Whirlpool Water Dispenser Review

There’s much to debate about the benefits of spring water. Mention the concept of a water dispenser to someone who isn’t a health nut, and you’ll receive a lot of information on the science and research behind our tap water.

Raise the topic with people who invest significant time and energy to unearthing some untold and unfamiliar facts about food and water consumption, though, and you’re apt to receive a different response. Given that my diet is predominantly plant-based and raw, and that I sprout beans for salad toppings for fun, I think I fall in the latter category. So with some due research on water specifically in my area, I came to find some notable information. I’ll save myself the pain and suffering of inadequately summarizing a bunch of information and likely misquoting along the way and, instead, will just offer the link here. Yes, it is "safe" as per water quality regulations and the risk of airborne diseases... however:

http://www.belkraft.com/City-water-press-release3.pdf

Take a peek and come to your own conclusions.

Needless to say I came to my own conclusion that indeed a water dispenser is a worthy investment. In fact, to purchase over 15 Litres of pure running Canadian water, the cost is only $4. So really, you’ve got nothing to lose. There’s an investment with the dispenser, but they vary greatly in price. You can get a nice one for under $200. The one I’ve reviewed here was $233 plus tax.

Whirpool Energy Star Water Dispensor

Pros:

• It fits nicely with my décor

• It’s bottom loaded so you don’t have to heft the thing up over your shoulders

• There are hot, cold, and room temperature options

• There’s literally no set-up required

Cons:

• One word: Loud! This thing is LOUD! It’s louder than my fridge and freezer together and just hearing it stresses me out about utility bills!

• Every time you fill a glass of water, the “water level sensor” readjusts to the updated water level. This is also LOUD and sounds totally archaic! The food and coffee bins you find at car dealerships are less loud and manual sounding then these, and they literally grab, fill, and dispense the CUP along with the beverage chosen. I’ve never heard a water dispenser do this in my life.

• The last time the jug was 1/5th empty, the machine started beeping (and I wasn’t sure when it would stop). I tried to fill my cup with water but it seemed empty, despite there being one-fifth of a 15 litre bottle left. So I had to open the door and MANUALLY adjst this archaic water level sensor. Which means basically, everything that makes the unit loud is not only particularly useful, but unreliable after only one water refill.

Conclusion

Although the number of pros outweigh the cons, the cons weigh more heavily (or should I say, resonate more loudly) than the pros. In fact, once you delete the water temp buttons, there’s only one pro left: décor. If the box wasn’t so bulky and difficult to return, I’d send it back and opt for a much less expensive and quieter machine.

Expensive Solution

My solution was to turn off the hot, cold, and LED options to save on utilities and simply use the dispenser like a big pump. For that, I could have purchased the type of water cooler you find on benches in a baseball dugout.

Overall: not impressed.