Soda Fountain Maintenance

Evolution Maintenance

When to repair or replace?

Soda fountain maintenance can be tricky. There’s a lot that can go wrong with soda machines, but there are also plenty of opportunities to troubleshoot your machine before calling in a professional soda fountain repair technician.

Here are a few ways to determine whether you can fix your soda fountain dispenser on your own or if you need to call for backup.

WHAT CAN GO WRONG WITH A SODA MACHINE?

For a process as simple as mixing carbon dioxide, water, and flavored syrup (assuming you have a post-mix machine) and dispensing it into a cup, there’s plenty of room for error and malfunction. Fortunately there are a few things you can try before calling in the professionals?

ISSUE #1: FLAT SODA

What’s soda without fizz? If your soda is coming out flat, there are a couple of possible culprits: temperature and CO2. After powering the soda dispenser down, start with your carbonator. Make sure that it is securely plugged in and operational.

If your carbonator is working, then move on to your CO2 tank and make sure that it still has gas in it and that there are no leaks in the line. If you hear hissing, call for service. Not only are CO2 leaks costly, but in extreme situations, they can lead to suffocation.

Finally, you should check your ice tank: well-chilled water and syrup keeps the carbonation inside the beverage, rather than allowing it to escape into the atmosphere.

If, after turning the machine back on and allowing some time for cooling, your soda is still flat, call a professional repair technician.

ISSUE #2: PUMP WON’T STOP PUMPING

First, figure out which pump is the problem by following the supply line to the source. If you’re running a post-mix (BIB or bag-in-box) system, you may need to replace your existing bag-in-box with a new one, using sanitary best practices as detailed below.

After removing the empty or malfunctioning bag, use a clean food service towel or gloved hands to push the nipple valve on the end of the bag connector into the flavor bag until the pumping stops. Submerge the connector into your drinkable water source until the system re-pressurizes and the pumping stops. Pressing the nipple valve in can help with this process. At this point, you may also try disconnecting the carbon dioxide line as previously explained. If this still doesn’t work, it’s time to call a professional.

ISSUE #3: ONLY SYRUP, NO FIZZY WATER

Make sure the water source is on and that water is flowing to the unit. If water is not entering the unit, look for kinks in the hose that may be restricting water flow to the machine. If not, call a pro.

ISSUE #4: YOUR SODA IS DISCOLORED OR DIRTY

The first thing you’ll want to do is check to make sure that your product has not passed its expiration date. If the product is still “good,” simply run the soda through the unit until the color returns to normal. If, after a few cups, your soda is off-color, you should contact a professional.

If your soda has floaties or dark particles, remove the dispensing nozzle and, using sanitary brushes, clean and sanitize the nozzle and valve with an approved sanitizer solution.

WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR SODA FOUNTAIN MAINTENANCE

If you need to have your soda machine examined by experienced professionals to determine whether or not repair is your best option, the specialists at Evolution Maintenance can help.

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