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There are plenty of grown-up reasons to like this Brio water dispenser, and I’ll get to them. The one that made us laugh is that my husband’s tall water bottle finally fits under the spout. With our old dispenser he had to tip the bottle sideways and hold it there while it filled. With this one it stands up straight and you just press the button. Silly, and we love it.
We bought this one ourselves after going through a few bottom loaders, so I had something to compare it to. It’s the quietest one we’ve owned, and that’s the reason I’d tell you to get it.
Quick Verdict
- Buy it if: You’ve had a noisy bottom loader before and you want hot, room temp, and cold from one machine you never have to scrub.
- Skip it if: You need it silent around the clock, because the self-cleaning cycle has a sound of its own.
- My favorite feature: How quiet it runs day to day. We’ve had a few bottom loaders and this is the first one I forget is on.
- Would I buy again? Yes
Why this is the quietest bottom loader we’ve had
Bottom loaders have a pump that pulls water up from the jug in the cabinet, and on the others we’ve owned you could hear it working. This one you can’t. It sits in the kitchen and does its job without announcing it, which after a few loud ones felt like a small miracle.
The three spouts cover everything we pour. Hot, room temperature, and cold, and the room temp one is the spout I use most. Each has its own button, so nobody’s waiting on a dial to change over.
Brio Self-Cleaning Bottom Loading Water Dispenser
A freestanding stainless steel dispenser that keeps the 5 gallon jug in a lower cabinet, with hot, room temperature, and cold spouts, a UV self-cleaning button, a locked hot spout for kids, and a lit dispensing area. If it’s ever gone, look at Brio’s other bottom loaders.
The Brio’s numbers and what’s on the panel
- Size: 41.4 inches high, 12.2 wide, 15.6 deep
- Bottle: 5 gallon jug, loaded into the lower cabinet
- Spouts: Hot, room temperature, and cold, each with its own button
- Cleaning: UV self-cleaning, started with one button on the front panel
- Safety: Two-step child lock on the hot spout that relocks itself after each pour
- Light: LED nightlight over the dispensing area and drip tray
- Finish: Stainless steel front and cabinet
Who should get a bottom loading water dispenser?
Anyone who’s tired of hoisting a full jug over their head. The bottle slides into the cabinet at the bottom, and I can swap it myself without asking for help or lifting the huge thing at all. If you’ve been putting off a dispenser because the loading part sounded like a chore, this is the style to get.
It’s also for people like me who know themselves. I was never going to figure out how to clean the inside of a water dispenser on any kind of schedule, so I needed one that cleans itself. Press the button and it handles it. Pair it with the nugget ice maker on the counter and cold water plus chewable ice is a two-step trip in our kitchen.
How it’s gone in our kitchen since we set it up
It gets used all day. My husband fills his big insulated tumbler standing straight up under the spout, and I fill mine from the room temp button. Nobody thinks about the dispenser, which is the best thing I can say about an appliance.
The one time it does make itself known is the self-cleaning cycle. It’s a little loud while it runs. Not alarming, and not a deal breaker by any means, but you notice it. I run it at night when nobody’s around to be bothered.
The parts we use every day
- Tall clearance under the spouts: A big handled tumbler stands upright on the drip tray with room to spare. No tipping, no holding it at an angle while it fills.
- Bottom cabinet loading: Open the door, slide the jug in, done.
- Three real temperatures: Room temp has its own spout, and it’s the one that gets pressed most in this house.
- Hot water lock: Hot takes two steps, release the lock and then press, and it relocks on its own after each pour.
Small things I liked
- The dispensing area is lit, so a glass of water in a dark kitchen doesn’t mean turning on the overhead light.
- The front panel shows exactly what’s on: power, hot, cold, and a Self Clean light, nothing to decode.
What are the downsides of the Brio dispenser?
- The self-cleaning cycle is louder than normal use. Plan for it. Start it at bedtime and it won’t bother anyone.
- It’s a full-size floor unit, over 41 inches high, so it needs a real spot near an outlet.
- Brio makes other self-cleaning bottom loaders if this one disappears.
Questions about the Brio bottom loading dispenser
Is the Brio bottom loading water dispenser loud?
Not in normal use. It’s the quietest bottom loader we’ve owned, and we’ve had a few. The exception is the self-cleaning cycle, which you will hear, so we start it at night.
Will a tall water bottle fit under the Brio’s spout?
Yes. My husband’s tall insulated tumbler with a handle stands straight up under the spout and fills without tipping. Our old dispenser made him tip it sideways to fill.
How does the self-cleaning on the Brio work?
It uses UV light inside the unit. You press the Self Clean button on the front panel and let it run. That’s the whole job.
Does the Brio dispenser have a child lock on the hot water?
Yes. Hot water is a two-step pour: release the lock, then press. The lock resets itself after each pour, so you never have to remember to re-engage it.
Do you have to lift the water jug to load the Brio?
No. The jug goes in the lower cabinet, and the dispenser pumps water up from there. I change the bottle myself without lifting it overhead.
Other bottom loading dispensers to compare
- Avalon Self Cleaning Bottom Loading Water Cooler: The same three temperatures, a nightlight, and a child lock on the hot spout, but its self-cleaning uses ozone instead of UV. It also has an empty-bottle light that comes on when the jug needs replacing.
- Primo Bottom Loading Pro 2-Temp with Ultra-Cold: Two temperatures, cold and hot, with no room temperature option, and Primo pitches the cold as ultra-cold. It’s built with a high dispensing area for big bottles and tumblers, so it solves the same water bottle problem the Brio did for us.
- Euhomy Self Cleaning Bottom Loading Water Dispenser: Hot, cold, and room temperature, UV self-cleaning, and a two-step child lock on the hot button, like the Brio. It takes 3 or 5 gallon bottles, has an empty bottle alert light, and the listing says the pump is low-noise.
Would we buy it again? We’re eyeing a second one for the garage
We would buy this again, and we’ve talked about adding another one out in the garage.
If you want hot, room temp, and cold in the kitchen without hearing the machine or ever scrubbing it, this is the Brio to get.
Where To Buy
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