Advantages

• An efficient way to enjoy instant filtered boiling, chilled and ambient water.
• Greater flexibility of where you can put your system, particularly if you choose a unit that is not mains-connected.
• Clients seeking to minimise delays in meetings will install these units in meeting rooms. This is often critical in workplaces where confidentiality is valued. In Australia it is common to walk with a client, competitor or supplier to a kitchenette or lunch-room to get a drink. Obviously if filtered chilled, ambient and boiling water are available in the meeting room, there is less need to leave the room.
• Lower installation costs (for non-plumbed-in units) if suitably installed near a power point.
• More user-friendly than under-bench systems for wheelchair users. Thus, free-standing systems are often popular as additional features in showrooms, foyers, waiting-rooms and other public areas.

Disadvantages

• Units can clutter tight walkways and may need to be temporarily moved when furniture is being shifted around your office.
• Units often have small spill-trays and compared to under-bench units, may require consideration of minor floor spillage.
• We do not recommend the types of free-standing units that require you to purchase bottled water. These are just some of the key issues with those units.