A filtered water dispenser keeps fresh, clean drinking water available throughout the day. Water dispensers dispense water at different temperature settings, including ambient, hot, and cold water to fit what you need.

You can find water dispensers used most commonly in offices, but they can also work around the home! Certain water dispensers may utilize nozzles to dispense water while others use a push-button.

From pitcher filters to options that require 5-gallon bottles, water dispensers come in many types:

• Point-of-use, countertop, or bottled
• Front, top, or bottom load water dispensers
• Dispensers with different water filtration options, like reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration

Point-of-use dispensers connect to a water supply while bottled water dispensers use large bottles to supply their water. A top load water dispenser loads the bottle of water from the top, while a bottom loading water cooler sees the bottle connected at the bottom.

These terms refer to the type of water filtration system the water dispenser uses. RO stands for reverse osmosis while UF stands for ultrafiltration. Tap water can be exposed to many contaminants, including chlorine and bacteria, and each type filters differently:

Reverse Osmosis (RO) - pushes water through a semipermeable membrane. The membrane allows water to pass through but not larger molecules, like bacteria, salt, minerals, and nearly all dissolved substances.

Ultrafiltration (UF) - uses a hollow fiber membrane to prevent solid particulates from filtering through. An ultrafiltration system can filter out a variety of impurities but does not remove dissolved substances. Ultrafiltration may also leave minerals present in the water.

Each filter system can help improve water quality.