The 5-Gallon Water Jug: Weight, Where to Buy, Refills and Cooler Care

How heavy is a 5-gallon water jug?

About 42 pounds full. Water weighs 8.34 lb per gallon, so five gallons is 41.7 lb, plus roughly a pound and a half for the jug itself. Empty, a polycarbonate jug weighs about 1.5 lb.

That number is the whole reason bottom-loading coolers and delivery exist. Lifting 42 lb over your head to seat a jug in a top-loading cooler is the most common way people hurt themselves with one. The Avalon A4 we rent and sell loads from the bottom: the jug slides into a cabinet at knee height.

How long does a 5-gallon jug last?

Five gallons is 640 fl oz, or about 38 standard 16.9 oz bottles. A household of two drinking eight glasses a day gets through a jug in about five days; an office of ten goes through one a day. Most home subscriptions run two jugs every two weeks; most offices take two or more jugs a week.

Where can I buy 5-gallon water jugs?

• Delivery, swapped. A water company brings full jugs and takes your empties. Alkaid delivers Alkaid Alkaline Water 5-Gallon Jug or Grace Spring at $8.99 a jug and Blue Star Purified Water 5-Gallon Jug at $7.25, 2 at a time, across northern New Jersey and the five boroughs. The first order includes the jugs themselves at $8.00 each, which you keep; every delivery after that swaps them. See 5-gallon water delivery.
• Retail exchange. Supermarkets and hardware stores sell jugs and run exchange racks. You carry the 42 lb both ways.
• Refill stations. Vending machines outside grocery stores refill your own jug. Cheap, but the jug rides in your trunk and the machine's filter maintenance is invisible to you.

Are 5-gallon jugs reusable?

Yes. Polycarbonate jugs are washed, sanitized and refilled many times; that is how the swap system works. Jugs with cracks, clouding or a persistent smell are retired. If you buy your own jug for a refill station, wash it with warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly between fills, and replace it if it scratches badly.

Top-loading vs bottom-loading coolers

• Top-loading. Cheaper. You lift the jug, flip it, and seat it on the spike. 42 lb, above your shoulders.
• Bottom-loading. The jug sits in a cabinet at the base and a pump draws water up. No lifting above the waist. The Avalon A4 Bottom-Loading Water Cooler Dispenser (Black) does hot, cold and room temperature this way. Rent it from $7.99 a month with a 2-jug subscription, or buy it for $199.99. See rent a water cooler.
• Countertop pump. A hand or USB pump that screws onto the jug. It works, does not cool, and the jug still has to get onto the counter.

How to clean a water cooler

Every three to six months, or whenever you notice a taste:

1. Unplug the cooler and remove the jug.
2. Drain both taps into a bucket.
3. Mix one tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water, or one part white vinegar to three parts water.
4. Pour it into the reservoir, let it sit 5 to 10 minutes, then drain it through both taps.
5. Rinse with clean water three or four times, until there is no smell.
6. Wipe the drip tray, the taps and the jug seat. Seat a fresh jug and plug it back in.

If you rent an Avalon from Alkaid and it develops a fault, we repair or swap it free.