5 Drinking Water Refill Stations (Alkaline, Spring, etc)

Clean drinking water is a necessity for life, but bottled water can be expensive. In some circumstances, though, you may want or even need to buy filtered water instead of getting it from the tap. Whether you’re preparing for a hurricane or snowstorm, planning a camping trip away from running water, looking for an environmentally friendly alternative to single-use plastic water bottles, or you’re trying to avoid the high levels of fluoride in your city’s water, you have several options for maintaining your supply of clean drinking water.

Below, we provide a brief explanation of the common types of clean drinking water, as well as the places where you can refill large water containers and personal bottles, the brands that sell home filtration systems, and the companies that can deliver water directly to your home.

Types of Drinking Water

Drinking water is marketed using many different terms, but it is primarily labeled as alkaline, spring, or filtered. Knowing what these terms mean will help you navigate the process of buying water and ensure that you aren’t paying for something that you don’t want.

Alkaline

When water labeled as “alkaline,” this means it has a pH value between seven (neutral) and 14 (totally alkaline). Alkaline water typically has a pH level between seven and nine. Many brands of bottled water can actually be quite acidic (with a pH below seven), while tap water is generally slightly alkaline, with a pH between seven and eight. Alkaline water has become popular as some argue that alkaline supplements have health benefits, such as helping the body recover after exerting energy (like after vigorous exercise). However, there is little scientific evidence supporting many of the purported benefits of alkaline water.

Spring

A designation of “spring water” means that the water was sourced from a natural underground spring then processed through filtration systems to remove contaminants. Both alkaline and spring water will contain trace minerals such as iron, bromine, and magnesium. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, these minerals are beneficial for your body’s functions.

Filtered

Filtered water is a very general term; it simply refers to water that has gone through a filtration system to remove chemicals, especially chlorine. There are no federal regulations that determine what classifies water as filtered. In many cases, water that sold as “filtered water” is just tap water that has been through several filters to remove some metals and sediments, making it taste better.

What We Recommend

For refilling larger water containers, you will likely want to visit a store that has a Primo or Glacier refill station. These stations are conveniently located in grocery stores and other retail locations nationwide, and both companies are known for regularly servicing their machines to make sure the stations are constantly providing safe and clean filtered water. If you want to refill your personal water bottle for free, consider going to a local mall, gym, grocery store, or college campus. These public places often have stations for refilling small water bottles with filtered water.

For at-home water filtration systems, Brita and PUR are the two most popular companies. Their faucet filters are positively reviewed, and even with regular filter replacements, you will still likely spend less than you would to buy packs of plastic water bottles.

If you want to have drinking water delivered to you, consider signing up for delivery from a company like DS Services of America, which can supply water to most of the nation and distributes several major bottled water brands, depending on your location and preference.

Where to Find Drinking Water Refill Stations

At the following refill stations — located either within retail stores or as their own, standalone kiosks — you can bring containers of virtually any size and refill them with filtered drinking water. We’ve ordered the following list starting with your best options for refill station availability. Note that while stations in retail stores are likely the easiest to find and most convenient to use if you’re already out making a trip, these stations are only open during store hours. Most standalone stations are open all day, every day.

Primo

• Cost: Around $0.35 per gallon
• Type: Filtered
• How to refill: Bring an empty container to any refill station and fill it; most stations accept cash and major debit and credit cards
• Where to find stations: Retail stores like Sam’s Club, Kroger, Office Depot/OfficeMax, Walmart, Lowe’s, Kmart, Ace Hardware, Dierbergs, Sears, Whole Foods, Hannaford, and others
• Find a Primo refill station

Glacier

• Cost: Typically between $0.15 and $0.50 per gallon
• Type: Filtered
• How to refill: Bring an empty container (up to five gallons) and refill, then pay at the store checkout counter
• Where to find stations: Typically in grocery stores and drugstores nationwide
• Find a Glacier refill station

Watermill Express

• Cost: Around $0.25 to $0.35 per gallon
• Type: Filtered
• How to refill: Bring any sized bottle or container to a refill station; most accept cash and major debit and credit cards
• Where to find stations: Standalone stations (not located within retail stores) in the southwestern U.S.
• Find a Watermill Express refill station

Culligan

• Cost: $0.25 for one gallon, $1.00 for five gallons
• Type: Filtered
• How to refill: Bring a bottle or container to a refill station
• Where to find stations: Standalone, self-service stations in the southern U.S.
• Find a Culligan refill station

U-Fill Water

• Cost: Around $0.25 to $0.35 per gallon
• Type: Filtered
• How to refill: Bring a container to a water center and refill
• Where to find stations: Varies widely; use the U-Fill Water location finder below to search for your nearest refill station in the northeastern U.S.
• Find a U-Fill Water refill station

Personal Water Bottle Refill Stations

Companies like Primo, Tap, Elkay, and HydraChill manufacture individual water bottle refilling stations that you can find at a variety of public places. Some companies even help you locate their stations — Tap has a mobile app and Primo has an online refill station locator. Places you can usually find personal water bottle refill stations include:

• Airports (after security)
• College campuses
• Gyms
• Hospitals
• Malls and shopping plazas
• Some grocery stores

While these refill stations are designed for individual water bottles rather than large five-gallon water coolers, water bottle refill stations can be very convenient, and most are free to use.

Home Water Filtration Options

If you don’t want to pay for bottled water, you don’t have any refill stations near you, or you simply prefer the convenience of having filtered water in your home anytime you want it, you may want to consider a home water filtration system. Most are fairly easy to install and they are quite cost-effective considering the amount of fresh, filtered water they provide. Typically, these are small filters that screw onto the end of your faucet and filter out impurities, usually using granulated activated charcoal. Popular faucet filter brands include:

• Brita: About $18 to $30 on Amazon
• PUR: About $25 to $45 on Amazon
• Culligan: About $30 to $100 on Amazon
• Waterdrop: About $20 to $30 on Amazon

Note that for any faucet filter, you will have to buy replacement filters a few times a year depending on your water usage. Based on an estimate of eight glasses of water per person per day, Brita calculates that the average household will need five filters a year. Depending on the price of replacement filters, this generally amounts to less than $150 per year for clean, filtered drinking water in your home.

Home Drinking Water Delivery

If you prefer the convenience of having drinking water delivered to your home, there are several companies that offer this service. Our related article lists the companies that offer bottled water delivery, including service areas and prices. For example, DS Services of America is the distributor for several major bottled water brands and can deliver to most regions of the U.S.

Depending on the brand, you can choose a one-time delivery or set up a monthly subscription. In addition to delivering filtered water, most of these companies also supply coolers and dispensers, and some even offer water filtration systems as well.

In Summary

If you need clean, filtered water but you don’t want to continuously buy packs of single-use plastic water bottles, you still have several options. You can bring your own large containers to refill at stations that are either in retail stores or that operate as standalone kiosks. Two of the most popular and widely available water refill station companies are Primo and Glacier, and they will typically charge around $0.35 per gallon. If you are simply looking to fill a personal water bottle (for free), consider visiting a local mall, gym, college campus, or grocery store — many have individual water bottle refilling stations available to the public. Alternatively, if you prefer to have your filtered water at home, consider investing in a faucet filter like those offered by Brita and PUR, or find a company that delivers drinking water to your home.

If you’re looking to buy specific types of water, we list where to buy deionized water and where to buy distilled water (including delivery options).