Home Delivery for Bottled Water...

[etwahl]

Help! Does anyone here use a water delivery service? Our water is absolutely horrible, so we live strictly on bottled water. My biggest complaint is that it takes up one whole shelf of our side-by-side fridge, leaving little room for other stuff. So, we've been thinking of getting one of those water delivery services, but don't know where to begin.

We mostly drink Sparkletts, because we like it, and because it comes in the giant bottles with spout which makes it convenient in the fridge. But I know there are probably other companies out there besides them which do home delivery and are just as good.

One criteria is we definitely need the water "cooler". I need my water cold, and since our water is terrible, so is our ice!! Even the water filter built into our fridge doesn't do much, so we stopped replacing the filter and basically stopped using ice.

Also, I know I could try to figure it out from some of the web sites, but is there much of a cost difference in going this route? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[sntm]

My mom uses one and loves it. She pays around $16 a month. One thing to watch for if you end up liking it is that they will continue to charge you to rent a cooler when you can buy it for the cost of about a year's rental. Mom got stiffed because no one told her that. So if you like it after a few months, look into that.

We use the Brita filters and love that, but if your water is really nasty, it might not be enough. Anybody tried the Pur faucets?

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03

[etwahl]

Unfortunately none of those filters work for us at all. We've tried everything.

That's a good idea about buying the cooler. I was actually looking into that, but couldn't figure out where to buy them. Any suggestions?

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[ct]

Hey Culligan Man!! That's who we use - for almost 2 years. We rent a hot/cold cooler from them and then get the 5 gal bottles delivered every 4 weeks. I LOVE IT!! Our water is terrible as well and the filters never cut the mustard, and if I wasn't going to drink the water I sure didn't want Lilli to use it in her bottle once I weaned her. We pay $13.50 a month for cooler rental and $5 per 5 gal bottle (generally my monthly bill is $23.50 as we usually go through 2 5 gal bottles per month, although I have 4 bottles total as there have been months where we've actually run out of water). To be honest I never price comparisoned, so I'm not sure how great a deal this is - but for us it is totally worth it. We are renting the cooler because Culligan said to buy a cooler would be over $600. I didn't want to pay that much and then be responsible for it's upkeep in case of any problems (though I've had none). Also, I have seen that 'hot/cold' coolers are for sale at Home Depot, etc. for about $100, but I compared the temps of the water out of my cooler compared to the temps for these cheap ones you can buy and there is NO comparison. They ought to be called warm/warm coolers because the hot isn't very hot and the cold isn't cold at all (at least compared to mine). Anyway, sorry so long, but this is a great way to go in my opinion. The cold is truly cold (my husband wasn't so sure about the water cooler at first, but now he just LOVES the cold, fresh water!). It is excellent for making bottles too - just add a little hot and a little cold and there you go. The hot is great for making instant cocoa, a cup of tea, or even those cup-of-soup packets. One note though - if you get the hot/cold, be sure to ask for an extra 'safety' tap for the cold side (only the hot comes with one - they charged me $7 for the extra one). I caught Lilli pouring water out of the cooler a couple times, now with the safety tap she can't operate either side. The only problem I've ever had with this service is the delivery guy has knocked my mailbox over twice, but they have replaced it both times (and last time they moved it so it won't happen again :)!). HTH - best of luck to you!!

ct
SAHM to Lilli (9/20/00) & Alec (10/21/02)

[LD92599]

We purchased our water cooler (cold and room temp) at BJs Wholesale...they also carry the water in 2.5 gallon and 5 or 6 gallon jugs...VERY reasonable even if you figure in the membership fee.

Laura
Due: Feb 26th, 2003

[cara1]

Just out of curiosity, is there something wrong with your water, or do you just think it tastes bad? Do you have well water or city water? Have you ever gotten it tested?

[caroliner]

Our tap water is nasty too. We have a cooler that we own and get the bottle filled at one of those water refill places you see all over town, like at the grocery and 7-11, etc. Much cheaper than delivery in the long run. The only thing is you need to replace the water bottle a few times a year, but they sell them at Whole Foods and some other places. Still cheaper than delivery which we used to do, but that ended up being a real pain... You have too many bottles in the house at one time and it is costly and depending on where you live, you need to be home when they deliver, etc.