Project built in partnership with Gizmo Engineering
The Need
A standard countertop water dispenser cannot be used on the Sabbath under Jewish law: heating water is considered cooking, and every button press activates electrical circuits. An Israeli company set out to develop a full-featured water dispenser — hot, cold, and filtered water with a touchscreen — engineered from the ground up so that on the Sabbath it switches into a fully kosher operating mode, developed under close rabbinical supervision. It was one of the most complex products we have built: water, heat, cooling, electricity, and religious law in a single machine.
The Engineering Solution
The system combines an insulated hot-water tank, a compressor-based cooling array, a filtration system with a dedicated Sabbath bypass, and UV disinfection. On weekdays the water chain is managed by electric valves, but for Sabbath mode we designed parallel flow paths with mechanical valves and halachically approved logic — so dispensing water on the Sabbath activates no electrical component and causes no cooking. Managing three heat loops — heating element, compressor, and electronics — demanded careful thermal design, and the electronics architecture was split across three boards: high power, main control, and display. That separation simplifies both safety and service, a hallmark of disciplined electronics development. A product connected to household water and power that serves drinking water must also meet a demanding set of standards, a topic we expand on across our kosher product development resources.
All the Way to the Production Line
The project did not stop at a prototype. The enclosure went through full industrial design in several color versions and was engineered for injection molding, with the steel molds cut through our overseas manufacturing network under a complete production file. Pilot units were installed in real kitchens, and ahead of the production line we prepared per-unit test procedures — water pressure, temperature extremes, and electrical insulation — so every machine leaving the line is verified as a complete assembly. The product moved into serial production.
The Lesson
When a religious requirement meets engineering, you cannot bolt on a solution at the end. Sabbath mode was designed in from the very first drawing — and that is what carried this product to serial production with no compromise on either the law or the user experience.
Developing a product with demanding regulatory or religious constraints? Contact the Projects House team — we design for them from day one.
Photos from the project
