Making a Splash with the Elkay Cooler

One of the most difficult aspects of design is the combination of utility with aesthetics. While substance must [almost] always take precedence over style – what’s the point of a house you can’t live in or a car you can’t drive? – without a degree of visual appeal very few buyers will be found… Which is probably why we’re not all still driving Ladas.

There are times, however, when simply finding an element which will function within an awkward environment is difficult enough, without worrying about what it will look like. For architects, planners and site managers finding functional kit which will stand the test of time in damp, humid environments, or places where corrosive chemicals are broadly used, can be more than a touch problematic. What sort of water cooler could you use at a swimming baths, for example?

When I was a kid, the highlight of our school swimming lessons was a visit to the junk food vending machine on the way back to bus – if I was really lucky, Mum would have furnished me with a shiny 50p piece, in which case I could buy a packet of crisps AND a fizzy drink to replenish those calories I’d just burnt off… There was a sort of logic in there somewhere. Thankfully, today leisure centres and swimming pools are living up to the healthier ethos which their athletic function should dictate, and while vending machines full of water are an option, all those plastic bottles are an environmental catastrophe in the making. The responsible establishment offers water free on tap, so to speak, but that brings problems of its own.

At MIW we do our best to provide for all potential environments where a water fountain may be required, from simple office coolers to outdoor fountains which cater for pets as well as their human companions, so we were really excited to discover the Elkay Cooler Floor Mount Non-Filtered 16 GPH Stainless. Catchy name, isn’t it? Just rolls off the tongue! 

Swimming pools are just about the worst environment for maintaining all forms of equipment not made out of plastic. The chlorinated humid air leads to rust and malfunction, so your typical water cooler will end up costing you as much in maintenance as it does to purchase. Not so, our friend the Elkay.

Manufactured from the very best grade 316SS stainless steel, with pre-treated mechanical workings, the Elkay can cope with pretty much anything that you can throw at it. It won’t rust, the workings won’t corrode or jam, and the slim line, free-standing design means that it can fit in almost anywhere. Filter-free, it doesn’t require regular maintenance; it just delivers beautifully fresh water at the optimum drinking temperature (50°F/10°C), on demand, while the minimalist exterior means that it’s as easy on the eye as it is to clean. With a deep basin for minimal splash-back and a simple push-button bubbler to help prevent those senseless acts of vandalism which seem to happen in every public space, the Elkay is just the thing to make a splash in those mechanically awkward environments.

Sometimes form and function manage to unite in the most unlikely of places. We think that the Elkay Cooler is one of them.

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