Forced Carbonation Rig

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presence

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Hey guys, I'm new to the hobby, and although I have been making natural syrups for some time, I want to take the next steps and try to make my own carbonated soda. I don't want to use yeast, as I don't want the alcohol possibility.

I have been searching around, and reading forums. The small forced carb setups don't appear to work very well. I don't mind paying $250 or more to get the right setup.

Where should I start? I have no gear. I was looking at:

Kegging equipment - Kegerator - Cornelius keg - Co2 tank - Beer making supplies item Item #FE17D03167NK.

Is there anything else I need aside from soda components?
 
I just ordered this one:
1 Keg Basic Keg Kit, Standard Kit

I have ordered a few different Soda syrups from a couple places.

I also ordered 12 1 qt bottles and 12 1oz pumps for them. My thought was that the Syrups would be in my Fridge door, keg in the fridge... Ice fro the freezer door, couple squirts of flavor top off with Carbonated water, garnish and enjoy :)

Add some 1/2 and 1/2 for a Italian cream soda :)

I ordered the set up on Thursday, it will be here Tuesday. I can't wait :)
 
Bryan, it looks like the same rig, except it has a used corny. I was reluctant of picking one up with fear it might be beat to hell, not really because it wouldn't be clean.

I have to figure out the cooling situation since my 2 stand up freezers, and one useful fridge I have are full...Let me know what you think about it when you get it. It would be nice to save $100+.

I did see a similar rig offered by amazon.
 
OK, I got the set up and have been playing with getting it dialed in.

Fridge is 34, CO2 is set to 40psi... lots of shaking to get the co2 dissolved. Works pretty well, but it loses much of the carbonation quick. I have made a ginger syrup, Raspberry and orange...Kids are loving the orange with cream and a little vanilla, oh its good!

The set up works perfect. The keg was used, had old stickers on it, but works perfectly. It is in a fridge, so who cares what it looks like.

Big Thumbs up!
 
Nice to hear it.
What are you using for a fridge? I'm looking for something that holds 2 tanks, but I don't want to use a full sized fridge. I have one in the garage, but I think the fridge part is toast. Come to think of it, I need to get rid of it :D
How long are you leaving the carb tank on?
How soon before the carbonation is gone?
 
I am using an old fridge that is in the garage. It is used for sodas, beer and the freezer, so it is perfect for this application. I have ordered a bunch of 1 qt plastic jars and 1oz pumps, I have 6 different "flavors" in the door. the kids love Orange, Strawberry and raspberry. I love the ginger I made, and the Lemon Lime tastes horrible. I have rootbeer and cream soda still to make.

I 4.5 gallons of water in the keg, chill th water, then hook the co2 up to it and pressurize it to 40lbs. Then I leave the co2 hooked up and shake the keg. I let it rest, shake some more, for about 10 minutes, or when i do not hear any more gas leaving the co2 bottle. then I put the keg back in the fridge and wait an hour...I have not added any more gas to the water, once the water is gone I will start over. I am thinking of buying a couple more kegs and doing one with Root Beer and one with Cream Soda so I have that yummy soda always ready.
 
OK, I got the set up and have been playing with getting it dialed in.

Fridge is 34, CO2 is set to 40psi... lots of shaking to get the co2 dissolved. Works pretty well, but it loses much of the carbonation quick. I have made a ginger syrup, Raspberry and orange...Kids are loving the orange with cream and a little vanilla, oh its good!

The set up works perfect. The keg was used, had old stickers on it, but works perfectly. It is in a fridge, so who cares what it looks like.

Big Thumbs up!


the carbonation will last longer if the water is clean (charcoal filtration is a big help) and you need to keep the co2 connected all the time. i like 60psi myself, but that requires at least 10' of 3/16" line to dispense properly.
 
the carbonation will last longer if the water is clean (charcoal filtration is a big help) and you need to keep the co2 connected all the time. i like 60psi myself, but that requires at least 10' of 3/16" line to dispense properly.
+1 to keeping co2 connected. If you dont, the increasing headspace in the keg will lead to less carbonation in the water.
 
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