cleaning a water cooler

[Scout Lady]

I use to rent the cooler from the company I bought bottled water from and
they cleaned the inside. I recently came upon a deal that I couldn't pass
up, a Sunbeam water cooler with a built in refrigerator in the bottom that a
local grocery store put on clearance for $59 to clear space. I feel it is
time to clean the inside but the book that came with it doesn't exactly make
it clear what maintenance needs to be done.

I took it apart and cleaned 2 big parts and I was thinking of pouring
vinegar into a bottle, putting it on and letting it sit for awhile in the
lines followed by a rinse of clear water before I put a new bottle on.
Should the vinegar be diluted or poured in straight? The book mentions using
CLR to clean it but I don't want to use chemicals if vinegar will do the
trick. There isn't any noticeable mineral buildup or rust.

As a side question, I have used 2 different water suppliers and neither one
has a seal over the bottle top when you put it on. As a result everytime I
change the water I make a big mess with water all over as it is not a simple
matter of pouring the water in as you place the bottle on the pin for me, I
can't seem to do it fast enough as not to spill the water. Does anyone know
of a water supplier that places a seal over the bottle top that the pin
breaks to minimize spillage or a method of changing bottles that minimizes
the spills?



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[Phisherman]

On Thu, 1 Apr 2004 11:41:22 -0500, "Scout Lady"
<yi2zcj02@sneakemail.com> wrote:

>I use to rent the cooler from the company I bought bottled water from and
>they cleaned the inside. I recently came upon a deal that I couldn't pass
>up, a Sunbeam water cooler with a built in refrigerator in the bottom that a
>local grocery store put on clearance for $59 to clear space. I feel it is
>time to clean the inside but the book that came with it doesn't exactly make
>it clear what maintenance needs to be done.
>
>I took it apart and cleaned 2 big parts and I was thinking of pouring
>vinegar into a bottle, putting it on and letting it sit for awhile in the
>lines followed by a rinse of clear water before I put a new bottle on.
>Should the vinegar be diluted or poured in straight? The book mentions using
>CLR to clean it but I don't want to use chemicals if vinegar will do the
>trick. There isn't any noticeable mineral buildup or rust.
>
>As a side question, I have used 2 different water suppliers and neither one
>has a seal over the bottle top when you put it on. As a result everytime I
>change the water I make a big mess with water all over as it is not a simple
>matter of pouring the water in as you place the bottle on the pin for me, I
>can't seem to do it fast enough as not to spill the water. Does anyone know
>of a water supplier that places a seal over the bottle top that the pin
>breaks to minimize spillage or a method of changing bottles that minimizes
>the spills?
>
>

You can use the full-strength vinegar. I recommend using white
vinegar rather than the (more expensive) cider vinegar. If you are
using distilled water, there won't be any buildup of minerals. A
rinse or wiping with a 10:1 solution of water/household bleach will
sanitize the parts and kill any mold with no concern of toxicity. CLR
can be used for food stuff, but I agree that it should be a last
resort. Water is probably the best whole body cleanser--drink lots!

Once you get the proper technique, you should be able to invert a
5-gallon jug into the dispenser in one continuous smooth swoop without
spilling a drop.