I use to rent the cooler from the company I bought bottled water from and
>they cleaned the inside. I recently came upon a deal that I couldn't pass
>up, a Sunbeam water cooler with a built in refrigerator in the bottom that a
>local grocery store put on clearance for $59 to clear space. I feel it is
>time to clean the inside but the book that came with it doesn't exactly make
>it clear what maintenance needs to be done.
>
>I took it apart and cleaned 2 big parts and I was thinking of pouring
>vinegar into a bottle, putting it on and letting it sit for awhile in the
>lines followed by a rinse of clear water before I put a new bottle on.
>Should the vinegar be diluted or poured in straight? The book mentions using
>CLR to clean it but I don't want to use chemicals if vinegar will do the
>trick. There isn't any noticeable mineral buildup or rust.
>
>As a side question, I have used 2 different water suppliers and neither one
>has a seal over the bottle top when you put it on. As a result everytime I
>change the water I make a big mess with water all over as it is not a simple
>matter of pouring the water in as you place the bottle on the pin for me, I
>can't seem to do it fast enough as not to spill the water. Does anyone know
>of a water supplier that places a seal over the bottle top that the pin
>breaks to minimize spillage or a method of changing bottles that minimizes >the spills?
>
>
You can use the full-strength vinegar. I recommend using white vinegar rather than the (more expensive) cider vinegar. If you are using distilled water, there won't be any buildup of minerals. A rinse or wiping with a 10:1 solution of water/household bleach will sanitize the parts and kill any mold with no concern of toxicity. CLR can be used for food stuff, but I agree that it should be a last resort. Water is probably the best whole body cleanser--drink lots!
Once you get the proper technique, you should be able to invert a
5-gallon jug into the dispenser in one continuous smooth swoop without spilling a drop.