Installing an office water cooler: space and power

A cooler on packs is installed with a power socket and a flat piece of worktop. A mains-fed cooler also needs a free water tap, and that tap has to be there before the technician arrives. Most of the work is not in the machine but in two questions: where does it stand, and where does the stock go.

How much space and which power socket do you need?

For a machine without a mains connection: a socket within reach of the cord and a sturdy, flat surface.

The SPA Fountain compact is 64 cm high, 31 cm wide and 53 cm deep. It plugs into a 220 V socket with a 1.5-metre cord. The freestanding model measures 154 by 40 by 59 cm and has the same cord. On the floor or the worktop, that is 0.16 m² for the countertop model and 0.24 m² for the freestanding one, by our arithmetic.

So measure first. If the nearest socket is two metres away, the cord will not reach, and you only find out on delivery day.

The compact has no storage base: one pack sits in the machine and the rest has to go elsewhere. The freestanding model has room underneath for 4 extra 10-litre packs. That difference matters more than the 1.50 euros a month the freestanding model costs on top.

Which connection does a mains-fed water cooler need?

A free tap, a socket, and someone who provides both before installation.

PHIL is the clearest. For a water cooler it asks for one free 3/4 inch tap and one ordinary 230 V / 16 A socket, and these must be in place before PHIL comes to install. If the cooling unit sits in a base cabinet, PHIL wants 200 cm² of natural ventilation. A multifunctional tap needs two more 3/8 inch angle stop valves, one cold and one hot.

Culligan writes that mains-fed coolers are connected directly to the building's water supply, by its own technicians and at a time that suits you. Installation is included in the rental. No power requirement or maximum distance to the pipe appears on the page: ask for them with the quotation.

The BRITA Top Compact (UK site) countertop unit measures 264 × 382 × 436 mm. It needs a water connection and a power socket, and the filter needs room in a cupboard underneath.

In the small print: at PHIL, a rental contract runs for at least 60 months and you pay a deposit of 3 months' rent. Having a tap fitted for a machine you rent for five years is a different decision from putting a plug in a socket.

Installing a water cooler in seven steps

This is the order we recommend, for any type of machine. If your supplier's manual says otherwise, follow the manual.

1. Count your consumption. Staff times litres per working day times working days a month. We count 0.75 litres per person per working day at the water point, an assumption.
2. Choose a spot that everyone passes. The FPS Employment asks for distribution points to be easy to reach, with individual cups next to them.
3. Measure the distance to the socket and compare it with the length of the cord.
4. For a mains-fed machine, have the tap and the socket fitted before the installation date, and ask the supplier whether a drain is needed.
5. Clear a storage space that is dry, cool and out of the sun, at hip height if possible.
6. Agree who changes the packs or bottles and who empties the drip tray. The weekly routine is in cleaning an office water cooler.
7. On delivery, have someone show how a pack or bottle is changed, pour a first glass and check that the drip tray sits properly.

For the SPA Fountain, according to the FAQ on spafountain.be, the installer gets in touch within 2 to 3 days and the machine is in place within 2 weeks. Delivery and set-up are included in the rental.

Where should a water cooler not go?

Five places we advise against:

• In a closed cupboard without ventilation. A cooling unit has to get rid of its heat, and PHIL counts 200 cm² of ventilation for under-counter units.
• In full sun or against a radiator, and not the stock either.
• Further from a socket than the length of the cord.
• In a narrow corridor, where whoever is pouring blocks the way.
• In the toilets. A water point belongs where people eat or work.

How many packs do you keep in stock, and where?

More than you think, and they are heavy.

A worked example for 8 people: 8 times 0.75 litres times 21 working days is 126 litres a month, or 6 litres per working day. That is 13 packs of 10 litres a month. A litre of water weighs about a kilo, so you store around 130 kilos of water a month, boxes not included. A compact holds one pack, good for less than two working days. A freestanding model with 4 extra packs in its base holds 50 litres, or a little over 8 working days.

For the 5-litre pack, Albert Heijn states: store out of the sun in a clean, dry, cool and odour-free place, and use within 4 weeks of opening. For the 10-litre pack we found no storage advice on spafountain.be. The box of a pack is cardboard, so a damp basement is a poor choice and a cupboard next to the machine a good one. Put the oldest packs at the front.

Placement and cost per litre side by side

Back to the litre, with our calculation. SPA Fountain compact: 18.50 euros rental plus 13 packs at 11.95 to 13.49 euros from Bruneau (excluding VAT, read on 28 October 2026, reference marked as sold out) is 173.85 to 193.87 euros a month. For the freestanding model, add 1.50 euros. PHIL: 50 to 65 euros rental excluding VAT, plus 126 litres of tap water at 5.35 to 9.48 euros per m³ from De Watergroep including VAT and sewerage charges, according to CallMePower (updated on 20 May 2026). That water costs 0.67 to 1.19 euros a month.

What ends up in the glass differs: SPA Reine, a natural mineral water, from the pack; filtered tap water from the PHIL. Which system suits your office is covered in mains-fed water cooler or packs and in the ranking for small offices. Meanwhile, tap water and cups remain enough to meet your duty as an employer.

Sources

Consulted on 28 October 2026.

• SPA Fountain, product pages and FAQ (dimensions, 220 V, 1.5-metre cord, storage base for 4 packs, rental and purchase excluding VAT, installation within 2 weeks): countertop model, freestanding model, FAQ
• PHIL, drinking-water systems (free 3/4 inch tap, 230 V / 16 A, 200 cm² ventilation, rental 50 to 65 euros excluding VAT, at least 60 months, 3-month deposit): phil.be
• Culligan Belgium, water coolers for businesses (mains connection, installation included in the rental): culligan.be
• BRITA UK, Top Compact (dimensions, water and power connection, filter in a cupboard): waterdispenser.brita.co.uk
• FPS Employment, refectories, drinks and rest rooms (distribution points easy to reach, individual cups): werk.belgie.be
• Albert Heijn Belgium, SPA Reine 5-litre pack (storage advice, 4 weeks after opening): ah.be
• Bruneau, SPA Reine 10-litre pack, reference 793-286 (13.49 euros each, 11.95 euros each from 3, excluding VAT, marked as sold out): bruneau.be
• CallMePower, De Watergroep price per m³ in 2026 (basic and comfort rate, sewerage charges; updated on 20 May 2026): callmepower.be
• Our own calculation: 0.75 litres per person per working day at the water point and 21 working days a month (assumption), 126 litres a month for 8 people, 13 packs of 10 litres (12.6 rounded up), 1 litre of water weighs about 1 kilo, floor area from the dimensions on spafountain.be, tap water at 3.13 to 6.26 euros per m³ plus 1.42 euros regional and 0.80 to 1.80 euros municipal sewerage charges, without the fixed charge.