What to do if your water cooler isn’t chilling the water

Read our handy guide on a few steps and checks you can take if your cooler has stopped chilling. 

• Firstly – it sounds really obvious but is the electrical lead plugged in and switched on at the electrical socket?  Quite often cleaners or other staff members might unplug a cooler to plug in something like a vacuum cleaner. 
• Secondly – if the electrical lead is plugged into the socket and switched on, is it firmly pushed into the back of the cooler.  The electrical leads that come with a cooler have a standard plug at one end, and a female power cable connector at the other end.  These are commonly known as kettle leads and have three holes at the end of them.  All three holes have to connect with the three pins in the back of the cooler in order for there to be a complete electrical circuit.
• Dependent on the model of mains fed water dispenser or bottled water cooler, there may be a switch on the back of the machine.  These are normally located at the top of the machine and commonly are a rocker switch – a bit like you might get on a hairdryer or fan heater.  Check to ensure these are in the on position. 
• Check that the plug socket you are using for the cooler is actually working.  It could be as simple as your individual electrical socket has stopped working.  
• Check to see if someone has just used the water cooler and drained the cold tank.  Many coolers have an internal tank normally with a capacity of 3 litres.  If someone has just drained the tank by filling up jugs or sports bottles, then the cooler will need to refill from the mains.  If this is the case then give your machine some time to allow it to chill the refilled water back down to temperature.
• Some coolers also have digital displays or lights on the front of them.  If these are lit up and your cooler isn’t chilling, then it may be that there is a problem with the compressor.  If this is the case contact your provider or aqualeader to arrange an engineer to visit. 

It’s always handy to undertake these checks first. In most cases, you will be able to get your machines up and running again by yourself and in doing so you will avoid having to pay a call-out fee.

If you have any questions or queries about what’s the right course of action for a water cooler that isn’t chilling properly, please do not hesitate to contact us – we are always happy to help.