The PWC-400 line of point of use counter-top coolers are designed to give years of reliable
Service. The cooler has a single spigot that dispenses filtered water at 2 different temperature
levels – hot and cold temperature water. The main (cold-temp) tank holds 3/4 gallons of water
and is constructed of FDA approved plastic. The cold tank can be accessed for servicing
the float mechanism and for cleaning by removing the cooler main top cover (see section 4).
The hot tank is made of stainless steel and holds 1/4 gallon of hot water. It is important not
to turn on the hot tank when there is no water in it as this will damage the heating element.
The compressor is a sealed unit and is not serviceable in the field. The compressor can be
replaced by a qualified refrigeration technician with proper tools and equipment.
Please consult the factory if the compressor needs servicing.
CAUTION: If the compressor has been stopped by switching it off or unplugging power,
WAIT 10 MINUTES before turning the compressor on again. The compressor may stall
and burnout if powered back on without waiting.
The cooler makes clean water by filtration or by the reverse osmosis process. Water enters the
back of the cooler and then passes through the filtration system. A feed water ball valve is
Located near the filters and must be turned to the on position to allow the unit to make water.
Electrical power is required for the cooler to make purified water. CAUTION: The carbon
filtration versions of the cooler (PWC-400F) should not be used with water hardness over
7 grains because of lime scale build up on the heating element. If hardness is higher than
7 grains, softening of the feed water is recommended or another option is to install
a “phosphate” filter to the filter system.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
2. Cooler Set-Up
(for new cooler installation)
Feedwater/Drain Connections
-Feed Connection
2.1 Remove 2 screws on back of right side panel
and remove right side panel.
2.2 Remove feed water plug (orange) from back
of cooler.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
2. Cooler Set-Up cont.
2.3 Connect supplied orange feed water tubing to
feed connector on back of cooler.
2.4 Make feed water connection to cold water line.
A self piercing saddle valve is provided.
2.5 Flushing carbon fines from carbon filter
.
Most carbon filters have fine particles of
carbon material in the filter that will be
swept into the water stream when the first
water flows through the filter. Although not
harmful, these carbon fines in the water are
unsightly. Flush the carbon fines out of the
filter before filling cooler tanks with the
following procedure
2.6 Remove outlet line of carbon filter (bottom)
Feedwater connection (RO & filtration coolers
(For use on copper tubing)
Use supplied self piercing saddle valve.
Connect to water inlet on cooler u sing 1/4”
tubing. Clamp saddle valve over copper feed
water line (cold water line only). Tighten
needle valve until tube is pierced. Retract
needle 1 -2 turns to start water flow.
)
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
2. Cooler Set-Up cont.
2.7 Attach 3 feet of ¼” tubing to the carbon filter
outlet port (flush tubing)
2.8 Place flush tubing in bucket to catch water
carbon fines
2.9 Turn on feed water at source and turn ball valve
at filter to “on” to let the water flush the filter.
2.10 Flush until water flows clear (1 – 2 gallons)
2.11 Remove flush line. Reconnect tank line to
outlet of carbon filter
2.12 WARNING: Do not turn on cooler hot power
until cooler tanks are full of water.
Figure 2.7
Drain Connection (for units equipped with RO)
2.13 Remove drain plug (black) from back of cooler
2.14 Connect supplied black water tubing to
drain connector on back of cooler
2.15 Attach supplied drain saddle to a
standard 1 ½” drain pipe see fig. 1 below
Drain saddle connection method
Drain connection required only for cooler with reverse osmosis filtration
Figure 1
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
3. Top Cover/Side Panel Removal
3.1 Remove (2) screws on back of cooler top cover
3.2 Slide cover back and lift off.
3.3 Cold tank is now accessible for cleaning
and servicing other parts of the cooler.
3.4 Reinstall in reverse order
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
3.Top Cover/Side Panel Removal
3.5 Remove (2) screws on back of cooler side cover
Cont.
3.6 Slide side cover back about half way off until
tab in side cover lines up with slot in cooler
frame.
3.7 Once slot and tab are lined up, pull side cover
away from cooler.
5.1 Drain water from cooler using front spigots
and by removing bottom drain plug.
5.2 Remove top cover and left and right side covers (sec. 3)
5.3 To gain access to the hot tank, the
filter bracket must be moved:
5.4 Remove water line from top of sediment filter
5.5 Put cooler on its’ left side
5.6 Remove 4 screws holding filter bracket to base
5.7 Set filter bracket aside to allow access to hot tank
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
5.Removing/Replacing Hot Tank
5.8 Remove wire from thermal sensors (4 places)
Cont.
5.9 Remove inlet tubing (Access from right side of
cooler)
5.10 Remove outlet tubing (Access from left side of
cooler)
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
5.Removing/Replacing Hot Tank
5.11 Remove vent tubing (top of hot tank)
Cont.
5.12 Remove the 2 screws that hold the tank from the
bottom of the cooler
5.13 Remove the hot tank from cooler
5.14 Remove (2) heating coil leads from hot tank
5.14 Remove Thermal sensors from hot tank. Save an
install on new hot tank.
5.16 Assemble hot tank in reverse order.
d
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
6.Dispensing Faucet Repair
6.1 Remove top and side covers of cooler (section 3)
6.2 Remove the control panel by grasping the bottom
of the panel and pulling out sharply.
6.3 Remove (4) electrical connectors from back of the
control panel. Set control panel aside.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
6.Faucet Repair
Cont.
6.4 Remove hot water tubing from the left (hot) solenoid.
6.5 Remove screw holding solenoid/manifold assembly
to the front panel.
6.6 Remove solenoid/manifold assembly by lifting it
out of cooler. Disconnect cold water tubing from
cold water solenoid (right side).
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
6.Faucet Repair
6.7 Remove screw holding solenoid to manifold and
bracket. Slide solenoid off of manifold.
Cont.
6.8 Reassemble in reverse order.
Make note of the following:
a. Water flow through the solenoid is
directional. There is an arrow molded in
the side of the solenoid body showing
water flow direction. Make sure the solenoid
is oriented correctly. Water can leak from
the solenoid if not installed correctly
b. When installing electrical connectors into
the circuit board please note: the left
solenoids’ connector plugs into the left
socket on the circuit board (when you are
facing the circuit board). The right solenoid
plugs into the right
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
7.Remove/Replace Circuit Board
7.1 Remove dispensing control panel (section 6)
7.2 Remove circuit board cover
7.3 Remove (3) screws holding circuit board to panel
7.4 Re-assemble in reverse order
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
8.Remove Front Panel
8.1 Remove top and side covers of cooler (section 3)
8.2 Remove the control panel and dispensing solenoid
assembly (section 6.2)
8.3 Remove (2) screws from the top of the front panel. The
lower part of the front panel sets on two pins.
8.4 Lift front panel off of the two pins. Remove cover
8.5 Re-assemble in reverse order
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
9. Hot Tank Reset Button
9.0 To access the hot tank, remove the left side cover
per section 3.3
9.1 Observe that there are two circular sensors
attached to the hot tank. The upper one is the
main controller at 82 ºC and the lower sensor
is the over-temp cut off.
The power switch for the hot tank (at the back
of the cooler) should not be turned on until
water can be dispensed from the hot spigot. If
the hot power is turned on without water in the
hot tank the heating element will over heat. To
prevent this, the lower thermal sensor on the
hot tank will cut power to the heating element
before any damage takes place. If this happens
the switch on the thermal sensor can be reset to
operational mode manually by the following
procedure.
9.2 Make sure the power cord is unplugged.
9.3 Find the lower thermal sensor on the hot tank
9.4 Using a long thin object such as a screw driver
or a pen, depress the small button at the
center of the lower thermal switch. You should
feel a click when you depress the button. This
action resets the over-temp sensor.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
10. Remove/Replace Thermal Sensor
10.0 The hot tank thermal sensors are located
on the outside of the hot tank. There are
two thermal sensors. The sensor located
higher on the hot tank controls the daily
operation of the heating element. The
lower thermal sensor is an overheat
safety switch and cuts power to the hot
tank should a malfunction occur and
the tank starts to overheat.
10.1 Unplug cooler from power source for
this operation.
10.2 Remove left side cover per sec. 3.3
10.4 There are (2) thermal sensors attached with
screws to the hot tank. The upper sensor automatically turns the heating element on and off
to maintain the water at 180 ºF. The lower
sensor is the over temperature sensor. This
sensor activates if the temperature on the tank
goes over 212 ºF. If this sensor is activated due
to a overheat condition, it will cut the power to
the heating element. If this happens, it can be
reset by pressing the button at the center of
the sensor.
To check if either thermal sensor is good, use a
continuity tester (ohm meter) to check for
continuity across the thermal sensor. Make
sure the thermal sensor is at ambient temperature
for this test. If there is no continuity, replace
the sensor.
10.5 To change either sensor, disconnect (2)
electrical terminals from sensor.
10.6 Remove (2) screws holding sensor to tank.
10.7 Install new thermal sensor, replace screws,
reconnect electrical terminals to sensor.
10.8 Replace left side cover.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
11. Cold Tank Temperature Adjustment
11.0 The cold water temperature adjustment
is located on the back of the cooler in
the middle of the panel. An expansion
tube senses temperature in the cold
tank and open and closes the thermostat.
11.1 The cold adjustment is a shaft with a
screw driver slot on the end.
11.2 To make the water colder, using a
screw driver, rotate the shaft clockwise.
For warmer water rotate the shaft
counter clockwise. There are stops on
the adjustment shaft. DO NOT force
the control shaft over the stop. If this
happens, it will be necessary to replace
the temperature controller
270º Travel
STOP
WARMEST
COLDEST
STOP
Normal Travel is 270º
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
12. Sanitization Procedure
The sanitization procedure is performed to reduce/eliminate any bacteriological
growth in the cooler tanks and dispensing plumbing. Bacteriological growth
can be the cause of some taste and odor in the water.
The procedure is as follows:
1.Mix 1 teaspoon of common household bleach (5.25%) in 2 gallons of
clean water.
2.Unplug the cooler from the power source.
3.Drain all water from the cooler tanks.
4.Pour the sanitizing solution into the main (cold temperature) tank until full.
5.Open all spigots to allow sanitizing solution to fill the dispensing faucets.
Close the spigots.
6.Let the sanitizing solution stand in the cooler for 10 minutes.
CAUTION: Leaving the sanitizing solution in the cooler for more
than 10 minutes can cause taste problems in the water.
7.Completely drain the sanitizing solution from all the tanks per section 5
8.Fill the main (cold temp.) tank with clear tap water to rinse out the
sanitizing solution.
9.Completely empty the rinse water from the tanks.
10.The cooler is now sanitized and ready for filling with filtered water.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
13. Trouble Shooting
Water not cold from cold tank
(Water dispenses from spigot but is not cold)
Possible causesSolution .
1. Cooler not plugged inMake sure power cord is plugged
into wall socket
2. Power switch not onMake sure cold power switch on
the back panel is on.
3. Adjust temperature controlThe thermostat temperature control
adjustment is located on the back
of the cooler. (see section 11)
4. All cold water has been drained Cooler needs time to recover.
wait 10-15 minutes until water cools
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
13. Trouble Shooting
Cont.
No Hot Water from Hot Tank
Possible CausesSolution
1. Cooler not plugged inMake sure power cord is plugged
into wall socket
2. Power switch not onMake sure Hot power switch on back
panel is on and hot power light on
front is illuminated
3. Electrical terminal Check to see that both wires are
disconnectedconnected to the heating element
terminals. These are located at the
bottom of the hot tank
4. Heating element failureCheck for continuity across hot tank
due to scalingheater terminals. To do this, unplug
unit from wall power. Disconnect one
of the connector at the heating element
terminals (at bottom of tank). Using
an ohm meter, check for continuity
across the 2 terminals. If there is no
continuity (open), the tank must be
replaced.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
13. Trouble Shooting Cont.
No Hot Water from Hot Tank cont.
Possible causes Solution .
5. Thermal sensor failureThe thermal sensors are attached to the
hot tank. The upper sensor is a 96 ºC
sensor and functions as an over heat
safety. The lower sensor is a 82 ºC
sensor and controls the heating element
function. The lower sensor would be the
problem if there was no hot water. To
see if the sensor is functioning properly,
first unplug the cooler from the wall.
remove the terminal from the sensor.
Using an ohm meter, check for continuity
If there is no continuity (open), replace
sensor
as per section 10.
6. Hot tank turned on withoutThe hot power should never be turned on
water in tank without water in the tank. If this happens,
the upper thermal sensor on the hot tank
will switch, cutting power to the hot tank.
This is a safety device to prevent the heating
element from burning itself out due to dry
heating. Once the hot tank cools off the
switch can be reset to operating condition.
See section 9.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
13. Trouble Shooting Cont.
No Hot Water from Hot Tank cont.
An indicator of a hot tank problem can also be the lights on the front
control panel. Below is a table of trouble shooting help.
If the Hot Tank is not heating and the front panel lights are:
Front Panel LightsCauseCheck
Hot Power – onHeating element disconnectedNo Continuity across
Heating - onor burned outheating element
No lights at allLower thermal sensor Reset Press reset button /
Including cold power button disengaged or sensor No Continuity across
burned outthermal sensor –replace sensor
Hot Power – onUpper thermal sensor No Continuity across
Heating -- offdisconnected or burned outlower thermal sensor
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
PWC – 400
PureWaterCooler
14. Specifications
PWC-400
Voltage/Frequency120 VAC/ 60 Hz
Weight (dry)48 lbs.
Total Water Capacity1.5 gallons
Hot tank.5 gallons
Cold tank1.0 gallons
Power Consumption Total600 Watts
Hot Tank500 Watts
Cold Tank100 Watts
Temperature
Hot180 ºF average
Cold (adjustable)38 ºF average
RefrigerantR134a 36 mg.
Copyright 2008 Vertex Water Products
4/09
PWC-400 Part List
Item No. Description Part NumberItem No. Description Part Number
P1Top Covercl49500E1Control Board, Rev Ccl49529
P2Front Panelcl49501E1.1Cntrl Brd w/beep snd, RevD,Ecl49587
P3Control Pnl/Fct Cover, Rev Fcl49581E1.2Cntrl Brd w/beep snd, Rev Fcl49580
P3Cntrl Pnl/Fct Cover, Rev C,Dcl49502E2Compressorcl19218
P4Basecl49503E3Cold Temperature Switchcl49219
P5Drip Tray Setcl49504E4Transformercl49220
P6Left Side Panelcl49505E5Power Cordcl49221
P7Right Side Panelcl49506E6Control Box, Level Sensorcl49222
P8Handlecl19235/EGE7Fancl49223
P9Water Spout and T Manifoldcl49508E8Condensorcl49224
OBSOLETE REV E Control panel Assycl49588
M1Frame, Uppercl49512REV F Control panel Assycl49591
M2Frame, Frontcl49513
M3Rear Panelcl49514H1Hot Tankcl49545
M4Screwcl49515H292 C Temperature sensorcl19277
M5Screwcl49516H382 C Temperature sensorcl29030
M6Screen, Stainless 304cl49528H4Screwcl49548
M7Screwcl49517H5Screwcl49549
M8Screwcl49518H6Stoppercl49555
M9Bracketcl49519H7Insulating Foamcl49551