5 Gallon Water Dispenser – Pros and Cons

The use of bottled water around the world has increased rapidly in recent years. Believing that drinking bottled water is better for their health, many spend money to install a 5-gallon water dispenser in their homes or offices. Before deciding whether or not to do the same, make sure you understand the many factors that go into making and using water bottles and the water in them.

The advantages of using bottled water dispensers are pretty obvious, but let’s take a closer look:

  • You have the option of choosing which brand of water to use, as most of them offer standard 5-gallon bottles and home delivery services.
  • Freedom to place the dispenser anywhere you want, such as tables, desks, room corners, between furniture.
  • These are not problems in public water supply systems such as rust, shear, corrosion, cracks, leaks, etc.
  • Independent water source in cases where there is a water regime or a malfunction in your area, such as a shortage of water supply, lack of pressure or clogged main pipes.
  • Easy to replace or upgrade a dispenser without doing tedious installation work and without having to deal with water supply systems, pipes, faucets and drills.

The cons mainly have to do with the safety, health and environmental considerations that come with using bottles:

  • Nearly half of the brands that claim to sell pristine, purified, natural and healthy water sell nothing more than tap water, sometimes additionally treated, at a cost per gallon hundreds of times higher.
  • While municipal tap water is regularly tested by the Environmental Protection Agency and meets its standards, bottled water is not, as these institutes have no authority over private water distribution.
  • Around 90% of used water bottles are thrown into regular rubbish bins at the expense of higher costs to the environment.
  • The material (oil-derived polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET), which is used to make a bottle of water, wastes almost 3 times more water than will ever enter the bottle.
  • The production of PET and the delivery of bottled water by trucks end in atmospheric emissions that poison the air and increase the overall cost due to the fuel used.

As you can see, it really is about accessibility and saving time, compared to environmental care and awareness. With the increasing popularity of glass water bottles, some of the problems are being solved. Although they are heavier than plastic ones, they are 100% safe and cost much less to produce. Ultimately, whether or not to use a 5 gallon water dispenser is a personal choice for each of us and something that will continue to generate debate in the future.