Step 6: Install carbonator,the heart

Next, you need to run the syrup feed lines to the fountain. Be aware that a few flavors, like root beer, will leave any aftertaste in the tubes so you can't ever use them for another beverage; You'd have to replace the tubing for the syrup feed. This tubing is typically 1/4" ID reinforced hose, as the pumped syrup is at a decent pressure.

Last step is to run the syrup source lines. This is typically slightly larger 3/8" tube. Put the correct bag-in-box style connector for that flavor on one end, and connect the other to the syrup pump. This is a very low pressure connection, and can use standard non-reinforced tubing. I would recommend, however, that you use something slightly stout (not the really thin vinyl stuff), because the suction could collapse the hose.

See this picture:

As you can see, the CO2 gas input is marked with an arrow. You can't see it very well, but there is a blue spout that is the CO2 exit. If you want to vent the CO2 outside your house for some reason, you would connect all the blue vent ports together and run that line to the outside.

The larger product "in" hose is shown top, and the slightly smaller output hose is also indicated. You can also see the black tabs that can be slid out to remove the fitting completely. Watch out for the rubber O-rings! Without them, you won't get a good seal.

Here, you can see that I have hooked up the six syrup pumps to the back of the unit. Notice that one in the middle isn't hooked up - now is a really good time to be VERY familiar with the diagram on the back of your unit:

If your unit doesn't have one, contact the manufacturer and get the manual, or check their website. You definitely want to have this information. Pay attention to the cold plate (rectangular block at the bottom of the diagram that everything passes through.) As you can see, starting from the left, we have syrup 1-3, an "open" connector, syrup 4-6, plain water x2, and soda water x2**. Be sure to follow this layout correctly. I suggest labeling all your hoses, syrup pumps, etc so you don't get confused and hook the wrong thing up somewhere.

** Plain water vs carbonated water: Most of the time, what they really mean is "shared lines vs direct lines". The "carbonated water" inputs both feed a "common" tube that connects to all the fountain heads except for the ones that have direct lines (plain water). The labels have nothing to do with whether or not you use carbonated vs non-carbonated drinks in each line. You can very well hook up carbonated water to all four and use only carbonated beverages. Or you could hook up carbonated water to the soda water inputs, and to one of the plain water inputs, yielding five soda water heads. Then put plain water on the second plain water input, and hook up pink lemonade or orange juice to the sixth head.

Notice in this enhanced diagram what is happening. The blue lines are the ones on the back of the unit marked "CO2 water" or "soda water". They are feeding fountain heads (valves) 1, 2, 3, and 6. However heads 4 & 5 are NOT connected to these inputs at all. They have direct lines to the rear connections, marked as "plain water 1" and "plain water 2".
Are you even in the admin team?
There's a bug,I intended to reply to admin.
Ok done
<p>I just install a new CO2 tank in our property but getting confused with this pump. What's the blue outlet tube for? Because when I open the CO2 tank, the air is coming out from that blue tube and it's so noisy... Is it normal?</p>
<p>The blue port is the exhaust port for the CO2. As the pump opperates and comes up to presure, CO2 will come out the blue port once the lines are primed it should stop and you should only hear it occasionally as syrup is dispensed. If it runs continusly you probably have a problem with the pump</p>
Great Instructable, I think I might do this but with one of the &quot;Wunder Bar&quot; soda guns like the have in the bars. Now that would be awesome!
Just hook it to my vein dude!
But then you can't taste it!<br />
I think i'd rather have the gun thing where all the flavors mix together. Just because it's easier to store the gun.
fantastic. I actually got an entire systems for free today, - took it all apart, and this is exactly the info that I needed to setup my new system. Thanks for compiling this!
Where did u get one of these for free??? You know these systems typically cost like $1000, You are soo lucky!!
Wow! i didn't know soda fountains worked like that!
Great instruction manual...thanks! I've been working on this for weeks and I'm "getting close" but I'm running into a few little issues. 1st: I have a Pepsi machine and the correct pepsi connector's for BIB (I bought them from Pepsi). I can't figure out how to hook the darn things up to the box. Is there a trick I'm just not getting? Thanks
I can't help you since I did not build one.You can mail the person who originally made these at the website I linked you to.I wish to help you,but I can't.Sorry!

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