Pros and cons of a service contract for water taps

person at desk at work with glass of water

If your office relies on a boiling tap or mains-fed water dispenser, you’ll know how disruptive it can be when the system goes down. Staff lose their quick access to safe drinking water or instant hot water for tea, and it can slow down the workday.

Many businesses choose a service plan to keep their equipment running and reduce unexpected downtime. But is a service plan really worth it for your office? Let’s look at the pros and cons so you can decide.

Pros and cons at a glance

Pro	Con
Predictable quarterly or annual payments make budgeting easier	Can be more expensive than ad-hoc support for light-use teams
Quick access to repairs and servicing reduces downtime	Coverage levels vary between providers and may be limited
Regular maintenance helps equipment last longer and stay hygienic	May overlap with existing manufacturer warranties
Scheduled filter changes protect against hard water damage	Not always necessary in soft water areas or low-use offices
Machine calibration helps maintain safe drinking water standards	Some offices may already manage cleaning effectively in-house

What is a service plan?

A service plan is a maintenance and support agreement provided by your supplier or a third party. It usually includes:

Routine servicing at fixed intervals
Filter changes and descaling
Access to breakdown support
Replacement parts or loan units
Emergency callouts or next-day engineer visits

The goal is to keep your dispenser or tap running smoothly, avoid unexpected costs, and ensure safe, high-quality water.

Pro: Predictable costs

A service plan spreads your maintenance costs over time. That’s useful for budgeting because you know exactly what’s covered and won’t be hit with sudden repair bills or callout fees.

For offices with multiple dispensers or taps, this level of predictability makes cost control much easier.

Pro: Less downtime

If your dispenser or tap stops working, staff are left without boiling or chilled water. A service plan means you already have someone on call, which minimises disruption.

For employers, that protects both productivity and the staff experience.

Pro: Longer lifespan for your equipment

Regular servicing helps prevent small problems from becoming bigger, more expensive issues. It also ensures hygiene standards are maintained, which is especially important for systems that provide boiling or chilled drinking water.

Pro: Protection against hard water issues

Cities like London and Manchester sit in hard water areas. Without routine filter changes and descaling, limescale can build up inside taps and dispensers, causing faults and lowering performance.

A service plan ensures these preventative steps happen automatically, often on a fixed schedule.

Con: Not always cost-effective for light use

If your office has just one dispenser serving a small team and you’re in a soft water area, you may not need a service plan. An ad-hoc approach could be more cost-effective, especially if your system has a good warranty and is simple to clean.

Con: Coverage can vary

Not all service plans are equal. Some only include routine servicing, while others add breakdown support but exclude parts. Some charge extra for emergency visits.

Before signing up, ask exactly what’s covered: response times, engineer availability, parts, and labour.

Con: You might already be covered

Most equipment comes with a manufacturer’s warranty, often covering repairs for the first 12–24 months. If that’s the case, a service plan could mean doubling up.

That said, warranties rarely include preventative tasks like filter changes or hygiene checks, which service plans cover.

How to decide

When deciding whether a service plan makes sense for your workplace, ask:

How critical is this dispenser or tap to day-to-day operations?
How many people use it and how often?
What’s the cost difference between ad-hoc repairs and a plan?
Are we in a hard water area?
Who’s responsible for cleaning and maintenance in-house?

A good supplier will help you weigh these questions and recommend the best option for your office.

Conclusion

Service plans offer peace of mind, predictable costs, and long-term protection. They’re particularly useful for larger or high-traffic offices where downtime has a big impact. For smaller teams, though, they may not be essential.

With the right data about usage, water quality, and warranty coverage, you can make the best choice for your workplace.