No Hot Water Safety Guard

Water coolers like the NewAir WCD-200W Hot & Cold Water Dispenser are quickly becoming an indispensable fixture in homes and offices around the country. They’re convenient, healthy, and easy to install, but there are a few common mistakes that can trip them up: dirty tanks, poor safety precautions, bad electrical setups, and cracked water bottles. These aren’t major mistakes. In fact, they’re surprisingly easy to make if you’re not careful and don’t know which precautions to take. To stay safe, avoid unauthorized repairs, cracked water bottles, BPA components, improper wiring, dirty water tanks and units with no hot water safety guard. They may not protect you from every possible mistake, but they’ll help you avoid the worst water dispenser mistakes and get the most out of your unit.

One of the worst water dispenser mistakes you can make is buying a hot and cold water dispenser without a hot water safety guard. Hot water safety guards prevent people from accidentally tripping the hot water nozzle and scalding themselves. It’s not as uncommon as you think, especially if you’re using your dispenser at home with young children. With children 1-4 years old, these accidents are often the result of them playing with the nozzle. Most suffer first or second degree burns on their arms and hands, but sometimes the water hits their eyes and causes lasting injury.

The NewAir WCD-200W Hot & Cold Water Dispenser can heat water up to 203°F and, since it only takes a moment for an accident to occur, it comes with a hot water safety guard  It’s an extra handle that has to be squeezed to activate the hot water nozzle. It’s easy to use, but prevents accidental spills. There’s also a shut-off at the back of the NewAir WCD-200W that keeps it from dispensing hot water entirely.

Dirty Water Tank

Another common water dispenser mistake is neglect. Left to itself, a water cooler can quickly become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. In fact, it’s estimated that 28 percent of water dispensers contain some sort of contaminant. They cause bad smells, rotten tastes, and sometimes even illness. NewAir water dispensers are built with stainless steel reservoirs that discourage fungal and bacterial contamination, but no water cooler is completely safe if the water has been left stagnant and basic maintenance overlooked.

Fortunately, cleaning your water dispenser is easy. All you need are some rubber gloves, a 1-gallon bucket, lemon juice, a sponge, a lint free towel, and about 30 minutes of time. To start, unplug the water dispenser and remove the bottle (make sure it’s empty first). Run all the taps until they’re empty, then unplug the drain valve in the back and empty the reservoir. We don’t recommend reusing the water after you drain it, so schedule your cleanings when there’s as little water left as possible.

Once the reservoir has been drained, remove the top cover and the baffle underneath it. Soak the sponge in a mixture of water and lemon juice and scrub the inside of the reservoir as best you can. You can use vinegar instead of lemon juice if you like, but there’s a danger that the vinegar taste may not wash away entirely when you rinse the tank. Do not use bleach or any harsh chemicals when cleaning a NewAir water dispenser. They may damage it. You don’t need to clean anything connected with the hot water tank either. Heating the water sanitizes the tank, so there’s no danger.

Once you’ve finished scrubbing the tank, pour in some clean water rinse it out. Once it’s rinsed, drain the water out of the drain valve. Repeat as often as needed to remove the lemon taste, if its unpleasant. While the reservoir dries, scrub the drip tray and nozzles with water and lemon juice, then wipe down the outside of the dispenser and the cooling coils in back with a lint-free towel. Once the reservoir is dry, replace the baffle and top over and put a new bottle on top.

Bad Electrical Setup

NewAir water dispensers are designed to plug straight into a standard, 3-prong electrical outlet. To avoid shorts, fires, or electric shocks, do not plug them in using an extension cord or adapter. Never remove the ground prong or alter the electrical cord in any way, and never plug them into an overloaded circuit. Avoid external switching devices, such as a timer, and never use them outdoors, where rain or water can short out the electric components. If you have to move, clean, or repair the dispenser, unplug it first.

BPA Plastic Parts

BPA (short for Bisphenol A) is an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and resins, such as the polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used to make plastic bottles. It’s also parts of the plastic coating inside aluminum cans, food tins, bottle caps, and water lines. Researchers have found that it’s possible for food, water, and other beverages to become contaminated with BPA when it’s used to store them. In 2006, a government sponsored health initiative issued a statement claiming that BPA caused “organizational changes in the prostate, breast, testis, mammary glands, body size, brain structure and chemistry, and behavior of laboratory animals.” In 2008, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported “some concern” over the effect of BPA on infant development, and in 2009, the EPA classified it a “chemical of concern.” Tests have indicated that ingestion of BPA could adversely affect a person’s weight, reproductive system, cardiovascular health, and cancer risk. Despite this, the FDA’s research on the effects of BPA are still inconclusive and BPA is still commonly used in food and drink packaging.

NewAir water dispensers do not have any BPA plastic parts, so there’s no danger of contamination from using our units. However, the water bottles used to fill them may contain BPA. The amount ingested from one glass of water is likely very low, but prolonged exposure could pose health risks. Be aware of them and avoid BPA plastic wherever possible.

Cracked Water Bottles

When you put a water bottle on top of a NewAir water dispenser, the water runs down and fills up the reservoir. As it does, air to move up into the bottle until the water reaches the mouth of the bottle. This creates an airtight seal that prevents more air from entering. There’s not much air in the bottle to begin with – it’s almost a vacuum – so as long as the pressure is equalized inside and outside the bottle, the water is held in check until you decide to dispense it. This breaks the seal, allowing more air in, and more water out. When you stop dispensing, the water covers the mouth of the bottle and the pressure equalizes once again.

One of the embarrassing water dispenser mistakes you can make is placing a cracked water bottle on top of the water dispenser. Cracks in the bottle allow air to enter continuously, so instead of dispensing water in an orderly way, it spills out over the floor. Cracked bottles are more common than you might think. Careless or improper handling can create small, hairline fractures that may not be immediately noticeable. Always be careful how you handle your water bottles and always check bottles for leaks before you place them on top of a NewAir water dispenser.

Voiding the Warranty

NewAir water dispensers are reliable machines. With proper maintenance, they should provide years of worry-free service. When things do go bad, though, the worst thing you can do is try to repair the machine yourself or call an unauthorized repairman. This voids the warranty. Always speak to a NewAir customer service representative first. They’ll arrange for your unit to be sent in and repaired or find a local service to repair your water dispenser free of charge.

Common Actions That Void the Warranty
Adjusting water temperature on the back of the unit
Using hard water
Using non-approved accessories
Connecting the dispenser to an improper power supply
Failure to comply with cleaning instructions
Improper use

Common Actions That Void the Warranty

Hard water usage normally occurs when people refill the water bottle using water from their home rather than purchasing refills from a distributor. Water purchased from a distributor is normally pre-filtered, purified, or distilled, so it doesn’t have hard water minerals that can clog up your dispenser the way tap water does.

The temperature settings on most water coolers can be adjusted by turning a screw in the back, but if you want the temperature settings changes, we recommend leaving this for a professional.

Improper use not only means using the cooler in ways other than what it was intended for, but also with drinks it wasn’t intended for (e.g. soda or beer) and in commercial and industrial settings, which the NewAir WCD-200W Hot & Cold Water Dispenser and the NewAir Hot & Cold Water Dispenser were not designed for.

Non-approved accessories includes anything that alters the structure or function of the water dispenser – drilling holes for a cup holder, for example. All of these void the warranty and prevent you from taking advantage of NewAir’s expertise if your dispenser stops working for any reason.

Final Thoughts

Owning a hot and cold water dispenser has some big advantages. It reduces water waste, improves the quality of the water you drink, and gives you immediate access to hot and cold water in your home or office. Understanding the worst water dispenser mistakes and how to fix them lets you get the most out of your unit.

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