FAQ

On average, families use about 1 five gallon bottle per month per adult, about a half a bottle for children. If you use the water for cooking or want to provide the best for your pets as well, then plan to use a little more. Every business and family is different so this is just a rough guideline. Bottled Water delivery is easy to start with us and if does not work out then you can always cancel, so we recommend just trying it and see how much you go through.

All prices are listed in "products" page, it just depends how much product you use. There are some discounts available for larger customers, the product will be discounted automatically at delivery if eligible.

Besides the prices that you see there are NO additional fuel surcharges, delivery charges, or service fees on regular delivery customers. You pay for the water that you drink and the cooler rental and that is it.

Here is an example:
QTY 3- Crystal Clear 5 gallon bottles per month = $25.50
QTY 1- Glacier Cook & Cold cooler rental= $8.25
Total Monthly Cost= $33.75
*On the FIRST delivery the bottle deposits would add $21, after first delivery they roll over from month to month, see "How Bottle Deposits Work FAQ"

If your monthly average increases to 4 bottles a month, then the price per bottle decreases a little, see "Products" section for pricing. Cooler rental price remains the same.

Certain products do have price breaks. These are listed in the Products section of the website. Price breaks are evaluated annually and your account will automatically be assigned a price level. For instance, if you average over 10 bottles per month, you will receive the "10+" price bracket. If you feel your account needs reviewed, simply give us a call and we will look into it, no problem.

Customers enjoy the fact that they will never have unexpected maintenance expenses associated with coolers, just one flat amount per month. If something does go wrong with the cooler OR if you want to change out for a different model or color OR even if you just want a clean cooler. Just let us know and we will switch it out for you.

Yes, we need to be confident that we will be paid on time for our services and rental equipment to maintain our level of service and support. If we don't get paid, then we cant help other customers remain hydrated. And when customers are not properly hydrated, they get angry!

After we send your monthly email statement to you, there are lots of ways to pay. We accept checks, cash, and all major credit cards. Most people set up an auto pay credit card with us so it is taken care of automatically. Others, like to log on to their online account and pay manually with a credit card each month. Some customers still prefer to send us check/cash in the mail. Whichever method is convenient for you, works for us.

Each "water cooler bottle" has a refundable bottle deposit. The deposit rolls over from delivery to delivery, if you take an extra bottle then you will have an additional deposit on your bill. If you take a bottle less, you will have a deposit credit applied to your bill. If you choose to discontinue service, we will credit the bottles to your account and write you a check if we owe you money. Plastic returnable bottles are $7 each, all glass returnable bottles for water coolers are $15 each.

No, we do not require contracts because great service and high-quality products do NOT require contracts.

Bottled water is a food product regulated by the FDA and should be stored in a similar manner as other foods to maintain consistency and quality. Store in a cool location, out of direct sunlight.

General Recommendations:

Sports bottles: 6 months

1 gallon: 6 months

3/5 gallon: 1 year

Our pH will generally be about 5.5, a lower pH is typical of any purified drinking water. If you would like a higher pH we carry several different spring waters which have naturally occurring electrolytes that raise the pH. Mountain Valley Spring Water has a naturally occurring pH of 7.8 or Chippewa Spring Water with pH of 7.1.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic synthetic compound which is poorly soluble in water. BPA is employed to make certain plastics and epoxy resins. In July 2014, the FDA updated its perspective on the use of BPA in food contact applications, confirming that "BPA is safe at the current levels occurring in foods" based on extensive research.

The only product size in our offerings that uses a plastic that contains BPA is our 5 gallon bottle. For those that would prefer, we are able to deliver exclusively BPA- free 5 gallon containers, please request prior to delivery. For customers that only want drinking water in glass, we offer Mountain Valley Spring Water.

No, we remove fluoride.* Customers should do their own research, there is information available at Flouride Alert among other sources.

No, all Nitrates are removed.*

No, all minerals are removed to achieve a purified drinking water. Customers who prefer minerals in their water can choose one of our available spring waters such as Mountain Valley Spring Water or Chippewa Spring Water.

For all of our drinking water products 1 gallon and larger, we use a purification process called de-ionization. This process uses ion exchange to achieve extremely pure water. In addition to the primary purification process we use sediment filtration, multiple stages of Carbon filtration, and Ozonation.

For our packages smaller than 1 gallon, the primary purification process of Reverse Osmosis is used. This process also includes Sediment filtration, Carbon filtration, and Ozonation.

One of the most trusted ways of comparing water purity is by measuring total dissolved solids (TDS). TDS is EVERYTHING dissolved in the water that is not pure WATER (H2O). TDS is represented in Parts Per Million (PPM), the lower the number in PPM, the more pure the water. Water with a high TDS will contain more substances other than water dissolved in it, not everything dissolved in water is necessarily harmful.

Tap water varies greatly by location in the country and type of source (Well, Aquifer, River, etc.) Des Moines and the surrounding area use different sources of water leading to different PPM, however, the measurement is normally somewhere between 170ppm and 700ppm depending on time of year among other variables.

The process of reverse osmosis is able to remove about 90% of these dissolved solids. Removal efficiency is dependent on water chemistry, water pressure, and water temperature which is why a conservative average of 90% is used. Therefore, if you treat Des Moines Area water with Reverse Osmosis you will be left with between 17ppm and 70ppm, this is far more pure than the average tap water.

The process of De-Ionization, used predominantly by Crystal Clear, will provide water of 0-1ppm on a consistent basis. Even though this is a more expensive treatment process than others available, we feel the consistently high quality of water is worth it for our customers.

Reverse osmosis is a sophisticated multi-stage filtration system that is capable of removing up to 97% of all the dissolved minerals from your water. It is designed to make water that is at least as good as the water you buy in bottles. Many times, it’s even better. This reduces waste in landfills by using less bottled water, making reverse osmosis environmentally-friendly.

Refrigerator filters are typically just activated carbon. While carbon filtered water is better than no treatment at all, it is limited in what it can remove. Only reverse osmosis is capable of removing dissolved minerals and chemicals from your water.

Many customers choose to rent a system so they have one flat fee for treated water at their home or office. This is also a great way to not be caught off guard by service and repair costs of the equipment. If something is not working correctly, we come out and fix it, simple as that.

No. A properly functioning water softener will never make your water taste salty. The small amount of sodium added to the water will never create a salty taste.

Hard water usually manifests itself in several ways. It leaves white residue behind wherever water evaporates. When hardness reacts with soaps and detergents, it leaves a sticky soap scum behind, and in hot water heating systems it leaves behind a hard scale.

A water softener works through a process known as “ion exchange,” which means that as it removes calcium and magnesium (elements that make water “hard”), it replaces those ions on a one for one basis, usually with sodium. This means that the amount of sodium added to the water is directly proportional to how hard your water is. In most instances the amount being added is so small that it is not a significant contributor to the amount of sodium in your diet.

This is a common question because there are several companies out there advertising “salt-free” water softeners. At this point in time, there still is no product that makes soft water the way a traditional water softener does. It should be noted that even traditional softeners can use potassium chloride instead of salt, if that is a major concern to you. However, most of the products being touted as “salt-free” are actually units that are designed to reduce scaling, not soften water. And they do this with varying levels of effectiveness. Ultimately, only a water softener will give you truly soft water.

Yes, if your hard water has been building up scale in your appliances, once you install a softener it will begin to remove that built-up scale. It will take time to remove it, but it will remove it.

Unfortunately, no. A water softener is designed to remove hardness (calcium and magnesium) from water. They can sometimes remove a limited amount of iron and manganese if you happen to have these problems as well. But if you are looking for great water for drinking and cooking, you should probably consider a reverse osmosis system for that purpose.

Most softeners today regenerate (or recharge) only when they need to, based on how many gallons of water you use and the hardness of your untreated water. Most of our customer's equipment need salt one to four times a year depending on the water quality and water usage of the home. Most of our customers have us deliver the salt for them. There is no service charge...we only charge for the bags of salt delivered. The customer doesn't have to worry about lugging bags of salt from the store and lifting the salt into the equipment. One less thing you have to worry about.