by Fern Shaw | Aug 30, 2013 | Health and Hydration, water cooler, Water Coolers
Last week we introduced the High Capacity Point of Use (POU) Water Cooler.
Before we get into today’s introduction, a note; I call them the ‘big boys’, not because of any gender preference, but somehow introducing these water cooler marvels as ‘the big girls’ just doesn’t ring true. I’m as fair as fair can be when it comes to assigning objects with gender (the French have absolutely no problem with gender assignation, le livre, la bicyclette), hey, my car is a boy – Newt he’s called.
Anyhow, it’s decided. Here is another of the ‘big boys’.
The AquAid 400 Free standing Mains Fed Water Cooler is a premium water cooler that combines style with outstanding performance.
This POU Cooler comes with a new Flood Guard, flood prevention device and it has Hygiene Guard anti-microbial taps fitted as a standard.
Spring quality water from your point of user water cooler
AquAid’s 400 Water Cooler connects to your mains supply and uses a unique, high quality Doulton water filtration system to deliver water that’s as refreshing and pure as water from bottle fed water coolers.
Freestanding Point of Use water cooler features:
1) 1 annual invoice, eliminating the administration involved with some bottled-water suppliers
2) No more running out of water
3) No more need to store big water bottles
4) High quality ‘Doulton’ water filtration system
5) Available as either Hot and Cold or Cold and Room Temperature
6) High quality stainless steel tank
7) Adjustable thermostat for accurate temperature control
8) Noiseless circuit in compact design
9) Flood Guard, flood prevention device
10) Hygiene Guard anti-microbial taps fitted as a standard.
11) Push-button taps for ultimate hygiene and convenience
Not only do AquAid have more distribution centres than you can shake a stick at, your local branch is usually managed and staffed by whizzes who really know their water coolers and whether a big boy or a bottle fed *WAH-WAAAH* is the way to go. We do have a lot more options, just by the by. I’ll be introducing you to the entire water cooler family in the next few weeks.
Patience dear reader, patience.
Ridiculous that, me asking for patience when I have zip, zero, none, but hey, it’s my blog.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 24, 2013 | Health and Hydration, water cooler, Water Coolers
Too Much Salt (High Sodium Levels)
The most common form of sodium imbalance is a blood sodium level that is too high. Excessive blood sodium levels mean that your body lacks enough water to cope with the amount of sodium it contains.
Contrary to popular belief, the primary cause of high blood sodium levels is not consumption of too much salt, but dehydration (not enough water intake).
Lack of adequate water intake is a very common condition in the United Kingdom due to the fact that most people fail to drink enough water each day, while also eating foods that are high in sodium. Other possible causes of dehydration include diarrhoea; vomiting; fever; excessive sweating (particularly during hot weather); abnormal kidney function; diabetes; head trauma or surgery involving the pituitary gland; imbalanced calcium and/or potassium levels; sickle cell disease, and use of drugs such as corticosteroids or diuretics.
When the amount of sodium in your body becomes too high, your body’s blood volume increases. When this happens extra fluid accumulates in the space surrounding your body’s cells. Such an accumulation of fluid around your cells can cause a variety of problems.
The most common symptoms of high blood sodium levels are confusion, depression, fatigue, fluid retention, irritability, lack of coordination, muscle cramps or twitching, nausea, restlessness, and general weakness.
Another common symptom of high sodium levels is oedema, which is characterized by swelling of body tissues, especially in the feet and ankles.
More serious symptoms of high sodium levels can include changes in blood pressure and heart rate, coma, seizure, and death.
A check-up by your physician is necessary to determine if you suffer from high blood sodium levels. If you are found to have this problem, then by all means you should avoid eating salty foods. But you should also beware of drinking salty beverages, such as sports drinks. And you should also increase your daily intake of water, especially following exercise or if you are taking medications.
It really is up to you to ensure that you take as best care that you can of the rather marvellous body that you’ve been given. If you’re already doing so, bully for you – perhaps you can share your knowledge with others less in the know.
So be especially careful in this heat, remember to keep hydrated and spread the water word as you’ve gathered around the water cooler.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 5, 2013 | Health and Hydration, water cooler, Water Coolers
In short, no.
But the following all contain water (clever that), so is it a conundrum? Water is found in most liquids, antioxidants are found in some of those liquids so whereas an antioxidant can be water, water can’t be an antioxidant. Excuse me, I have to sit down, my brain is hurting. (Clearly, not enough water). Okay. So, not a conundrum, it’s something else. Moving swiftly along!
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are phytochemicals, chemicals found in plant foods. In our bodies, antioxidants protect healthy tissues from “oxidants,” also called free radicals. Over time, free radicals can damage cells and cause disease. Antioxidants are like microscopic police officers who seize these bad guys that plan to harm our cells.
Which do you crave in the morning—a cup of java or a spot of tea? Popular belief labels tea as a health drink and coffee as bad. Not so! Mounting evidence suggests that both are good for you because they’re brimming with antioxidants.
All teas contain a group of antioxidants called flavonoids.
Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, next to water. Green tea is especially popular in Japan and China.
According to studies carried out tea drinkers take in 20 times more flavonoid antioxidants per day than tea non-drinkers.
Experts say tea provides as many disease-fighting flavonoids as fruits or vegetables. Many brands of tea list antioxidant and caffeine content (in milligrams per serving) right on the box.
What about fruits and veggies?
Since coffee and tea are high in antioxidants, can they replace fruits and vegetables in our diets? Absolutely not! Fruits and veggies supply fibre, essential vitamins and minerals, plus a variety of different antioxidants that promote good health.
A word of caution
Plain coffee and tea are healthful, calorie-free beverages. Be careful how much cream, sugar, and flavourings you dump into your cup. Just 1 tablespoon of cream and 2 teaspoons of sugar can add up to 80 calories and 6 grams of fat. Squirt in flavoured syrup, pile on whipped cream, and your once-healthful drink becomes a rich dessert.
Which is better—coffee or tea?
Science can’t really say one is superior to the other, so fill your mug with whichever brew you like. To benefit from both sets of antioxidants, try this: drink one or two cups of coffee in the morning, then enjoy tea throughout the day.
For all your cool and hot water requirements for said antioxidant drinks, remember that AquAid have all that you need. We supply bottled water coolers; mains-fed water coolers; desktop coolers; water boilers and in-cup drinks.
If what you require isn’t listed here, drop us a mail, we’ll be more than happy to provide you with a solution.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 28, 2013 | water cooler, Water Coolers
Tadaa! In this the 3rd of 4 instalments, we present to you the continuing saga of how cool, refreshing drinking water trickled its way through the past until it reached you in the very convenient water cooler machines of today.
1900
Manchester enlarged the Lake Thirlmere reservoir in the Lake District.
1906
Further abroad, the water fountain was first invented. It is credited to two men – Halsey Willard Taylor and Luther Haws. Haws patented the first drinking faucet in 1911.
1930s
By the 1930s the routine way to treat water was to:
- Screen it to catch branches, solids and dead animals (charming).
- Treat it with aluminium sulphate to remove solids (even less charming).
- Chlorinate it against bacterial infections (ay caramba!).
1945
The Water Act reorganised the water industry and encouraged more efficiency.
1963
The Water Resources Act created 29 River Authorities to look after the river systems and control the use of water.
1967
The Central Scotland Water Development Board was set up to supply more water for sale to Local Authorities.
1973
The Water Bill for England and Wales created 10 Regional Water Authorities.
1975
The nine new Scottish Regional Councils and the Islands Councils were set up to control public water supply, sewerage and sewage disposal.
1982
Kielder Reservoir was opened. It was one of the biggest lakes in Europe.
1961-84
The water needs of England and Wales rose from 110,000 million litres per day to 164,000 million litres per day.
1989
The Water Act of 1989 allowed Local Authorities in England and Wales to sell off the water companies.
1996
Three new Scottish water authorities were created – East, West and North of Scotland Water. They took over water and waste water services from the former Scottish Regional Councils.
Next stop, MODERN DAY – the 21st Century – exciting stuff in the water cooler world!
At AquAid, we offer a rather more modern version of the 1906 original – yay for us, yay for you – from bottle fed water coolers through to water coolers for schools.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 24, 2013 | water cooler, Water Coolers
So, there I was, lurking (and trust me, blogista’s lurk with style) at the water cooler, almost in a lion-gathering-around-the-watering-hole (but not as predatory) manner, waiting to pick up on tips regarding the general consensus of the effectiveness of said water cooler.
Sadly, even though I lurked for a number of days (perhaps my four day leg fuzz was a tad off putting?) I didn’t pick up anything worthwhile – apart from Tad’s recipe for lemony corn fritters – way to go Tad.
So, I broke my watch and haired *harf harf harf* off to my desk and my beloved pc. Now, there’s true inspiration, just waiting to be resourced.
Factual and informative stuff
- A water cooler on site can increases staff productivity.
- Saves on electricity costs. For a reference on this story, read about Winston.
- AquAid have more distribution centres than any other water cooler company.
- Water wastage is reduced as there are no dripping taps and no having a beady eyed staff member appointed to constantly check on potential water wastage.
- AquAid also include an illustrated urine chart for the bathrooms upon purchase of a water cooler. This chart indicates hydration vs. dehydration so you can see at-a-glance whether you should be upping your water intake.
- The water in AquAid’s bottle fed coolers means you are drinking water from source, with a consistent mineral content.
- By having an AquAid water cooler on site, you allow easy access for your schoolchildren at schools and staff at your company to keep hydrated, thereby indicating your care for their well-being.
Touchy-feely feel good stuff (also factual)
- By having an AquAid water cooler on site, you allow easy access for your schoolchildren at schools and staff at your company to keep hydrated, thereby indicating your care for their well-being.
- Every purchase of an AquAid water cooler means a donation to our chosen charities, Christian Aid and The Africa Trust.
- Donations to The Africa Trust mean that millions of people in rural communities throughout Africa have access to clean, fresh drinking water and continue to have access due to more Elephant Pumps being built every year.
- By keeping yourself hydrated and learning more about correct hydration, you become an ‘ambassador’ for drinking sufficient water and thereby create awareness while keeping yourself healthy, happy and productive.
We have oodles of information about sufficient water intake, hydration and all other matters water available for a squizz at our blog page. We also welcome your feedback and comments on the blogs as learning every day is just grand.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 24, 2013 | water cooler, Water Coolers
So you thought that water was just good for drinking and for fish to frolic in? Not so! For a number of years there has been an incredible amount of research and development into wave power / energy as a renewable energy resource for the globe. Here I pause [ ] and metaphorically take a sip of water *sip* before presenting the following:
Wave Energy as a Global Energy Resource
Wave energy is a renewable energy resource created by large storms hundreds of miles offshore that generate and transmit huge amounts of energy which travels great distances (via swell) and mixes with local influences (seas) to arrive at our shores.
It is a genuinely renewable energy source and distinct from tidal energy.
Wave energy is generally considered to be the most concentrated and least variable form of renewable energy. It is the high power density of wave energy that suggests it has the capacity to become the lowest cost renewable energy source.
Wave power is a relatively unknown solution as a clean energy source, yet its uninterrupted and continuous source of energy has the potential to be among the most enduring suppliers of the world’s future needs if some obstacles can be overcome. One major problem with most wave technology is that waves have too much energy. Britain has 35 out of the world’s nearly 130 wave energy and tidal stream device developers, which include Pelamis, Aquamarine Power and Marine Current Turbines.
The World Energy Council has estimated that approximately 2 terawatts (2 million megawatts), about double current world electricity production, could be produced from the oceans via wave power. It is estimated that 1 million gigawatt hours of wave energy hits Australian shores annually and that 25% of the UK’s current power usage could be supplied by harvesting its wave resource.
In 2011, consistent with other industry forecasts, the UK Carbon Trust estimated that the Global Marine Energy sector could be worth US$760 billion by 2050 and could support 68,000 jobs in the British Marine energy sector alone. Industry estimates put annual marine energy revenues at nearly US$100 billion by 2025. CETO is a portable technology and through Carnegie’s 100% ownership of the technology Carnegie has full access to this untapped global market.
Wave energy has significant global potential with the USA, North & South America, Western Europe, Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand among some of the best wave energy sites around the world.
Wave energy flows in the direction of wave propagation and is measured as the amount of power (in kW) contained in each linear metre of wave front. Typically energy above 20kW/m may be suitable for CETO wave farm projects.
Incroyable, no? I think so. So incredible actually that I’ve been conducting experiments with our water cooler this morning. I’ve been simulating wave power by inserting the wires from my voltmeter into the bottle, then rocking the water bottle back and forth to create waves and to see whether they generate power. All was going swimmingly well (I thought) until the bottle came adrift, water sloshed about (only a bit) and someone ratted me out to the HOD, Mrs Furthingstoke. Seems as if I’ve been banished from the water cooler area until further notice. Apparently, somebody will bring my drinking water to me.
Never mind, as soon as I get home, it’s straight into the tub, where I’ll be building up a serious rate of knots (energy) by squooshing back and forth creating ginormous waves.
It’ll take more than Mrs Furthingstoke to deter me from reaching life changing scientific breakthroughs!
