Drinking Fountain Bubbler Replacement Guide

Replacing the bubbler on your drinking fountain or water cooler can be a difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be. At Equiparts, we carry drinking fountain bubblers and bubbler repair parts made by all of the major drinking fountain manufacturers, including Elkay, Oasis, Murdock, Halsey Taylor, Haws, Central Brass, and more. Read this Bubbler Replacement Guide to learn how to choose the best bubbler option that fits your drinking fountain, when to consider flex-guard bubblers over chrome plated, and where to order your bubblers and bubbler repair parts when you are ready to order. Be sure to review the bubbler charts to help you find bubblers that fit your drinking fountain.

What information is needed when replacing a bubbler?

1. Start by determining your drinking fountain’s manufacturer and model. The model number of the unit can usually be found on the bottom or base of the unit. Most bubblers are not ‘one size fits all’. Usually, specific bubblers are designed to fit specific fountains. However, every fountain manufacturer is different. In this article, we focus on Elkay, Halsey Taylor, and Oasis bubblers. Elkay has a few bubblers that fit any of their fountains. They also have bubblers that are for select models and situations only. Halsey Taylor is owned by Elkay, so select Elkay bubblers fit Halsey Taylor units as well. Oasis has bubblers that fit certain series or units only. This is why the first step to replacing your bubbler is to figure out what drinking fountain or water cooler model you have.
2. Before replacing your bubbler with the exact same model, you might want to consider if there are better options available. There may be features on newer models that could be beneficial in your situation. Make sure you hang on to your old bubbler. It can be used to identify which model you have, and to check which new models, if any, are a compatible replacement.

Once you have the manufacturer and model number of the drinking fountain, and the old bubbler for reference (if available), then the next question you want to ask is: 

What type of bubbler should be installed?

Some drinking fountains have more than one bubbler style that fits the drinking fountain. In this instance, it’s important to make sure that you choose the bubbler that makes sense for where the fountain will be installed, and who will primarily use it. The two biggest bubbler differences are whether they feature a flexible guard, or are chrome-plated. 

Bubblers with a flexible bubbler guard, also called “flexi-guard”, are either plastic or feature a flexible plastic component on the top of the bubbler. This design helps users prevent dental injuries caused by accidentally hitting their mouth on the bubbler. Flexi-guard or flexible bubblers are ideal to install in drinking fountains that are located in schools, hospitals, convention centers, museums, and other locations where a wide range of people will use them, including children. They are also commonly used in sports and exercise facilities, since users are more likely to accidentally hit the bubbler with their mouth or teeth when fatigued from exercising.

Chrome-plated bubblers do not protect users from injury. Instead, the entire bubbler is chrome-plated and therefore inflexible. Their chrome-plated design inhibits the growth of bacteria and creates a polished look. They are also constructed of brass, which is a longer lasting material than flexible, plastic bubblers. Some chrome-plated bubblers are also vandal-resistant, making them a great choice for facilities where vandalism may take place. Chrome-plated bubblers are often chosen for government buildings, national parks, prisons, malls, and other locations where vandal-resistance and/or antimicrobial features are more important than deterrence of dental injury.

Bubbler Charts

Use these charts to find the drinking fountain bubbler that is best suited for your environment and users. There is one chart for Elkay bubblers, and one for Oasis bubblers. The Elkay bubbler chart also includes Halsey Taylor bubblers. Listed in each bubbler chart is an image of the bubbler, the manufacturer’s model number, the Equiparts part number, a description of the bubbler, and the drinking fountain and water cooler units that the bubbler fits. Underneath each chart is a list of the compatible units, along with links to their page online so you can easily find and purchase it online through our website.

Elkay Bubbler Chart

1. Elkay 56073C Bubbler (Equiparts part #50743)
2. Elkay 92715C Bubbler (Equiparts part #05793)
3. Elkay LK142 Bubbler (Equiparts part #47163)
4. Elkay / Halsey Taylor 98481C Bubbler (Equiparts part #65665)
5. Elkay / Halsey Taylor 97446C Bubbler (Equiparts part #84021)

Oasis Bubbler Chart

Oasis Bubbler Chart PDF