Hacksaw,

One some of, if not all, the stand alone water coolers (that hook into the buildings water supply) there is a storage bladder that can also go bad. As the bladder starts to breakdown the smells can get quite nasty. Eventually the bladder rots through and you get no water.

The two main types of "office coolers" are Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) or simple carbon filter units. The R.O. units only filter down to about 10 microns, so the R.O. system is chemically pure but not biologically pure (see ETS: Gear & Equipment, Basic Wilderness and Survival Equipment under the filters heading for more info).

On the unit there should be a contact phone number for the company that services the product. I would try calling them and ask what the TDS (total disolved solids) reading is from their last inspection, along with the date of inspection. Also, ask what the tap water in the area (or unfiltered water's TDS reading typicaly is.) If they say they don't take a TDS reading the unit is only a activated carbon filter for smell and taste.

As both of the above mentioned units age, they will go bad and need to be replaced. Some companys will swap out the old unit and rebuild it with new parts, so you get a rebuilt replacement.

Just some of the useless info I felt like sharing.

Joe