Water Dispenser

Overview

A water dispenser delivers near-boiling and chilled water on demand from a standard inverted office bottle. The bottle seats neck-down on the the Bottle Seat & No-Spill Probe, where a spring-loaded spike pierces the cap and lets water fall into the Reservoir Holding Tank without spilling. From that reservoir, gravity feeds two independent paths: a Hot Tank Assembly that boils water for tea and instant meals, and a Cold Tank Assembly chilled by a small refrigeration loop. Both are drawn off through faucets on the Tap & Faucet Set mounted on the front of the cabinet, with the hot tap guarded by a Child-Safety Lock to prevent scalds.

A Control Board Assembly manages both circuits. Rocker switches let the user disable heating or cooling, indicator LEDs show each tank's state, and two thermistors report tank temperatures back to the MCU, which switches the heater and compressor through relays. Mains power enters through the Power & Wiring cord and feeds the board and both loads.

How it works

When the reservoir level drops, the Float Level Valve opens and the inverted bottle glugs to refill it; air rises into the bottle as water leaves, so flow self-regulates at the float setpoint. Cold water sinks to the bottom of the reservoir and feeds the cold tank, while a separate tube feeds the hot tank.

On the hot side, the Heating Element wraps the stainless Stainless Hot Tank Shell and brings its contents close to boiling. A thermostat cycles the element to hold the setpoint, the tank's insulation wrap limits standby loss, and a one-shot Thermal Fuse opens permanently if the tank ever runs dry and overheats. Drawing the hot tap lets heated water out the top while cooler reservoir water enters the bottom, so the next cup reheats on its own.

On the cold side, the Refrigeration System runs a vapour-compression loop. The hermetic Hermetic Compressor pumps R-134a, the Condenser Coil & Fan rejects heat to the air with help from its fan, and the refrigerant then expands through the Evaporator Coil coil wound around the cold tank. That coil pulls heat out of the stored water, holding it just above freezing. A start Relay kicks the compressor motor, and the cold thermostat cycles it to keep the tank in range.

Both faucets are simple paddle valves: pressing a cup against the lever lifts a silicone seat and water flows by gravity through the Internal Plumbing tubing. Releasing the lever reseats the valve. The drip tray below catches overflow, and the whole works sits inside the Cabinet & Housing.