5 ms·

@findtap Founder here. https://findtap.com/ https://findtap.com/ AMA

luke0016 7y ago
I've already experienced advertisements on gasoline pumps. I would concede that it is not exactly the same thing - gas pumps are worse, because you're already paying for a product. However, it is certainly just as annoying and invasive. Do you ever stop and ask yourself "am I really making the world a better place by doing this?"
- siruva07 7y ago
  Every single day. The reality is your attention had a cost, and the price of quality tap water is less than that cost. We will also enable a donation based model for water. Future revenue generating opportunities include sparkling and flavored water at a fraction of the cost of what you would buy on the shelf at a convenience store. 65% of the cost of any beverage is packaging and transportation. By carrying your own bottle, you’ll save money, save the planet from plastic pollution, and yes, water will be free.
  - luke0016 7y ago
    > The reality is your attention had a cost, and the price of quality tap water is less than that cost. For some people, maybe. This seems like a mildly sociopathic way to look at it, though. One could imagine a world where the same type of device was available free of charge without being ad supported. This is certainly a more difficult solution from a financial standpoint, but it would be indisputably better. And, to some extent, it has been the status quo in many places already with standard water fountains. Admittedly, many of them now are in desperate need of an upgrade. I believe this type of monetization simply fails to take into account the greater public good in the pursuit of profits.
  - dougmwne 7y ago
    I intend for this to be honest feedback from a consumer perspective, not an attack. I know I don't fully appreciate your business. Thanks for sharing your product with HN! I can't see how this is any improvement over a drinking fountain. Drinking fountains typically dispense filtered water and the idea of obnoxious advertising on them is disgusting to me. On the other hand, if these machines dispensed a selection of flavored seltzer water I would see the value, probably use them and seek them out and not mind the advertising. I might even buy a reusable water bottle from you that was designed to hold the carbonation. I would be getting something I actually value and can't trivially get for free. I would also be really reducing my environmental footprint since I already drink filtered tap water, but do buy lots of canned seltzer. Flavored seltzers appear to be big business right now. I have no idea if the unit economics could support it, but on the surface, the flavoring chemicals have to be incredibly inexpensive. Seeing something like this would absolutely catch my attention and I would tell other people about it. It's an important problem to be working on and I wish you all the luck in the world.
ForHackernews 7y ago
Have you considered increasing revenue by price-discriminating with different levels of water? For example, the "Platinum Premium ($29.99/mo)" water would be cold, filtered, and free of pathogens, the "Plus Preferred ($14.99/mo)" would be room temperature tap water, and "Tap Basics ($4.99)" would include a small dose of giardia. You could pay local independent contractors a small fee to restock your kiosks with the protozoans, so then you wouldn't have to carry the labour overhead.
- siruva07 7y ago
  As for the price of water, it trades like a commodity just like oil. Water already has a price per oz that differs around the world. If you’re privileged enough to have tap water, you have the best least expensive water access on the planet. Over 1 billion people around the world aren’t so lucky. Check your snark at the door, please.
  - ForHackernews 7y ago
    > Currently, the Tap Refill Station connects to an existing water supply line Are you increasing access to clean drinking water, or are you profiteers freeloading on the back of public infrastructure? Consider that you are making the world worse, not better, please.
    - 80386 7y ago
      The last time I had to go through Union Station in DC, I tried to get water and it tasted like it had come from a pool. An unusually chlorinated pool. I almost threw up. I also don't have reliably potable tap water where I live now. If they're doing the filtration that the public infrastructure isn't, I'd hardly call that freeloading.
      - reaperducer 7y ago
        The last time I had to go through Union Station in DC, I tried to get water and it tasted like it had come from a pool. An unusually chlorinated pool. I almost threw up. If regularly tested, heavily regulated water makes you throw up, you should see a doctor. Perhaps a specialist.
dole 7y ago
Are there any plans on putting the map of your installed locations on your main website, or is is available via app only?
- siruva07 7y ago
  Yes, we will release a web version of our map. We will also build an API to allow other apps, like Foursquare, Google Maps, Apple Maps, Open Street Maps, and Waze to add locations for water access points.
dsr_ 7y ago
What will you be doing in places where the available water supply is so contaminated that your three-stage filtering doesn't render the water drinkable? How much will you be paying in rent to the places where you put your water dispensers? Have you accounted for the cost of water? It turns out that most water supplies aren't actually free, they're run by municipal or county water authoritities that tend to send a bill every so often.
- siruva07 7y ago
  1. increase water filtration or skip the pipes all together with an atmospheric water generator (makes water out of thin air) 2. I won't comment on this, but for a comp, LinkNYC (Free Wifi kiosks) pays hundreds of millions to its partner cities 3. Currently, cities are providing free tap water at water fountains (e.g. bus station, train station, library), the issue is not the cost of the tap water, but the cost to upgrade the infrastructure so that people trust it.
deusofnull 7y ago
if i paid a 5 dollars per much subscription to tap would you offer me an "ad free" version where you use NFC or bluetooth or GPS to turn off the ad playing on the fountain? im half joking / half curious if this ever came up as a possible revenue stream during development.

I've already experienced advertisements on gasoline pumps. I would concede that it is not exactly the same thing - gas pumps are worse, because you're already paying for a product. However, it is certainly just as annoying and invasive. Do you ever stop and ask yourself "am I really making the world a better place by doing this?"

siruva07 7y ago
Every single day. The reality is your attention had a cost, and the price of quality tap water is less than that cost. We will also enable a donation based model for water. Future revenue generating opportunities include sparkling and flavored water at a fraction of the cost of what you would buy on the shelf at a convenience store. 65% of the cost of any beverage is packaging and transportation. By carrying your own bottle, you’ll save money, save the planet from plastic pollution, and yes, water will be free.
- luke0016 7y ago
  > The reality is your attention had a cost, and the price of quality tap water is less than that cost. For some people, maybe. This seems like a mildly sociopathic way to look at it, though. One could imagine a world where the same type of device was available free of charge without being ad supported. This is certainly a more difficult solution from a financial standpoint, but it would be indisputably better. And, to some extent, it has been the status quo in many places already with standard water fountains. Admittedly, many of them now are in desperate need of an upgrade. I believe this type of monetization simply fails to take into account the greater public good in the pursuit of profits.
- dougmwne 7y ago
  I intend for this to be honest feedback from a consumer perspective, not an attack. I know I don't fully appreciate your business. Thanks for sharing your product with HN! I can't see how this is any improvement over a drinking fountain. Drinking fountains typically dispense filtered water and the idea of obnoxious advertising on them is disgusting to me. On the other hand, if these machines dispensed a selection of flavored seltzer water I would see the value, probably use them and seek them out and not mind the advertising. I might even buy a reusable water bottle from you that was designed to hold the carbonation. I would be getting something I actually value and can't trivially get for free. I would also be really reducing my environmental footprint since I already drink filtered tap water, but do buy lots of canned seltzer. Flavored seltzers appear to be big business right now. I have no idea if the unit economics could support it, but on the surface, the flavoring chemicals have to be incredibly inexpensive. Seeing something like this would absolutely catch my attention and I would tell other people about it. It's an important problem to be working on and I wish you all the luck in the world.

ForHackernews 7y ago

Have you considered increasing revenue by price-discriminating with different levels of water? For example, the "Platinum Premium ($29.99/mo)" water would be cold, filtered, and free of pathogens, the "Plus Preferred ($14.99/mo)" would be room temperature tap water, and "Tap Basics ($4.99)" would include a small dose of giardia. You could pay local independent contractors a small fee to restock your kiosks with the protozoans, so then you wouldn't have to carry the labour overhead.

siruva07 7y ago
As for the price of water, it trades like a commodity just like oil. Water already has a price per oz that differs around the world. If you’re privileged enough to have tap water, you have the best least expensive water access on the planet. Over 1 billion people around the world aren’t so lucky. Check your snark at the door, please.
- ForHackernews 7y ago
  > Currently, the Tap Refill Station connects to an existing water supply line Are you increasing access to clean drinking water, or are you profiteers freeloading on the back of public infrastructure? Consider that you are making the world worse, not better, please.
  - 80386 7y ago
    The last time I had to go through Union Station in DC, I tried to get water and it tasted like it had come from a pool. An unusually chlorinated pool. I almost threw up. I also don't have reliably potable tap water where I live now. If they're doing the filtration that the public infrastructure isn't, I'd hardly call that freeloading.
    - reaperducer 7y ago
      The last time I had to go through Union Station in DC, I tried to get water and it tasted like it had come from a pool. An unusually chlorinated pool. I almost threw up. If regularly tested, heavily regulated water makes you throw up, you should see a doctor. Perhaps a specialist.

dole 7y ago

Are there any plans on putting the map of your installed locations on your main website, or is is available via app only?

siruva07 7y ago
Yes, we will release a web version of our map. We will also build an API to allow other apps, like Foursquare, Google Maps, Apple Maps, Open Street Maps, and Waze to add locations for water access points.

dsr_ 7y ago

What will you be doing in places where the available water supply is so contaminated that your three-stage filtering doesn't render the water drinkable? How much will you be paying in rent to the places where you put your water dispensers? Have you accounted for the cost of water? It turns out that most water supplies aren't actually free, they're run by municipal or county water authoritities that tend to send a bill every so often.

siruva07 7y ago
1. increase water filtration or skip the pipes all together with an atmospheric water generator (makes water out of thin air) 2. I won't comment on this, but for a comp, LinkNYC (Free Wifi kiosks) pays hundreds of millions to its partner cities 3. Currently, cities are providing free tap water at water fountains (e.g. bus station, train station, library), the issue is not the cost of the tap water, but the cost to upgrade the infrastructure so that people trust it.

deusofnull 7y ago

if i paid a 5 dollars per much subscription to tap would you offer me an "ad free" version where you use NFC or bluetooth or GPS to turn off the ad playing on the fountain? im half joking / half curious if this ever came up as a possible revenue stream during development.