• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Water Treatment

Bottle your own water

Turn the reusable water bottle trend to your advantage.

By Julius Ballanco P.E., CPD
Julius Ballanco
July 18, 2013

 

ballanco body
  Photo credit: Haws Corp.

 

It seems the latest trend is to carry your own bottle to use for drinking water. All my children carry a water bottle. Even my wife carries a water bottle.

I’ll have to admit that I am behind the times because I don’t carry a water bottle everywhere. I am constantly receiving reusable water bottles as free handouts. So, while I am not a big user, I have plenty of water bottles. Although I guess I am somewhat hip in that I peddle a bicycle with a water bottle attached to my bike. So, in one way, I have entered the world of carrying a water bottle. Of course, when I am backpacking, water is one of the essential items I carry, both in a bottle and a drinking bladder.

While many times a bottle is filled with water, it also is carried empty, thanks to the TSA and our terrorism concerns. Plus, when you finish drinking the water, you need a refill. Thus, this water bottle craze has opened up some opportunities for plumbing contractors.

The first question should be, how do you fill a water bottle? The second question should be, how do you empty a water bottle?

Let me hit the second question first. You may be wondering why you need a place to empty a water bottle. That occurs anytime security rules prohibit more than 3 ounces of a liquid, such as the TSA requirements when you are going through airport security. Another place I found with the same security rules was a county courthouse.

Quite often the water bottle users forget they have water in their bottle. As a result, they have to get rid of the remaining water. I have watched people try to guzzle the remaining water in their bottle when they reach the security scanner. In a very few airports, there are bottle-emptying stations at security checkpoints. That makes it rather convenient. And it is something you should be promoting.

Why not approach airports, courthouses and similar secured areas and suggest a bottle-emptying station? It only makes good sense.

Recently I was going through security with a colleague at an airport in Oklahoma. He forgot he had his water bottle in his briefcase. Somehow he managed to get through security on his flight to Oklahoma. However, on the return trip, TSA found the bottle half-filled with water.

Normally, the TSA agent either confiscates the bottle or has you go back through security and empty the water. This TSA agent was a very nice guy and told him to give him a minute and he emptied my colleague’s water bottle. A bottle-emptying station would have made it nice for both parties.

 

Bottle-filling solutions

My first question applies everywhere, not just security lines. How do you fill your water bottle?

When I am out riding my bike, on some bike trails the local community leaves a large jug of water that makes it easy to fill your water bottle. Otherwise, you are trying to find a drinking fountain and finagling the bottle in order to fill it. Quite often, water ends up on the ground or the floor. Not an ideal way of filling a water bottle.

I have seen people trying to fill water bottles in the toilet room lavatory. Again, not a great place to get a water bottle filled. We don’t consider toilet rooms the cleanest location for obtaining drinking water. As you know, the plumbing code prohibits drinking fountains in toilet rooms.

In my office, we have a refrigerator with a water- and ice-filling station. So, that provides a means of filling a water bottle. Other offices suggest using the kitchen sink in the lunch room. Not bad, but not the greatest way of getting cold water.

Fortunately, plumbing manufacturers are coming out with bottle-filling stations. You place the water bottle in the filling station and presto, the water bottle is automatically filled. Not only that, but many of these stations refrigerate the water, giving you nice, cold drinking water.

Another trend is to have a bottle-filling station as a part of the drinking fountain. The bottle station is on the rear wall of the drinking fountain. If you haven’t checked out the latest bottle-filling stations, I would encourage you to do so. They are really slick.

To take this one step further, I recommend that you contact your commercial customers and offer bottle-filling stations for their facilities. If you want to make it easy on them, suggest switching out their drinking fountains for combination drinking fountains and bottle-filling stations.

If you install a bottle-emptying station at a security checkpoint, suggest a bottle-filling station on the other side of security. Yes, it seems like a waste of water, but that is what has become necessary to prevent terrorist acts. It would be convenient for travelers to have such a station where they need it most — right after security.

And it will make your customers look good by providing a service for the latest trend.

The plumbing codes are already changing. They are starting to recognize bottle-filling stations as a means of substitution for 50% of the required drinking fountains.

It is time for you to become hip and get up to speed on reusable water bottles. Bottle-filling stations are the latest and greatest water-conservation trend. Plus, there is an opportunity for you and your company to make money installing them.

 You might even consider handing out water bottles with your company name on them. It would be a good promotion to encourage more installations of bottle-filling stations. 


HELPFUL LINKS:

  • Contact Plumbing & Mechanical
  • Follow PM on Twitter!
  • Find PM on Facebook!
KEYWORDS: bottle fillers bottle filling station drinking water treatment

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Ballancojuliusvwhite 200

Julius Ballanco, P.E., CPD, F-ASPE, is president of J.B. Engineering and Code Consulting, P.C. in Munster, Ind. He can be reached at by email at jbengineer@aol.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
close

1 COMPLIMENTARY ARTICLE(S) LEFT

Loader

Already a Registered User? Sign in now.

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • For Your Own Health

    See More
  • Ballanco

    Julius Ballanco: Drinking foundtain or bottle filler

    See More
  • Ballanco

    Your friend in OSHA

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • alternative water sources.jpg

    Alternative Water Sources and Wastewater Management

See More Products
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!