• Water coolers provide you with fresh, filtered drinking water, both hot and cold.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Water coolers dispense either hot or cold fresh drinking water. These systems keep water at a constant temperature, ensuring that you have the appropriate temperature water. Generally, these coolers have a bottle system, which holds gallons of water. But different systems are available that do not use a bottle at all. Water coolers are for both the office and home, especially if you do not have portable drinking water in your area.
  
  

Bottle

• The most common type of water cooler system is the bottle system. Two main types of bottle systems are available: refill bottle or self refill. The refillable bottle system comes with its own filtration system, which allows you to keep the bottle and just add water to it. Generally, you refill the system either via an opening at the top of the bottle or via a water pitcher. The bottles are usually the same size as standard bottles. The self-refill bottles require you to purchase a new bottle each time that your existing bottle gets empty. You can purchase these bottles from grocery stores, or you can contract with a delivery company that will deliver new bottles and take away the old ones. These delivery companies will also deal with any maintenance issues on your water cooler system.
  
  

Reservoir

• The reservoir system is similar to the bottle system except it uses a refillable reservoir as opposed to a bottle. This reservoir is usually at the top of the water cooler. You refill the water cooler when it gets empty. This type of water cooler has its own filtration system, allowing you to add standard tap water to it. Plus, these coolers dispense both hot and cold water. Usually, these types of systems are less expensive than bottle systems since you don't have to pay for delivery or for new bottles.
  
  

Bottle Free

• If you prefer not to refill a bottle or reservoir, choose the bottle-free water coolers. This way, you don't have to worry about refilling the system or lifting bottles. There are two main types of bottle free coolers: dehumidifier and plumbed-in. The dehumidifier systems remove the humidity from the surrounding air and then convert it into water. These systems are for people or offices with high humidity problems, and they are less common than the plumbed-in version. Plumbed-in coolers are connected directly to your existing plumbing, allowing you to use tap water. The system then filters this water. You can get both hot and cold water with these systems.