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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the filtration process?
The machine has a special filter that reduces chlorine, organic chemicals and other tastes/odors in the water to turn tap water into an excellent tasting “bottled water quality” beverage. The system also has a very fine membrane that filters particles so fine it is NSF certified to reduce 99.95% of Protozoan cysts such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia and it will remove >99.99% of bacteria. As a second fail safe, the system has a built in ultra violet water sterilizer as a last step before vending the water. The natural mineral content and PH levels in the water remain unchanged throughout this process, leaving a “natural” tasting water, rather than a “processed” or “artificial” tasting water as can be the cases with other filtration methods.
Is there waste water created from the machine?
NO! Our filtration method is a zero waste water process. It does not flush waste water to drain constantly as with other methods. The only water wasted in our process is what users may occasional spill while filling their bottles.
Are the replacement filters expensive?
The cost of replacement filters on a per serving basis is very economical.
Do I have to purchase replacement filters from Watervend?
No, the filters are made by Cuno which is a division of the 3M corporation. They have established distribution of replacement filters in virtually every state and province in North America.
Is the machine difficult to maintain?
The machine is very simple to maintain and does not require any special training or skills above a reasonable level of mechanical ability.
How can the machine benefit my business?
First and foremost, the Azure can help you dramatically reduce your companies carbon footprint by eliminating bottled water delivery, or consumption of single serving containers of bottled water on your property or in your facilities. It can offer many secondary benefits such as water savings over other filtration methods, eliminate the need for someone to struggle and potentially injure themselves while changing the bottle on the water cooler, drastically reduce the number of empty drink containers in your garbage, negate the need for in office bottle recycling bins and systems and so on. If you really think about it, the list of environmental benefits you can obtain by using an Azure machine can be really quite long.
Is the Azure and energy efficient machine?
The Azure single serve water vending machines have a number of features that make them highly energy efficient, easy to maintain and long lasting, they are as follows:
- Flash Water Chiller: The “bathless” design of the solid-state flash chillers used in chilled beverage models (Azure Water Dispenser) removes the need for a continuously running agitator motor and water recirculation pump. This ensures that water is freshly drawn and chilled on demand and offer additional benefits in terms of energy management.
- Lower power consumption – refrigeration system only operates when chilled water is requested (apart from initial cycle).
- Less moving parts; i.e. no oscillating pump reduces power consumption.
- Minimal heat pick-up on heat exchanger due to substantial insulation on chiller unit.
- The machine use a zero waste water concept that does not create a waste stream of water in it's normal water processing operations. The only waste water created is from the occasional spill caused by customers misplacing their bottles and through periodic flushing for maintenance purposes.
- Closed and sealed water system that does not expose drinking water to airborne bacteria.
- Long life filtering system that requires 1 filter element to be changed for every 7,600 liters of water vended. Filters use a proprietary sanitary mounting system designed by 3M that requires only seconds to change and prevents contamination of the water system.
- The machine also has a feature that prevents it from dispensing water unless there is a bottle in place under the filler spout, thus preventing the loss of a vended amount of water.
- Front panel lighting is provided by LED lights instead of conventional forms of lighting as in typical vending machines. The LED lights draw very little electricity and last hundreds of times longer than conventional forms of lighting.
- The machines are of durable design with heavy gage steel cabinets that are powder coated to last years with virtually no maintenance other than routine cleaning.
- The vending bay and the black face molding are made up of 90% post consumer recycled plastic with a 10% cap of new material for sanitary and aesthetic purposes.
- The machine has a built in self diagnostic system that will tell the operator of any service faults that are currently or have been present since the last service.
- Machines can easily and simply be reconditioned to “as new condition” thus making their life cycle almost infinite.
How much does the water cost from an Azure?
The price would depend on what the operator sets it at, but as a general rule of thumb it would typically be about 50% the price of a bottle of water.
What are the vend sizes set at?
The vend sizes are programmable and set by on location, so they can be set at whatever you want them to be, up to about 700 ml or 24 oz. It is not designed to fill larger containers, nor is it designed to fill containers with ambient temperature water. It is designed to fill small containers with cold water that are intended to be consumed right away.
I can purchase a point of use water cooler for much less than an Azure, what is the difference between the two?
Well, there are quite a few things that are different. Firstly and most important, an Azure has the ability to charge money for the product it is vending whereas the POU water cooler does not. This makes the water cooler fall into the expense side of you ledger, while the Azure actually has the ability to create revenue and will fall into the income side of the ledger. Also, the Azure chills only the water needed for the next vend, where the water cooler keeps a body of water cold and is thus consumes much more energy. The Azure can mix flavors with the water, the water cooler can not. The Azure operates on a closed loop system which prevents air contact with the water. The water cooler version allows air contact with the water is much more susceptible to contamination of it's product than the Azure. These are just a few of the differences that make the Azure a much superior system to the POU water cooler.
Does the machine vend bottles?
No, you would need to use your own re-usable bottle in most cases. In many cases, the operators of the machines will post a notice on the machine telling you where the closest place is that you can buy a bottle.
It says the machine has a built in cup dropper, what is this?
The machines have a mechanism that can hold up to 500 cups and it can be programmed to drop and fill a cup if this is a desired feature. This feature can be handy if you want to give out samples from the machine or you want to use it in an office setting where people don't want to carry sport bottles with them all the time. Once you have a cup, you can actually take the cup back and re-use it because the cup dropper will sense a cup in the filling bay and not drop another one on top of it. The cup dropper is also very handy if you are setting up a new machine and want to give out samples of water or product.
We don't want to use cups, we want to be environmentally friendly, so what do we do?
Simple, turn off the cup dropper feature in the programming menu and have your customers use re-usable sport bottles.
Can I place the machine outside?
NO! It is designed to be placed inside and air conditioned building. This is for three reasons. Firstly, it is not designed to withstand the elements. Secondly, it must be kept relatively cool because the flash cooling system will not function properly if the machine is subject to hot conditions. Thirdly it has water pipes and filters in it filled with water and there is no heating method, so it would freeze and cause severe damage to the machine if temperatures dropped below freezing.
What do I need to hook the machine up?
You need a connection to a water line and a 120V, 60HZ single phase outlet, which is the standard power outlet in North America.
How big is the machine?
It is approx 30” x 30” x 72” high and it weighs about 200 lbs
Why does the coin changer cost extra?
We don't include the coin changer in the price of the machine for a number of reasons. Some customers do not want to charge for the product so they do not need one. Other customers may want a coin changer and a bill acceptor and others yet may have access to coin changer equipment and may not want to purchase them from us. For these reasons, the fairest way is treat every situation as is required.
Your website says there is an “Exciting range of flavor-hinted waters to choose from”; what are they?
Every machine has two built in flavor concentrate pumps. These pumps mix concentrated products with the water to produce beverages such as iced tea, re-hydrating sports drinks, fruit juices, etc. The concentrates are commonly used in many restaurants and institutions and are typically packaged in a “bag in box” style container. The concentrates mix with the water at varying ratios from 7 parts water to 1 part concentrate all the way up to a 15:1 ratio. Set up is easy and is simply done through the programming menu in the machine. Costs of these concentrates are typically quite low and selling flavored drinks can be quite popular and profitable.
Does Watervend sell the concentrates?
No we don't, but they are readily available in most major cities throughout North America and we can help you find a supplier.
I have a location and would like to own and operate a machine(s) at it, how do I go about getting them installed?
Simple, purchase or lease machines from us, we ship them to you and away you go.
I have a location, but I do not want to own and operate the machine(s), but I would still like them in my location, what do I do?
In many instances we may have a route operator in your area already. Typically a route operator will place a machine in a location and negotiate a cost/revenue sharing agreement with the location. The potential sales volume at the location would determine how the money and the costs are split up. Typically the higher the sales volume the more money the location will get back as a revenue share. The operator is doing this to make money however, so bear in mind if you have a location that has low sales volume the location may be asked to guarantee a certain amount in sales volumes or revenues in order to make it worthwhile for the operator to place a machine.
What type of place is a good location to place machines?
Universities, recreation centers, hospitals, health clubs, yoga studios, high schools, large office buildings, etc. Generally any place that the same people come to day after day should be a good location. People can then plan on purchasing a water bottle and using it with the machine every day. It will become part of their daily routine.
What kind of warranty is on the machine?
The machines have an excellent three year warranty which is much greater than the industry standard.
Do you have local distributors that we can purchase the machines from?
No, all sales are done from our head office. We felt that having distributors in the field would add another pricing level to the machine, thus increasing the cost to the end user. They are easy to install and very reliable so when setting up the business model, we felt that distributors where really not a necessary piece of the puzzle and thus we could pass the savings on to the purchasers of the machine.
Are you the manufacturer of the machine?
No, we are the authorized master distributor for the North American market. The machines are built in the UK by a full line vending machine manufacturer who has been in business since 1975. They build a number of types of machines ranging from coffee machines, to snack machines to the Azure single serve water vending machine. Watervend worked with the manufacturer to develop a machine that would work with North American electricity and that would be compliant with our electrical and safety standards.
How long has Watervend been in business?
Watervend is actually a division of another company called MoBetta Water Inc. MoBetta Water is a family owned and operated business and we have been supplying quality equipment to the drinking water industry since 1999. MoBetta has many satisfied customers throughout Canada, the US, Mexico, all over the Caribbean and as far away as Africa and South America. You can learn more about MoBetta Water Inc. by visiting our website which is www.mobettawater.com
Do you finance your equipment?
Yes we do! We have many leasing companies that we work with to provide competitive financing rates with terms to meet our customers needs. Call us and talk to one of our representatives about leasing and we will be happy to help you work out a financing plan that will suit your needs and circumstances.
What green initiatives does Watervend employ in it's day to day operations?
At Watervend we strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible and we have a number of policies and programs in effect that help us achieve our goals. These are just a few of the things we do to help the environment:
- We recycle over 95% of all of our incoming packing materials and re-use them when shipping product to our customers.
- We use recyclable packing materials wherever possible.
- All of our buildings have set back thermostats that reduce heating and cooling to an absolute minimum level during non business hours.
- We always ship our products in the most direct and efficient methods and routes possible.
- Lighting in all of our buildings has been replaced with low energy CFR bulbs or other energy efficient lighting products. We also shut our lights off when we leave for the day in all of our buildings.
- We have upgraded insulation and windows in many of our buildings.
- We have joined the Carbon Free Partner program with Carbonfund.org and have purchased carbon offsets for our entire operation. Our carbon offsets purchases have gone to planting trees.
What green initiatives does the manufacturer of the Azure employ in it's day to day operations?
- Hold membership of the Devon and Cornwall Energy & Environmental Management Group and PAYBACK.
- Continue to minimize the use of solvent based products.
- Reclaim refrigerants in a controlled and authorized manner.
- R134a or R404 refrigerants are used within all new Company supplied products.
- Repaired and re manufactured fridges containing R12 will be recharged using ISCEON 49. Gas.
- Special waste disposal is carried out through licensed carriers and sites.
- Cardboard and packaging material are recycled, reused or returned to their originator.
- Continue to review packaging with suppliers, with the target to minimize and introduce design for recycling.
- Plant and equipment is monitored and maintained.
- Plant is installed to meet legislative requirements e.g. oil water separator for compressed air system. etc
- In 1999 / 2000, the manufacturer made a £4 million investment in the building, new plant and equipment. The new building extension and refurbishment of existing facility surpasses the minimum standards for thermal and acoustic installation. With the new process plant meeting all environmental legislation, as well as incorporating new features such as a data acquisition system to monitor energy consumption and improve operation efficiency.
Does Watervend have a green transportation plan?
Yes we do, details are as follows:
- Company vehicles utilized are to be the most fuel efficient as is feasible for the specific job being performed.
- All vending maintenance routes are to be designed in the most direct route as possible to minimize duplication and promote time, energy and cost efficiencies.
- When traveling, company employees are encouraged to take public or mass transportation wherever feasible.
- When required to rent cars, employees are required to rent the most fuel efficient type of vehicle as is feasible and available.
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