by Fern Shaw | May 1, 2020 | aquaid, bottle fed water coolers, water cooler, Water Coolers
Irrespective of the current circumstances that affect us all, we, of course, remain a proponent of how vital it is to maintain proper hydration levels while we self-isolate. That said, now we’re all hydrated and our neurons are firing (as they will do – a hydrated brain is a happy brain) there may be some uncertainty as where to (virtually) go in order to engage our thinking centres.
That’s where we at AquAid come in. We understand that being online may not be a focus of your typical day to day responsibilities, so for your convenience and to save you time, we have conducted our own online research, searching far and wide, in order to present to you a range of online channels that may pique your interest while you learn something new.
One we liked in particular is the FB page for The National Archives – as an example, they’re inviting followers to encrypt and crack a code using Alan Turing’s probability-based method: socsi.in/oJtap
Another is the Mental Floss Twitter account. The content is pretty much in the account name, although they do cover deeper and more thought-provoking content too.
innocent drinks remains a favourite of this blogger – their posts and tweets are a hilarious mixture of humour, useless information (by their own admission) and social distance challenges guaranteed to keep your grey matter engaged.
Last and by no means least, we highly recommend following AquAid’s social and business networks online – where we constantly refresh and update our content.
Of course, there are countless social networking pages and accounts that are slightly more serious and weighty, but for now, we’ll leave those for you to discover.
Before we bow out on this particular subject, a reminder that here at AquAid, we remain available for all your water dispenser requirements and bottled water deliveries.
Web us here, call us on 0800 772 3003 or e-mail: info@aquaidwatercoolers.co.uk
by Fern Shaw | Apr 22, 2020 | aquaid, bottle fed water coolers, water cooler
Social media has played a huge part in communicating with and connecting people over the last few months.
Posts, videos, memes, all exhorting individuals as to what they could do while practising self-isolation. Everything from downing raw eggs (can you say salmonella) to playing tennis across rooftops (which we quite liked, truth be told). We are being bombarded with so much information it can be overwhelming, so, whereas here at AquAid we’ve decided to add to the pile, we like to think you may find our to do (or not do) list easy to digest:
- If you’re lucky enough to have a pet, pet your pet. Often. There’s nothing quite as recuperative as communing with a furry creature who adores you. (Or scaly, or feathered if that’s the way you roll, pet wise).
- Drink water more. Make sure there’s always fresh water for above-mentioned pet.
- Remember the oxygen mask deployment rules when flying (slight paraphrase here): take care of yourself first so that you are better able to help others.
- A prime example of taking care of you is to remember to drink water. Properly hydrated equates to you being better equipped to perform – no matter the task.
- Bend your knees. Whether you’ve decided to completely re-landscape your garden; spring clean your entire dwelling; re-arrange your furniture or stoop to blow that dust bunny back under the sofa – bend your knees.
- You guessed it. Irrespective of your level of lockdown activity, hydrate. Then hydrate some more.
If you require a water dispenser, your Bottle-Fed water cooler topped up or bottled water delivery wherever you are, remember that here at AquAid, we continue to operate responsibly, including maintaining social distancing and our customers not having to sign for bottled water deliveries.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 4, 2020 | bottle fed water coolers, mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
Recently, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, spoke of his wish to have all London primary schools become ‘water only’ zones.
The reasoning behind this stems from a report that found that nearly 40 percent of children in London between ages 10 and 11 are obese. Mayor Khan said, “Making water freely available and introducing measures like ‘water-only’ in schools are some of the simple things we can do to not only tackle childhood obesity, but also improve behaviour and learning.”
AquAid has always promoted and encouraged proper hydration habits for every individual; however, a large portion of our focus has always been and continues to be ensuring the provision of large capacity water coolers, designed specifically for the school environment, to schools throughout the UK. Our water coolers can either be Mains-Fed for large schools where the water consumption is high or, Bottle-Fed for schools where there are no water mains close to a particular area.
This is because, at AquAid, we understand that remaining properly hydrated helps to improve attention, short-term memory, and well-being. The fact is, a hydrated child is a much happier child and to this end, we have always encouraged our school customers to be able to provide readily available drinking water for both the children and school faculties.
Further to that, our water coolers are all equipped with anti-bacterial taps to ensure safe drinking water, and various drainage options to reduce overflow and spillage wherever possible. Moreover, to help create and instil better hydration habits, we also offer free refillable drinking water bottles and free school posters to help keep water top of mind during the school day.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 23, 2019 | bottle fed water coolers, Water Coolers
Do you know how to keep yourself properly hydrated during a heatwave? With the temperatures set to soar this week, here at AquAid Water Coolers we have compiled a checklist to help you keep cool and hydrated wherever you are:
In the workplace:
- Stay hydrated! Set an alarm clock on your pc, laptop or mobile to make sure that you visit the water cooler as often as needs be to replenish your drinking water.
- Chill your wrists: Run cold water over your wrists for 20 to 30 seconds every hour. Try not to do this using the cool water from the water cooler – it’s messy and I doubt the water cooler station is meant to be used as a private bathing area. Rather use the taps in the bathroom.
- Drink cool (but not icy cold) liquids to help lower your body temperature. The water cooler station is perfect for this.
- Turn off electronics: If they’re not being used, unplug electronic devices to keep them from generating unnecessary heat.
At home:
- Chill your wrists: Run cold water over your wrists for 30 seconds or so every hour:
- Stay hydrated! Kids may not feel thirsty, but it’s essential to stay hydrated, so make sure young ones are getting lots of water. If you’re planning to leave the house, freeze your reusable water bottles and take them with you.
- Drink cool (but not icy cold) liquids to help lower your body temperature.
- Try to keep water refrigerated prior to drinking, if possible.
- Frozen flannel: Freeze a flannel and then plop it on the back of your and your family’s necks – instant refresher.
- Turn off electronics: If they’re not being used, unplug electronic devices to keep them from generating unnecessary heat.
- Don’t cook: Feed your family fresh foods such as salads and fruit. Not only will this cool the body’s core, it’ll also keep cooking-related heat from filling up the house.
- Postpone laundry: Plan to do heat-generating activities after the sun goes down. For example, do your laundry at night.
All around:
- Avoid the heat: stay out of the sun and if possible don’t go out between 11h00 and 16h00 (the hottest part of the day) if you’re vulnerable to the effects of heat.
- Have cool baths or showers, and splash yourself with cool water.
- Drink cold drinks regularly, such as water and fruit juice. Avoid tea, coffee and alcohol.
- Stay tuned to the weather forecast on the radio or TV, or at the Met Office website.
- Plan ahead to make sure you have enough supplies, such as food, water and any medications you need.
- Wear loose, cool clothing and a hat if you go outdoors.
- Check up on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be less able to look after themselves.
- People who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restricted diets; or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake.
- If you’re sweating a lot, be quick to replace lost salts and minerals as well as water. Fruit juice or sports drinks with electrolytes are good choices, but do not take salt tablets unless directed to by your doctor. Taking calcium supplements, however, is a good idea.
- Drink cool (but not icy cold) liquids to help lower your body temperature. Try to keep water refrigerated prior to drinking, if possible.
It’s also good to bear in mind that wherever you require a temporary or permanent hydration solution in the UK, AquAid have a wide range of water coolers tailor-made to meet your requirements. We even offer a next day water delivery service for our Bottle-Fed Water Coolers.
Contact us today.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 3, 2019 | bottle fed water coolers, mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
How do bottle fed coolers and mains fed coolers differ?
Bottle fed water coolers are free standing units that use a large polycarbonate bottle to deliver water, and can be either bottom or top loaded. Mains fed water coolers connect to the main water supply and utilise filtration services to provide clean, refreshing, chilled water. Both types of water coolers have an on/off switch that controls the cooling and/or heating functions of the dispenser.
How is the water kept cold?
In order to chill the water prior to dispensation, water coolers have a reservoir within the dispenser that holds a set amount of water. The reservoir is the place where the water is chilled by a refrigerant, or through thermoelectricity.
What stops the bottle fed dispenser water from flooding?
When the bottle of water is inverted and placed into the opening on the top of the water cooler, the seal of the water bottle is severed or punctured by a part referred to as the ‘spike’, allowing the water to flow into the water cooler. Inside the water cooler is a valve that prevents the water from the bottle flooding the water cooler.
How are the water coolers kept clean?
Both Bottle-Fed and Mains-Fed Dispensers are kept clean by being sanitised.
At AquAid, bottle fed machines are sanitised every 3 months. Mains fed are sanitised every 6 months.
An ozone generator is used for this purpose.
What is an ozone generator?
Ozone (O3) is a gas very similar to normal oxygen (O2), just with an added oxygen molecule. In water the effect of ozone is that it will kill all unwanted bacteria, spores and viruses, leaving the water container and water dispenser clean, clear and safe.
Where does the water in the coolers originate from?
Based on your location, the bottled water delivered to you from AquAid is either water bottled at source, or drawn from natural springs in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
All the spring water is bottled at source.
The water is poured directly into the various sized bottles which are hermetically sealed to lock in the natural purity.
And there it remains until it emerges from your water cooler, just as it left the source: cool and pure.
What benefits derive from installing an AquAid Water Cooler?
We offer a free on-site survey to assess what your needs are and what combination of hot water boilers, bottle-fed water coolers or mains-fed water coolers best suit your requirements.
Your personal Account Manager, based at our head office and reporting directly to the Managing Director, is dedicated to providing the highest level of service to meet your exact needs.
A single point of contact for placing new orders and making any enquiries, along with a centralised billing system allows for a streamlined process that delivers maximum efficiency.
If any issues arise, your local depot is encouraged to speak directly to our local depot which facilitates immediate action and minimises any potential misunderstandings or delays.
Regular spend report analysis and account reviews allow us to measure and track performance to highlight any cost saving opportunities and to ensure we are constantly meeting your goals.
By partnering with us, an award-winning design water pump, dedicated to and bearing your company name, will be built in Africa which will bring life-saving water to hundreds of families every day.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 28, 2019 | bottle fed water coolers, water cooler, Water Coolers
Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulation 1992, the employer has a responsibility to provide an adequate supply of drinking water. However, the employer must ensure that the facilities provided are done so safely and are maintained correctly to avoid any risk to the employees.
The location of your water cooler is the first step to ensuring the safety of your staff. The water cooler needs to be seen to encourage drinking water yet it should not impede the flow of movement in and around the office. Power cables need to be tucked away and any spare water bottles should be stored safely to avoid any mishaps.
The installation of your machine should also be carried out by a qualified technician. The EDWCA (European Drinking Water Cooler Association) is an association that was formed to ‘promote, develop and maintain the highest standards of hygiene, safety and ethics within the European Point-Of-Use Drinking Water industry to the benefit of customers.’ The EDWCA only use WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) approved training courses. It is highly recommended that when considering your water dispenser supplier you choose one that is a member of the EDWCA. In this way you can be assured that the minimum required standards are being met.
By using an EDWCA member you can also be assured that the materials used for the installation of your water coolers are suitable for contact with drinking water and that the technician installing your dispenser is EDWCA trained.
Should you opt for a Mains Fed Water Cooler: a water cooler that is connected directly to your water mains – there are further installation guidelines that will be adhered to by the technician.
- The machine must be connected to a fresh water supply and not to a water storage tank.
- The water cooler should also be located within a close proximity to both the power socket and the mains water supply.
- The EDWCA guidelines advise that the location of the machine needs to be within five metres of the mains supply to ensure optimal hygiene is taking place as well as getting the best water pressure levels available.
As with all equipment it is not enough to just ensure that the water dispenser has been installed safely and correctly. Maintenance, servicing and cleaning play a vital role in ensuring you are getting the optimal value out of any piece of equipment and the water cooler is no different.
Due to the nature of their water delivery, Bottled Water Coolers need to be sanitised every three months whilst Mains Fed Water Coolers should be serviced and their filters cleaned every six months.
Keep a formal record of the services carried out by your supplier, ensure the guidelines are being met and good quality filters are being used. However, do not simply rely on your visit from your supplier to keep your machine in its best condition. By carrying out simple yet effective maintenance you can easily contribute to ensuring your water cooler continues to offer high quality drinking water. Empty the drip tray regularly and keep all external parts of the water cooler clean. A dirty water cooler will not encourage staff to drink.
Having a water cooler on site is indispensable to any organisation and it plays a vital role in the well-being of your office staff. To be assured that you are getting the best out of your water dispenser, begin by ensuring it offers no risk to your employees.
