water needs a carbonator with a CO₂ cylinder, which is typical of systems connected to the mains.