Pictured: A branded water refilling station, September 2022.
Quick answer: A water refilling station is a water treatment system (filters, RO or UF, and UV) feeding clean storage and refill points, inside a shop laid out for washing and filling bottles. This page follows three real H-TECH stations: one assembled and branded in our Ruiru workshop on 19–20 December 2021, delivered on 21 December and installed on 21–22 December 2021; a second installed with its treatment room on 30–31 December 2021; and a walk-in enclosure with the RO plant inside, built and loaded for delivery in January 2022. Every H-TECH station follows the same journey: water test and sizing, design, quotation, build, testing, delivery, installation and training.
Key facts
Built in our workshop on the Eastern Bypass, Kamakis, Ruiru
43 dated photos (December 2021 to September 2022) and 26 videos
The water refilling station build journey, step by step
These are the same stages as our project planner (Plan → Design → Quote → Deliver → Operate). The photos are from real water refilling station projects. This is an overview; detailed build methods are taught in our paid assembly and manufacturing training.
Plan: tell us what you will sell
What you sell or treat, how many litres a day, where, power and budget. You can do this yourself in the project planner.
Design: we size the machine
Tank, pumps or treatment stages, controls and layout, sized to your volume and site, with easy cleaning and service in mind.
Quote: everything in writing
Your quotation states the model, materials (including the steel grade), branding, delivery, installation and warranty terms.
Build: fabrication in Ruiru
Cabinets, tanks and frames are cut, bent and welded in our workshop; pumps, valves, pipework and the controller and payment system are fitted.
A stainless RO water purifier on its frame, September 2022.
Brand: your name on the machine
Cabinets are finished and branded with your business name and colours when ordered.
Fitting the branded front panels to the refilling station, December 2021.
Test: before it leaves the workshop
Dispensing accuracy, temperatures for chilled machines, water quality readings for treatment systems, leaks, and every control and payment function.
Bench-testing an H-TECH controller with a dispensing pump, September 2022.
Deliver and install
We deliver and install across Kenya, and in Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda; other countries on request.
Fitting a water refilling station in a shop, September 2022.
Operate: training and service
We train you and your staff to run, clean and price sales, and stay on call for service and spare parts.
Dated photos from our build archive
Every photo below is our own work, dated from the original camera file, from the workshop and from customers' sites.
Pressure gauges on a water station front panel.A stainless cabinet RO purifier with flow meters and controller.A stainless RO water purifier on its frame.Fitting a water refilling station in a shop.Bench-testing an H-TECH controller with a dispensing pump.A stainless water station before its branding panels go on.The same station after branding.UV sterilizer, filter housing and pipework inside a water station.A stainless water vending cabinet fresh from fabrication.A branded water refilling station with three refill bays.A water refilling station installed in a shop.A water refilling shop front branded for its owner.Fitting the stainless storage tank above the refilling station.The walk-in refilling station installed in the customer's shop.The treatment side of the station on its way to the customer.The refilling station loaded for delivery.Inside the enclosure: FRP vessel, RO unit and pipework.The "welcome" side panel of the refilling station.Front of the refilling station: "purified drinking water".The finished, branded refilling station enclosure with refill bays.Welding the frame of a water refilling station enclosure in our workshop.RO unit, pressure tank and pre-filters installed on the wall.The treatment room: RO unit, booster pump and jumbo filter housings plumbed in.The same refilling station during installation.A branded refilling station front with refill bays and control buttons, installed in a customer's shop.Solenoid valves that open and close the refill points.FRP pressure vessels for the softener and carbon filter stages.A stainless steel ozone generator for water disinfection.A chemical dosing pump for a water treatment plant.Automatic control valves for softener and media filter vessels.Flow meters that show the product and reject water flow on an RO plant.Sediment filter cartridges for the pre-treatment stage.A stainless UV water sterilizer for a refilling station, checked on arrival.The water refill shop front after installation.Final check of the installed refilling station.The installed station: control panel, refill points and storage tank.The customer's water refill shop on installation night.Installing the RO refilling station inside the shop.The finished RO refilling station loaded for delivery to the customer.Plumbing, pumps and filter housings before the final panels go on.Fitting the branded front panels to the refilling station.Building an RO water purification and refilling station: filter housings, softener vessel and stainless frame.
Watch the build
Short clips from our workshop and installations (26 videos).
RO water system control panelOpening the stainless control panel of a 500 LPH RO water system to show the wiring, December 2021.500 LPH RO system PLC panelThe PLC display, conductivity meter and switchgear of a 500 LPH RO water system, December 2021.RO plant loaded for deliveryThe RO treatment section of a refilling station loaded for delivery, December 2021.Securing the RO plant for deliverySecuring the RO plant on the vehicle before delivery, December 2021.Refilling station installationThe RO refilling station being installed in the customer's shop, December 2021.Fitting the refilling station panelsFitting the last panels and checking the controls of the refilling station, December 2021.Installed RO refilling stationA walk-through of the installed RO water refilling station, December 2021.UV sterilizer for an RO stationA stainless UV water sterilizer for a refilling station, checked when it arrived, December 2021.Installed refilling station frontThe branded front of a refilling station installed in a customer's shop, December 2021.Refilling station installationFinishing the installation of the refilling station front and controls, December 2021.RO treatment roomThe installed treatment room: RO unit, pumps and filter housings, December 2021.Treatment room: softener and storageSoftener, storage tanks and pipework in the treatment room, December 2021.Walk-in refilling station installationInstalling the walk-in water refilling station in the customer's shop, January 2022.Walk-in refilling station walk-aroundThe installed station with its stainless storage tank, January 2022.Refilling station in a shopAn H-TECH water refilling station working in a shop, May 2022.Water refilling stationA water refilling station installed in a shop, June 2022.Three-bay refilling stationA water refilling station with three refill bays, July 2022.Stainless refill tableA stainless refill table with filters and taps for a water shop, August 2022.Water station frontThe branded front of a water refilling station, September 2022.Fitting a stainless water stationOur team fitting the plumbing of a stainless water station, September 2022.Water shop set-upStorage tanks and the refilling station in a new water shop, September 2022.Water station control panelThe wiring inside a water station control panel, September 2022.Installed refilling stationAn installed refilling station with its branded panels, September 2022.Water station installedA branded water refilling station installed, September 2022.Water station checkChecking a water refilling station before delivery, September 2022.Water refilling stationA branded water refilling station, October 2022.
More videos on our YouTube channel
Cost of starting a water refilling business in KenyaVideo · 1:10 · Herritech Ventures on YouTubeWater refilling station equipment set-upVideo · 0:55 · Herritech Ventures on YouTube
Test the water, size the treatment to your daily litres, choose a shop with water, power and drainage, then we build the treatment, storage and refill points, deliver, install, test and train your staff. The first station pictured went from workshop assembly to installed in four days (19–22 December 2021).
How much does it cost to build a water refilling station in Kenya?
Our water vending machines and complete refilling stations cost KSh 110,000 to KSh 1,030,000 at current listed prices. Rent, shop fit-out, bottles and licences are extra; see the cost breakdown guide.
What equipment is needed for a water refilling station?
Pre-treatment filters, an RO or UF unit, UV sterilization, a clean storage tank, refill points, a bottle rinser and a control panel. Packaging and sealing equipment is added if you sell sealed bottles.
What is the best layout for a water refilling station?
Follow the water: treatment, then storage, then refill and rinse points at the front where customers stand, with drainage under the refill area and space to queue.
How long does it take to install a water refilling station?
For the first station on this page, delivery and installation in the shop took two days (21–22 December 2021). Each project's timeline is confirmed on its quotation.
Is water from a refilling station safe?
Yes, when the treatment suits the water source, filters and UV are maintained and the water is tested regularly.
