A water dispenser effect is a phenomenon, occurring when employees at a workplace gather around the office water dispenser and chat. It is a synonym for gathering and connecting people in a certain environment (e.g. the office). When a television program, like a soap-opera or series, is talked about among many people (mostly related to guessing what will happen in the next episode) it can be said that the program has a water dispenser effect.

Types of water coolers:

Tabletop Water cooler

There are also smaller versions of the water coolers where the cooler can be placed directly on top of a table for serving a smaller number of people.

Direct Piping Water Cooler

Water coolers can be directly connected to the in-house water source for continuous dispensing of hot and cold drinking water.

Free Standing Water Cooler

A freestanding design generally involves bottles of water placed spout-down into the dispensing machine. Tabletop or kitchen worktop versions are available which utilise readily available five-liter water bottles from supermarkets. These coolers use air pumps to push the water into the cooling chamber and Peltier devices to chill the water. A new development within the water dispenser market is the advent of countertop appliances which are connected to the mains and provide an instant supply of not only chilled water but also boiling hot and hot water.