THE SEVEN STEPS TO WATER COOLER ENLIGHTENMENT (FAQ'S)

1. How important is it that my employees or family drink enough water?

The human body is two-thirds water - the brain is 75% water! You can live without food for several weeks, but you cannot last a week without water. An average of at least 8 glasses (1.5 litres) a day is recommended for an average adult. This intake must increase depending on the temperature and amount of physical activity taken. Research shows that 90% of the UK population does not drink enough water.

It helps transport nutrients, oxygen and waste products into and out of cells. It is necessary for all digestive, absorption, circulatory, and excretory functions. It is needed to regulate the body temperature and to provide energy. It is also believed to have a major part in moisturising our skin and regulating our emotions. If you do not drink enough water, apart from thirst, the classic problems are headaches, poor concentration, tiredness and lethargy, and it can lead to higher risk of developing kidney infections, constipation, dry skin, bad breath, erectile dysfunction, black outs, and high blood pressure.

2. What is Spring Water?

The term 'Spring Water' is a legal definition, which guarantees standards as it must comply with a strict UK and European Directive. According to American and European Standards, spring water is obtained directly from natural or drilled sources from the underground water table and is collected under conditions which guarantee the original natural bacteriological purity. It is bottled at the point of emergence of the source according to industry guidelines, and is not subjected to any chemical treatment.

Spring water is extracted from an underground source and can have a variable mineral content. It has to meet the same hygiene standards as natural mineral water, and is subject to the same limits on pollution. Natural mineral water must have a constant mineral content and be naturally free of dangerous bacteria and pollution. Regulations state that natural mineral water cannot be treated, except for filtering to remove grit. Berrington Spring do not treat our water after extraction.

Unlike tap or purified water, spring water is free from any disinfecting agents such as chlorine, making it the first choice of many parents for their children.

3. Is bottled water production and distribution regulated?

Yes, by the food and health government agency who lay down guidelines for the whole industry. The purity must be perfect or it cannot be bottled, unlike the mains supply. Please see detailed information on our spring water and how the quality is regulated on this website by clicking on the appropriate link in the top menu bar.

4. How fresh is the water delivered to me? How long will it remain fresh?

Spring water is extracted at source and bottled the same day. It then has to be tested and remains at the bottling facility for 24 hours, after which is is brought to London and has a maximum stay in our warehouse of three days. All bottles have a best by date stamp on the cap which is six months from the date of bottling. For most of our clients the bottles are used within two weeks.

5. When do we deliver to customers?

We work differently to others in our industry. Rather than waiting for you to call us we arrange a contact schedule when you start with us (e.g. weekly, fortnightly, monthly) and then contact you by phone, email or text, two days before your delivery day. In 98.9% (according to our July 2006 survey) of cases this will mean that you always have the water you need.

When summer comes the bottles you need obviously goes up. We change schedules for customers in May to allow for this, and with eight delivery vans around London on any working day we try to guarantee that we get to any customer within 48 hours at maximum. Please see our customer survey done in July 2006 in the "About us" section of this website to see how our customers thought we had done after the hotest June in over 100 years.

6. Why do bottles occasionally go green?

Less than 0.01% of our bottles go green and these are caused by innappropriate storage. Green bottles/water is produced by single celled algae which occur in all water and may reproduce if the bottles are not looked after properly. Try leaving a small bottle of water in the sun for a week and see what happens. The Water Delivery Company recommends spare water bottles should be stored in cool, dark conditions, such as a store cupboard. Water coolers and bottles should also be kept out of direct sunlight. If this is not possible, we strongly advise covering the bottle- please contact us for some options.

7. Will my watercooler ever leak?

The watercoolers we rent to clients come from trusted UK suppliers and importers who have long industry experience. The quality and image of the cooler are matched with the highest quality internal parts. Having said all this we do get a call or two every month saying that they have a wet patch underneath their cooler.

The vast majority of these are caused by a hairline crack in the bottle and not the cooler. This affects the water pressure within the cooler and causes the internal tank to overflow. All clients need to do is take off the offending bottle, place it to the side with a label stating "leaking bottle" and replace with a new bottle. This "leaking bottle" will be replaced free of charge on our next delivery and we will take this out of circulation.

We can also supply a water resistant mat that goes underneath the cooler and will avoid leaks causing any extra damage.

- Sorry folks. The "find the penguin" bottle of champagne prize was won by Brandy of Aspect Finance at 17.00 on 3rd May 2007!

Tel � 0845 006 3309
Fax �020 8946 7937

The Water Delivery Company
Unit C, 2 Endeavour Way, London, SW19 8UH
contact@thewaterdeliverycompany.com