Veelgestelde vragen

Yes. All our appliances are fitted with a professional activated carbon filter to remove any unpleasant odours and tastes (e.g. chlorine) that may still be present in the tap water. Tap water in Belgium is of a very high quality and is continuously monitored; in most cases, filtration using activated carbon is therefore more than sufficient to provide tasty and healthy drinking water.

However, if you have a specific problem, such as limescale, suspended particles, lead pipes, etc., please do not hesitate to contact us. We have tailored solutions for most problems, and if we are unsure, we always have a water analysis carried out by an accredited laboratory first.

All our dispensers are connected to the mains water supply, so you no longer have to lug around bottles or containers of water, or regularly replace the bottle on the machine. You have a supply of delicious drinking water available around the clock. Still, sparkling, and even with a tasty flavour if you like.

The tap water first passes through a water block that interrupts the water flow in the unlikely event of a pipe break. The water then passes through an activated carbon filter to remove unpleasant odors and tastes, as well as suspended particles. Inside the unit itself, there is a cooling coil and a carbonator. In the carbonator, carbon dioxide is added to the water under pressure to make it sparkling. For the cooling process, we use the latest refrigerants that do not damage the ozone layer.

With the push of a button, you can then choose your favorite drink: still water (at room temperature or chilled) or sparkling water. In our Hydrofix ONE, you can also add a touch of flavor to it as you like.

The quality of tap water in Belgium is closely monitored and is safe and of very high quality. A recent study has even shown that tap water contains fewer microplastics than bottled water.

All of our dispensers are also equipped with a professional activated carbon filter, which removes unpleasant odors and tastes (e.g., chlorine) as well as fine particles.

In most buildings, lead pipes have been replaced over the years with steel or plastic pipes. But if you’re in an older building where the water pipes are still made of lead, caution is advised. We always recommend conducting a water analysis beforehand. We can install a special filter to remove traces of lead or heavy metals, but we will only install a dispenser if we are 100% certain that it is safe and healthy. Feel free to contact us for more information if this applies to you.

It is true that reverse osmosis (RO, also known as nanofiltration) removes virtually all impurities from the water. However, reverse osmosis also removes all the beneficial minerals that give the water its pleasant taste (such as calcium, magnesium, and sodium). It is a very energy-intensive process, and for every liter of purified water, you also get one liter of wastewater. So it’s not very environmentally friendly.

Tap water in Belgium is of very high quality. Extensive purification using reverse osmosis is therefore unnecessary. We do, however, always install an activated carbon filter to remove unpleasant odors and tastes from the water, and we offer more advanced solutions for specific issues (such as excessive limescale, cloudy water, or lead). In most cases, however, filtration using activated carbon is more than sufficient.

PFAS and PFOA are chemicals that persist in the environment for a very long time and may have a negative impact on our health. Although their production has been significantly reduced, these substances will remain in our environment for a long time to come. Water utilities are therefore closely monitoring the levels of PFAS and PFOA in our drinking water to ensure they remain below safe levels.

We equip all our dispensers with a professional activated carbon filter. Studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have shown that activated carbon filtration removes more than 99% of PFAS and PFOA from drinking water. The drinking water from our dispenser is therefore perfectly safe. It is important, however, to have the filter replaced on time.

We do not recommend installing a unit with a hot water function unless you use a lot of hot water. Units with a hot water function require a lot of maintenance—they tend to become scaled up quickly—and consume a significant amount of energy because they constantly maintain a small supply of hot water (about 1 liter). In most cases, a simple electric kettle is a cheaper and just as convenient solution.

If you’d still like a water dispenser with a hot water function, most models can be equipped with this feature (our Hydrofix ONE is the exception). In addition to still and sparkling water, you can then dispense hot water just as easily. These units are also equipped with a safety feature, so that hot water can only be dispensed by performing a specific action (such as pressing two buttons at the same time).

Please note that we do not typically keep these devices in stock, so delivery may take 8 to 12 weeks.

Yes. We also offer drinking water faucets, or so-called “towers,” which take up less space. We also have faucets that provide both a drinking water function and a standard faucet function (unfiltered cold/hot water). These have the same dimensions as a standard kitchen faucet.

Please keep in mind that we need sufficient space near the drinking water faucet—for example, under the sink—to accommodate the technical unit, the filter, and a carbon dioxide cylinder (for faucets with a sparkling water function). Our own Hydrofix ONE is not (yet) available as a faucet.

We’d be happy to visit you to advise you on the best solution. We also work with a number of interior designers who are familiar with our products and know exactly how to incorporate them. Feel free to contact us for more information.

Clean the appliance weekly with a damp cloth and a mild detergent. Be sure not to use abrasive cleaners or on stainless steel appliances, as this could damage the surface. Also, empty the drip tray or drip pan regularly. A small amount of limescale may sometimes build up on the drip grid or in the drip tray. You can usually remove this easily with a damp cloth or a little vinegar.

If the machine hasn't been used for more than a week, it's best to flush it first. To do this, dispense one liter of each type of water (still, chilled, sparkling) and pour it down the drain.

A thorough maintenance check is required every 6 to 12 months. We will contact you in advance, and our technician will visit your home to replace the filter, thoroughly clean the unit inside and out, and check that it is working properly.

This depends on usage. Starting in September 2024, we will also be able to equip the dispensers with a “remote monitoring” option, which allows for centralized tracking of both water and (if available) CO2 usage. You can log in to the customer portal to view this information, but we also monitor that usage.

Remote monitoring involves taking two types of measurements for traditional water dispensers and storing them centrally for each dispenser:

• The weight of the CO2 cartridge. By measuring the weight of the CO2 cartridge at regular intervals and storing the data centrally, we can predict with a high degree of accuracy when the cartridge will be empty and therefore needs to be replaced. We’ll notify you in advance and deliver a new CO2 cartridge before the old one runs out.
• Total water consumption. Every time someone uses water, we measure the amount and store that data centrally. This provides an almost real-time view of consumption, the CO2 savings you achieve as a result, and which machine is best suited for that environment. We will proactively contact you if we believe the unit is too heavy or too light based on actual consumption. It also allows us to schedule necessary maintenance in a timely manner. In addition to a standard “lifespan,” this also depends on actual consumption.

No, under normal circumstances, this is not the case. Our monitoring device connects to publicly available LTE-M or NB-IoT networks. The advantage of this technology is that the signal penetrates deeper into buildings than, for example, 4G technology. In the rare event that there is no reception for these networks at the water dispenser in your building, we will work with you to find an acceptable alternative.

Given the high quality of drinking water in Belgium, the rigorous testing, and the additional filtration, UV disinfection of tap water is not necessary and offers little added benefit.

Our devices are therefore not equipped with UV disinfection as standard, but this feature can be added as an option.

The amount added depends on the “strength” the user chooses (from 1 to 5). That choice, in turn, depends heavily on personal taste. On average, 1 to 1.5 ml of flavor concentrate is added per liter of water—which works out to just a few drops per glass.

Yes, that's correct. We use only natural flavor extracts. To make flavor concentrate from these, we add water, sweeteners, and (to help ensure shelf life and safety) an acidity regulator such as citric acid. The exact composition may vary by concentrate, but it can always be requested from Hydrofix.

In its current version, the Hydrofix ONE does not allow you to select multiple flavors at the same time. However, there’s nothing stopping you from filling your glass or bottle partly with flavor A and partly with flavor B. After all, you can dispense as much of a particular flavor—or for as long as you like.