Winter is the time to stay ahead. Wet weather amplifies small issues: blocked drains, messy puddles, slip risks, and grime that builds up quickly. A station that fails in July often becomes a complaint in August. Scheduled winter maintenance is less costly than emergency repairs. That’s why a winter check matters. It helps you catch small issues early, keep the station user-friendly, and protect your investment.

In winter, everything sticks around longer. Water. Mud. Algae. Dirt. If a station drains poorly, it looks messy. When it looks messy, people avoid it. If people avoid it, the upgrade quietly loses its value. With these seasonal challenges in mind, here’s a breakdown of key maintenance areas to monitor:

1. DRAINAGE AND PUDDLES

If there’s one thing people notice quickly, it’s a puddle around a drinking water station. Start with the way water behaves after use:

• Drains run clear
• Water moves away quickly after use
• Base areas do not pool
• Dog bowls drain fully where installed

Proper drainage is just the start. Leaks can also cause ongoing issues and require attention after drainage is addressed.

2. LEAKS AND CONSTANT DRIPS

Leaks are sneaky in wet months. Everything already looks damp, so the problem can drag on until it becomes a muddy ring and a complaint hotspot. A quick sweep should pick up:

• Base fittings
• Buttons and valves that stick
• Any drip that continues after use

Surface cleanliness is another factor that shapes public perception.

3. CLEAN SURFACES PEOPLE JUDGE IN A SECOND

People decide quickly: if it looks unhygienic, they walk past. That means checking the details people notice first:

• Nozzle and refill outlet condition
• Wipe-down surfaces
• Build-up in seams and corners

Beyond hygiene, physical safety around the station is equally important. High-use sites like Perth Zoo show what hygiene has to withstand in a busy public environment, where constant use puts every design detail to the test.

4. SLIP RISK AROUND THE STATION

A drinking water station should make a space safer and easier to use, not riskier. On a wet day, that means checking for:

• Algae build-up near the base
• Puddling at approaches
• Stable footing where people queue

The SafeWork NSW slip, trip and fall guidance is a useful reference here, especially when puddling and algae start turning a simple water point into a winter hazard. Accessibility is another essential consideration, especially in real-world, wet-weather conditions.

5. ACCESSIBILITY IN REAL CONDITIONS

Accessibility isn’t just a line in a spec sheet. It is what happens on a wet day, when the ground is soft and people are in a rush. In practice, that means making sure there is:

• Clear approach space
• Reachable controls
• Usable heights for different users

Efficient maintenance routines can prevent small issues from becoming bigger problems.

6. QUICK MAINTENANCE JOBS THAT PREVENT CALL-OUTS

This is where teams can save time: do quick jobs early, before they turn into repeat work. The Aquafil FlexiFountain maintenance guide covers the real-world tasks crews encounter. Use it to keep routine work simple and consistent.

• Replace panels to keep access simple and prevent small issues from dragging on
• Change the filter before performance drops and complaints start
• Adjust flow rate when usage feels slow or messy
• General cleaning keeps the station looking easy to trust
• Graffiti removal helps stop the asset looking neglected
• Read the meter to understand usage and plan maintenance more accurately

The Aquafil FlexiFountain installation and maintenance page steps through the routine jobs crews actually deal with, from panel removal and filter changes to flow adjustment, cleaning, graffiti removal, and meter access. Focusing maintenance efforts is easier when you understand which sites have the highest impact.

7. PRIORITISE BY FOOT TRAFFIC

Not every station needs the same attention. Your busiest sites generate the most feedback and deserve the highest priority. Build a simple site list ranked by use. High-traffic parks, sports grounds, and tourist nodes go to the top. Low-use sites can wait for scheduled runs. Once you know which sites carry the most pressure, it becomes much easier to plan the quick fixes, schedule the routine work, and prioritise upgrades where they will have the biggest impact.

Visit Civiq via the links below to learn more