Elkay vs Oasis: Which Bottle Filling Station Is Right for Your Project?

Elkay and Oasis are two of the best-known names in commercial bottle filling stations and drinking fountains, and specifiers across the UK regularly weigh one against the other. Both build durable, filtered, touch-free hydration points for schools, workplaces, gyms, healthcare settings and public buildings. The differences that actually matter on a UK project are less about badge and more about approvals, availability, filtration certification and who supports the unit once it's on the wall. This guide compares both brands on the criteria UK project teams are assessed against.

Elkay vs Oasis at a Glance

How the two manufacturers compare on the criteria that decide a UK specification. Both columns list the same nine criteria in the same order, so you can read straight across. Specifications vary by model, so always confirm against the current datasheet for the exact unit you are specifying.

Elkay

Supplied & Supported by WRG

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions, USA. Supplied, stocked and serviced across the UK and EU by Water Refill Group, with WRAS approval across the range and genuine parts held in UK stock.

  • Manufacturer: Zurn Elkay Water Solutions, USA
  • UK & EU supply: exclusive WRG distribution, stock held in Buckinghamshire & Tilburg
  • Filtration: WaterSentry Plus / VII, front-access quarter-turn cartridge
  • Certification: NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 (model dependent)
  • WRAS approved across the UK range, with certification supplied for your specification pack
  • Activation: sensor-activated bottle filler with automatic 20-second shut-off
  • Sustainability: Green Ticker™ counts single-use plastic bottles saved
  • Parts & servicing: genuine Elkay parts and filters in UK stock, with Smart, Gold and Silver service plans
  • Retrofit: ezH2O retrofit kits upgrade existing fountains without full replacement
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Oasis

For Comparison

Oasis International, part of Culligan, USA. Supplied through regional and third-party distributors, with European operations including Ireland and Poland. Listed here for comparison — Water Refill Group does not supply Oasis.

  • Manufacturer: Oasis International, part of Culligan, USA
  • UK & EU supply: regional and third-party distributors; European operations in Ireland and Poland
  • Filtration: VersaFilter III / Green Filter, tool-free change behind a service door
  • Certification: NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 (model dependent)
  • WRAS: confirm approval status per model with your supplier before delivery to site
  • Activation: contactless bottle filler activation; push-pad bubbler
  • Sustainability: bottle counter shown on the smart filter monitor
  • Parts & servicing: availability depends on your chosen distributor — check UK spares holding
  • Retrofit: VersaFiller retrofit kits — not cross-compatible with Elkay units
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Elkay vs Oasis: Common Questions About Elkay

When specifiers compare Elkay vs Oasis, the same handful of questions come up almost every time — filtration, approvals, servicing and whether an existing fountain can be upgraded rather than replaced. Here are straight answers to the ones we're asked most about the Elkay range.

Closer than most comparisons suggest. Elkay WaterSentry Plus and WaterSentry VII cartridges and Oasis VersaFilter III are both certified to the same family of NSF/ANSI standards — 42 for taste, odour and chlorine, 53 for lead and other health-related contaminants, and 401 for incidental compounds. On certification alone there is very little between them. The practical difference is cartridge availability: a filter held in UK stock costs you nothing in downtime, while one shipped from North America can leave a unit out of service for weeks.
Yes. Every Elkay model we supply is WRAS approved for connection to a UK mains supply, and we provide the certification alongside product data for your specification pack. This matters more than it sounds — the most common cause of delay we see on hydration packages is discovering at commissioning that the approval paperwork for an imported unit doesn't exist.
For UK education projects, Elkay's ezH2O range is the most widely installed, and chilled filtered combination units with a bubbler and touch-free filler are the standard specification. The factors that actually decide it are vandal resistance, whether your site team can change filters without calling a contractor, and whether installation fits a holiday window. If your school already runs Oasis equipment across the estate, staying with Oasis keeps your spares and training consistent.
Often, yes. ezH2O retrofit kits add bottle filling to a sound existing fountain at a fraction of the cost of full replacement, with no new first-fix required. The catch is that retrofit kits are brand-specific — an Elkay kit is designed for an Elkay chassis, so the make of your existing units determines your options. Send us a photo and the model number and we'll tell you what's possible.
We do. Water Refill Group is Elkay's exclusive UK and EU distributor, with stock held in Buckinghamshire and Tilburg. That means one point of contact for pricing, technical data, WRAS documentation, installation and aftercare, plus genuine Elkay parts and filters from UK stock. Our Smart, Gold and Silver plans cover planned servicing rather than reactive callouts.
Elkay vs Oasis: Common Questions About Oasis

We don't supply Oasis, and we'd rather answer these questions honestly than pretend the brand doesn't exist. If you're weighing Elkay vs Oasis, these are the things worth checking before you commit either way.

No. We're Elkay's exclusive UK and EU distributor and we supply the Elkay range only. We've included Oasis throughout this page because it's a genuine alternative and you deserve a fair comparison rather than a sales pitch. If you've been given an Oasis specification, we're happy to map it across to the closest Elkay equivalent — or tell you if Oasis is the better fit for your project.
Check per model with your supplier. Approval status varies, and a US-market datasheet on its own won't satisfy a building control or water authority query. Ask for the WRAS approval number for the exact model you're specifying and confirm it's current, ideally at RIBA Stage 4 rather than on site. The same advice applies to any imported unit, whatever the badge.
No. Elkay WaterSentry and Oasis VersaFilter cartridges aren't interchangeable — each unit is engineered around its own manufacturer's cartridge. Substituting one invalidates the filtration performance claim and usually the warranty too. Whichever brand you choose, you're committing to that manufacturer's consumables for the working life of the unit, so check filter cost and UK availability before you specify rather than after handover.
There are four clear cases. If your estate is already standardised on Oasis, adding another unit keeps spares and maintenance training consistent. If you're retrofitting existing Oasis fountains, VersaFiller kits are designed for that chassis. If a global procurement framework — particularly one running through Culligan — already covers Oasis, it may be simpler to buy. And if you need a specific Oasis feature such as the QUASAR UV range, that's a legitimate reason to specify it.
Yes, and it's one of the most common things we're asked. Send us the schedule, drawings or model numbers and we'll come back with the closest Elkay equivalent by function, a WRAS-documented comparison and a costed schedule. If your existing units are Oasis and a retrofit makes more sense than replacement, we'll say so.

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Why Choose Us?

Exclusive UK Elkay Partner

We’re proud to be the exclusive authorised partner for Elkay bottle filling stations in the UK. That means direct access to genuine parts, faster support, and expert knowledge you won’t find anywhere else. When it comes to Elkay, we’re the people to trust.

Approved & Accredited Technicians

All of our engineers are fully vetted, trained, and approved to service Elkay and other leading hydration systems. You can count on consistent service quality, full compliance, and peace of mind with every visit.

Fast Response Times

When issues arise, we’re ready. With nationwide coverage and priority call-out availability, we’re structured to respond quickly and efficiently - helping you minimise disruption and keep your refill points flowing.

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Need help with servicing or maintenance? Send us a message and one of our experts will get back to you shortly.

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UK & EU Distribution Hubs

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