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COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates

This page will provide answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

COVID-19 FAQs

Our office is reopening. How should we prepare our Quench machines?

According to the Water Quality Association, the COVID-19 virus is very susceptible in the environment and is neutralized by the water treatment at your local municipal water processing facility and has not been found in municipal water. Quench’s state-of-the-art filtration systems are designed to improve the taste of municipal water, removing chlorine taste and smell as well as other contaminants that your municipal water may pick up as it travels through municipal infrastructure to your workplace.

As such, you do not need to replace your Quench filter to ensure your drinking water, ice, sparkling water, or coffee is clean.

However, you should follow precautionary steps to clean and sanitize your Quench machine. Click here for full instructions on cleaning and sanitizing your Quench machine. 

Our office is temporarily closing. Should we turn off our Quench machine or shut off the water to it?

If your office is closing for an extended period of time, please leave the Quench machine powered on, but you may shut off the water to the machine by turning the water valve clockwise. When your workplace reopens, we recommend you flush your Quench machine to ensure your first glass of water is freshly filtered. Click here for full instructions on cleaning and sanitizing your Quench machine. 

How should I clean my Quench machine to prevent Coronavirus?

We recommend wiping the entire surface of your Quench machine, paying special attention to the dispensing area, paddles, and buttons, with a nonabrasive disinfecting household cleaning spray or wipe.

What does the antimicrobial surface protection protect users from, and will it kill the Coronavirus?

The benefit of antimicrobial coatings and resin in the Quench machines is that it helps to keep the machines cleaner over a long period of time. Antimicrobial surfaces are generally not capable of rapidly killing viruses. They are not intended to defeat COVID-19 and Quench can make no representation that they have any effect on COVID-19. We recommend you treat the surfaces of our machines as you would any other surface in your office or breakroom. If you are concerned about the transmission of viruses while using a Quench machine, we recommend regularly wiping down the surface with a nonabrasive disinfecting household cleaning spray or wipe.

Does the UV light in my Quench machine kill the Coronavirus?

The UV systems in Quench machines are effective maintaining the cleanliness of the dispense waterway, which contributes to the clean, great taste of our water. We have not tested the effects of our UV light on killing COVID-19.

Does the Coronavirus spread through drinking water?

Per the World Health Organization, COVID-19 spreads from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth when the person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. It has not been found in municipal water. (Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses and https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-drinking-water-and-wastewater)

Water supplies in the U.S. are treated at a municipal processing facility with UV sanitization, Ozone filtration, Chlorine, Chloramine or a combination of these disinfectants. Based on current evidence, the COVID-19 virus is very susceptible to these common disinfection techniques used for drinking water. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) have all confirmed that the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water supplies (Source: Water Quality Association Technical Guidance). If you have more questions about your municipality’s water filtration, please reach out to your local water provider.

Quench’s state-of-the-art filtration systems are designed to improve the taste quality of municipal water, removing chlorine taste and smell and other contaminants that your municipal water may pick up as it travels through municipal infrastructure to your workplace. Quench’s filtration systems are not tested or certified to remove the COVID-19 virus or other viruses.

What precautions is Quench taking to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, especially with field personnel?

In addition to our workplace cleaning practices, we are taking the following measures to ensure the safety of our employees and customers:

  • Most employees are working from home, per state guidelines.
  • Our essential distribution center employees are following local social distancing guidelines and PPE (glove and/or mask) guidelines. We have also provided hand sanitizer and nonabrasive, disinfecting cleaning wipes throughout our distribution centers for employees to regularly sanitize their hands and workspaces.
  • Our field service technicians receive PPE (gloves and/or face masks) in accordance with their local guidelines. If your workplace requires additional preventive measures, please let us know so our field service technician can comply while working on site. We are also providing hand sanitizer and nonabrasive, disinfecting cleaning wipes to our field service technicians to ensure any commonly touched items, including their cell phones, are regularly cleaned and sanitized.
  • All employees are required to self-report to HR and self-quarantine if they or a member of their household has a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19. All international business travel has been halted.

What is Quench’s business continuity plan during the COVID-19 shutdown?

Quench is open and will continue to support our customers across the United States and Canada. Most of our corporate and call team employees are working from home in accordance with state requirements. Our employees have seamlessly transitioned to virtual access to our systems and communication tools which allow us to continue to provide a world-class customer experience and support.

Our field service technicians and employees working in our distribution centers are practicing social distancing and are regularly cleaning their workspaces with disinfecting wipes or sprays. We have also provided our essential employees with PPE and hand sanitizer per local guidelines.

At what point will Quench stop service to a specific location?

Our employees’ health is a top priority so we would stop service to a specific location when we are notified, in writing, from a customer that their locations are no longer allowing vendors to access their facilities.

We will also stop service to a location if that location is within a quarantined area.

How is Quench ensuring that shipping the machines across the country is not transferring the Coronavirus to my workplace?

While the Coronavirus can survive on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days, it is very unlikely for it to persist on a surface after the machine has been moved, shipped, exposed to different conditions and temperatures (Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses). While we are confident that our shipped machines are not a health risk, our field service technicians will continue to use a variety of techniques to ensure that each installed machine is thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and inspected for quality before it is used by customers.

If you are concerned about the transmission of viruses while using a Quench machine, we recommend regularly wiping down the surface with a nonabrasive disinfecting household cleaning spray or wipe.

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