Construction has finally begun on the long-awaited home soda fountain project. All the needed equipment appears to be collected, with the exception of some odds and ends. I predict major difficulties.
Equipment Purchased:
| Name | Purpose | Source | Price | Carbonator | Combines CO2 with water to make carbonated water | Ebay | $160 |
| CO2 Tank | Provide gas for carbonated water and pressure to run Flo-jets | Airgas Welding Supply | $150 to buy tank, $20 for refill |
| WunderBar Dispenser Gun | Basically a nozzle with button-press valves. This is where the soda finally emerges | Ebay | $250, included cold plate and ice bin |
| Regulators (4) | Control the flow of gas from the tank | 2 included with Ebay auction, 2 ... um ... borrowed from school | Free |
| Flojet Syrup Pumps (2, for now) | Pump syrup from boxes | Ebay | Included with Wunder Bar |
| Cold Plate | The plate sits inside a big vat of ice and cools soda as it approaches the dispensor | Ebay | Included with Wunder Bar |
| Various fittings, tubing, etc. | To give me an ulcer | Home Depot | about $50 |
After a good deal of trouble on Sunday I was finally prepared to hook up and operate the carbonator. The plumbing from the wall was 1/4" OD compression fitting threads, which I didn't know much about. It turns out that that measurement is the inside of the tubing, and says nothing about the actual connection you see. In this case, it measured 1/2" on the outside of the threads and 3/8" on the inside of the threads---but I assure you that the package that has the correct fitting reads 1/4". Ok, so there's 3 trips to Home Depot right there.
Major snag: the main regulator that I had leaks big time. I could hear the leak, but not locate it. So, I made myself up a batch of home-made Snoop, which is basically a bit of water and a lot of soap (Dawn dish soap, in this case). If you cover the whole apparatus while under pressure you can see bubbles where the leak is. Anyway, once I located the leak I determined I could not fix it. Now, I cannot seem to get the rather special CO2 fitting out of the regulator, so I'm going to try a strap wrench tomorrow in the shop. If that doesn't work, I have no idea what I'll do.