My English colleagues call them water coolers. However my experience working in offices in the UK is that people congregate more around the kitchenette or the coffee/tea vending machine. I rarely see people around the water cooler. Maybe because they'd rather use the hot water dispenser (water boiler) in the kitchenette. On the other hand, Americans like to stand around the water cooler and talk. Perhaps that is what is bothering you about it seeming too American.
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