Can I Add a Chiller to My EZH2O LIV Bottle Filling Station
The short answer is "yes," but there are some things to be aware of.
If you are considering buying an Elkay LIV built in bottle filling station, you may have noticed that the residential version comes with, or without refrigeration, whereas the commercial one does not. In addition, the refrigerated models don't have that handy filter drawer to make it easier to change the filter.
Well we asked Elkay, and here is what they had to say in terms of recommended installation scenarios.
Firstly, why is there no filter drawer on the refrigerated, residential model?
Elkay designs all it's products carefully to provide the optimal experience for the end user. In this case, that's providing cool, filtered water as soon as the bottle is placed in the alcove under the spout.
With a non-refrigerated unit, this is no problem. The filter can be located anywhere along the waterway with no change in the end result.
However, with a chiller, the equation changes. To have the water as cold as possible, when it reaches the bottle, the distance between the cooler and the bottle filler should be as short as possible. Sometimes this is possible, and sometimes the installation location makes this difficult, but in either case, it is what it is, as they say.
One thing that can be controlled, however, to minimize the warmer water in the system between chiller and the output nozzle, is to avoid putting the filter between them. The filter holds about 1-1/2 pints of water (which is a lot more than the whole rest of the waterway combined) and it's not refrigerated.
Therefore, when a chiller is added to the system, the filter should always be situated before it in the waterway, not after. That being the case, if the chiller is remote and reasonably accessible, a filter drawer is not necessary for ease of access and that's why it isn't included in the refrigerated, residential LIV Bottle Filler.
Similarly, if you will be adding refrigeration to a commercial LIV Pro Bottle Filler, then the filter drawer assembly should be set aside during installation and not used, and the filter located next to the chiller.
You will also need the LKP-1000004711 Wiring Harness (ordered separately) to send the signal back to the bottle filler.
Of course, if the chiller is not going to be easily accessible....
But I still want a filter drawer because of where my chiller will be located!
If this is your situation, then, it can still be done, it just requires extra waterway plumbing. See the diagram below for an example path for the waterway.
In summary, if you will be adding refrigeration to the Elkay LIV Pro EZH2O Commercial Bottle Filling station, you can, but be sure to use one of the above waterway paths.
If you still have questions, you can call us at: (704) 937-2673, or email us at info@berls.com and we will do our best to help you!