Material Counts: Ceramic Water Dispensers

An extensive range of water dispensers are currently on the Australian market and prospective buyers are wondering how to choose the best material for their requirements.

Among the key points of interest to prospective buyers are appearance, safety/fit-for-purpose, cost/ maintenance and durability. Some of the key issues will be addressed in this article, with particular reference to ceramic water coolers compared to plastic dispensers.

Appearance and durability

Few people would argue that plastic water bottles are aesthetically pleasing – and the same goes for water dispensers. As a housing material, plastic is generally associated with ‘cheap, crappy and flimsy’ – favoured by companies which cater to the lower end of the market, where cost is the overriding factor - often to the exclusion of all else.

By contrast, ceramic water coolers look natural, solid and classy - they instantly convey the impression of something substantial and valuable. With earthy clay as the base material, ceramic water coolers not only look natural, but they are the obvious material of choice for the world’s most essential natural commodity: water. With its natural look and colours, a ceramic water cooler will look ‘right’ even in the most stylish home.

In addition, appearance and texture of ceramic containers are not affected by temperature fluctuations (within reason), whereas plastic containers will literally lose their sheen after a short time: most plastics do not take kindly to fluctuations in temperature. Inevitably, what starts out as a pristine-looking plastic water dispenser will soon go dull and become prone to cracks, particularly when cleaned at high temperatures before reuse.

Fit for purpose and safety

One definite advantage of plastic water dispensers is their light weight, compared to a ceramic water dispenser; a definite disadvantage is, that plastic has no insulating properties, so the water temperature inside a plastic water dispenser will increase significantly in the hot weather, unless chilled. Given the hot Perth summers, the question to be asked here is: which is the greater benefit: insulation or light weight? To answer this question, we must ask does the light weight advantage outweigh the disadvantage, of no insulation? When the lack of insulation leads to the potential for plastic chemicals to leach into the water supply, this question becomes irrelevant. People prioritize their health and the maintenance of hygiene and safety standards over the convenience or portability of a plastic water dispenser.

Ceramic or porcelain (which is a ceramic material finished and treated in a different process) therefore seem to be leading choice in buyers of water coolers, due to the appearance and the overall consumer approval of low cleaning/ maintenance requirements. The benefit of an untainted, high quality water supply is assured through ceramic dispensers and not for plastic dispensers, which have been shown to be highly influenced by temperatures fluctuations and instances of chemical leaching, which for the filtered water- purchasing demographic is a much more significant reason to choose ceramic dispensers above their plastic counterparts.

Alan Scott is a writer across several reputed industrial web posts. He writes for many online journals and portals that are related to natural spring water.