Getting a 10 Gallon Water Cooler for Two Dollars

I got a wonderful buy today! It is something I have never owned before! I bought a 10 gallon water cooler!

I made a video where I share how to take off the spigot from a variety of water coolers as I have many types. They are all similar and I have taken the spigots off to clean many time.

I have purchased all my coolers but the first second hand and bleach them out and clean out the spigot just to make sure they are all clean and functioning well. I have learned from the past that sand, dirt, and grime can get into them, or if you use juice or Gatorade in them, they can get moldy or mildew in the spigot and even when you clean out the main cooler, the mildew can still be in the spigot. 

Also, I learned that when loading or unloading the coolers into the trailer, we are in sand, dirt, and parking lots. If it gets sand into the spigot, it can jam the spigot so that it won't work properly and can cause it to not shut off properly and it will drip. So, to fix that problem, I now put a baggie over the spigot and use an elastic to hold it on, that way if it leaks, it will not cause water problems in the trailer or car. It is nice to keep it from getting dust into the nozzle so that you have to dump the first glass of water as it has dust in it. Also, spiders can climb up into the nozzle / spigot and create a web, so just to be safe, I ALWAYS keep a baggie on them now. Here is a video where I talk about that and some other great tips for the cups and coolers while camping! 

I use a hand on the inside on the nut, and twist the spigot counter clockwise to screw off the spigot. If the nut is tight, you can use an adjustable wrench to hold the nut on the inside, and then screw the spigot off. I share in the video how I use bleach water and cleaner to clean the spigot and screws. Once clean, I reverse the process putting the rubber gasket back in the cooler and putting the nozzle back on. 

This would also be the same method to replace a worn or deteriorated gasket or rubber washer either on the inside of the spigot, or the one that goes between the nut inside, and the spigot outside. You can buy a new washer / seal / or gasket from the company, but I find that I can usually just clean them really well, and then put them back on and see if they work after being cleaned well. I have also heard that Coleman will send a free spigot, but I haven't tried, so I can't verify that.

I now have about five 5 gallon coolers, two 3 gallon coolers and now a 10 gallon which I paid $2 for today. I usually pay about $4 or $5 for the 5 gallon jugs, but have stopped buying them as it is just me living at home, so I use them for water storage for an emergency. I rotate the water each year when we go camping in spring and summer. I need to see if this 10 gallon cooler can fit on my trailer counter. I use two 5 gallon coolers at our lake reunion each year depending on how hot it is while we are there. 

I feel blessed to have a few thrift stores near where I live so I can get this type of thing at a hugely discounted price. The 10 gallon water cooler for $2 today was amazing. Even if I just turn around and resell it locally if I decide I don't want it, I looked them up online and the cheapest I could find was used on eBay for $10ish and new from $40 to $88. 

What I did find while searching was a new spigot for under $7 which was much cheaper than the last time I looked a few years ago. It was a great deal today and it is a great way to store water other than 55 gallon drums which you can't move and if one gets contaminated, the entire thing is contaminated. I used to store water in old Coke bottles, but they are so awkward to store, so I did away with that. I have a few square 5 gallon water jugs, and then the coolers as they stack fairly well, they are easy to move and carry and I can buy them cheaper than any other water storage method.

Have a blessed day!