Water coolers are a common sight in many workplaces, schools, plus homes these days – especially in Australia, where the weather is hot plus hydration is key. Water coolers provide a convenient way to dispense clean plus refreshing drinking water. But have you ever wondered how these devices actually work? In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into the inner workings of water coolers plus explore the science behind them.
First, let’s talk about the different types of water coolers
There are two main types: bottled water coolers plus bottle-less water coolers. Bottled water coolers, as the name suggests, use bottles of water that are placed on top of the cooler. Bottle-less water coolers, on the other hand, are directly connected to a water source plus do not require any bottles.
How do bottled water coolers work?
Bottled water coolers work by using a process called thermoelectric cooling. Inside the cooler, there is a cooling chamber that contains a heat sink plus a fan – the heat sink is made of a material that is a good conductor of heat, such as aluminium or copper. The fan blows air over the heat sink, which causes the heat to dissipate into the air.
The water bottle sits on top of the cooling chamber, plus a probe is inserted into the bottle to draw water up through the cooler. As the water passes through the probe, it is cooled by the cold plate, which is located inside the cooling chamber. The cold plate is a flat metal surface that is in direct contact with the water – it cools the water by absorbing heat from it plus transferring it to the heat sink.
How do bottle-less water coolers work?
Bottle-less water coolers work a little differently. They use a process called compression cooling, which is the same process used in refrigerators plus air conditioners. The water is drawn from a water source, such as a tap or a water line, plus passes through a filtration system to remove any impurities.
Once the water has been filtered, it enters the cooling chamber, which contains a compressor, a condenser, plus an evaporator. The compressor compresses a refrigerant gas, which causes it to become very hot. The hot gas then passes through the condenser, which is a series of coils that dissipate the heat into the surrounding air.
After the heat has been removed, the refrigerant gas enters the evaporator, which is a series of coils that are in contact with the water. As the refrigerant gas expands, it cools down plus absorbs heat from the water, which causes the water to become cold – the cold water is then dispensed through a spigot, plus the process starts over again.