Faucets for dispensing seltzer

nostalgia · Sep 29, 2010

I'd like to keep a keg of soda water on tap to mix with flavored syrups. Do you guys use regular beer faucets, or premix soda faucets?

From what I gather, the advantage of the premix faucet is you don't need 30' of line to dispense?

Thanks!

-Joe

Brek81 · Sep 29, 2010

probably not helping by asking this, but if you used a smaller line, would it make it balance out shorter?

brewingkitty · Sep 30, 2010

i was htinking of buying an el-cheapo rear seal chrome plated brass for carbed water. even the plastic ones for "wines and meads" are nearly as much as a perlick but the others are like $12.

david_42 · Sep 30, 2010

I use a standard beer tap with 25' of 3/16ths to dispense the soda water. I add the concentrate to the glass after dispensing.

A couple weeks ago, after six years of use, the plating on the inside of the faucet failed. I might replace the tap with an all-chrome or SS tap.

nostalgia · Sep 30, 2010

You know, I wonder if this idea would work for dispensing soda? I'll have to give it a try next time I do a McMaster order.

-Joe

GilaMinumBeer · Sep 30, 2010

I use the standard Perlick 425SS and 25' of 3/16 line coiled up around my seltzer keg. And mix the syrup in the gloass as I pour the seltzer.

TomSD · Sep 30, 2010

I just use a Perlick 525... the same thing my beer lines use. It allows me to switch things up however I want without worrying about which tap is where. I also only have ten feet of 3/16" at 30 psi and have no problem with flow. It comes out twice as fast as my beer but that is fine with me.

GilaMinumBeer · Sep 30, 2010

TomSD said:
I just use a Perlick 525... the same thing my beer lines use. It allows me to switch things up however I want without worrying about which tap is where. I also only have ten feet of 3/16" at 30 psi and have no problem with flow. It comes out twice as fast as my beer but that is fine with me.

I did this too, at first, but I found over time that the violence of the pour brought CO2 out of solution way too fast. Another 15 foot resolved that and now it dispenses like a soda fountain.

TomSD · Sep 30, 2010

Good to know. I might have to give it a shot with some spare tubing. Not a huge carb fan though. It is never flat by the time I finish it which is good enough for me generally speaking. I do like the idea of slowing the flow down though.

marzsit · Sep 30, 2010

brewingkitty said:
i was htinking of buying an el-cheapo rear seal chrome plated brass for carbed water. even the plastic ones for "wines and meads" are nearly as much as a perlick but the others are like $12.

bad idea. brass and copper in the presence of carbonic acid results in toxic compounds being released into the carbonated water.....

only use plastic or stainless steel for soda water.

TomSD · Sep 30, 2010

GilaMinumBeer said:
I did this too, at first, but I found over time that the violence of the pour brought CO2 out of solution way too fast. Another 15 foot resolved that and now it dispenses like a soda fountain.

I actually had to get some stuff from McMaster so got a couple bayonets to give them a shot before adding more tubing to my system. I'll let you know how it turns out.

brewingkitty · Oct 1, 2010

marzsit said:
bad idea. brass and copper in the presence of carbonic acid results in toxic compounds being released into the carbonated water.....

only use plastic or stainless steel for soda water.

eh?? oh, you mean carbonated water... they are chrome plated brass (the one below)... but either that or i will drill a hole and put a picnic tap with a bulkhead in my fridge. will look like hell, but i don't want to spend ~$90 for a 4th 425ss, ss shank, ss tail piece, ss flange, etc.

shroomzofdoom · Oct 1, 2010

Just carbed up a 5 G keg of water for seltzer. It fully carbs a lot quicker than beer. I just use my Perlick 425SS, when I have beer for that slot--then the C02 will have to make way.

marzsit · Oct 3, 2010

brewingkitty said:
eh?? oh, you mean carbonated water... they are chrome plated brass (the one below)... but either that or i will drill a hole and put a picnic tap with a bulkhead in my fridge. will look like hell, but i don't want to spend ~$90 for a 4th 425ss, ss shank, ss tail piece, ss flange, etc.

you don't need a perlick-style ss faucet for soda since sticky faucet syndrome won't be a problem. micromatic and others make traditional-style faucets that are all stainless and don't cost much more than a chromed brass faucet. i have no idea where you got that $90 figure from..

nostalgia · Oct 12, 2010

Well, it turns out this idea does work! I put 4 of the little stirrer sticks down the dip tube (they're flexible, so they even went around the bend) and got an absolutely perfect pour at 40 psi with a 3' hose and a picnic tap!

McMaster part #74695A58.

-Joe

TomSD · Oct 12, 2010

Yup, I'm running two in both of my water kegs (one carbing, one in use). Might double that just to see how much of a difference it makes. I only keep mine at 30 psi though.

gromfy · Sep 24, 2011

GilaMinumBeer said:
I use the standard Perlick 425SS and 25' of 3/16 line coiled up around my seltzer keg.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is the 25' to reduce the speed/strength of the pour? I just put together a seltzer system with a motorized carbonator and a 425SS, with only about 2' of line. At 45 psi, it comes out too violently to control. Is the solution to coil up a bunch of dispensing length in the fridge?

strumke · Sep 24, 2011

gromfy said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is the 25' to reduce the speed/strength of the pour? I just put together a seltzer system with a motorized carbonator and a 425SS, with only about 2' of line. At 45 psi, it comes out too violently to control. Is the solution to coil up a bunch of dispensing length in the fridge?

Yup, that's all you need to do. I have about 25' of 3/16 line at 25psi and it works great!

EFaden · Sep 24, 2011

I have like 6 feet of 1/8" line... works perfectly.

gromfy · Oct 1, 2011

I just put in 35' of 1/8 and am astonished at what a huge difference it made. Probably too much...I may shorten it.

The physics mystifies me. I expected that a more narrow tube would increase pressure, like a smaller nozzle on a garden hose. It must be due to friction?

Thanks for the help and advice.

GilaMinumBeer · Oct 4, 2011

gromfy said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is the 25' to reduce the speed/strength of the pour? I just put together a seltzer system with a motorized carbonator and a 425SS, with only about 2' of line. At 45 psi, it comes out too violently to control. Is the solution to coil up a bunch of dispensing length in the fridge?

gromfy said:
I just put in 35' of 1/8 and am astonished at what a huge difference it made. Probably too much...I may shorten it.

The physics mystifies me. I expected that a more narrow tube would increase pressure, like a smaller nozzle on a garden hose. It must be due to friction?

Thanks for the help and advice.

Yes. Each line type has it's own inherent "resistance" and thus cause the fluid to slow down.

Faucets for dispensing seltzer

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