Beverage Quality Standard (5 Steps) & Carbonator Basics

This is Brix / Alameda Soda's official quality standard for fountain drinks — the five things that make every pour taste right — plus how the carbonator and cold plate actually work. Run through the five steps whenever drink quality slips, and use the morning taste test to catch problems before customers do.

The 5 steps to quality

1. Quality control / date codes

• Check the date code on each Bag-in-Box (BIB) and rotate stock — oldest

first (see the BIB syrup guide for how to read the code).

• Every syrup line labeled by flavor at the connector.
• BIBs properly connected and not empty.
• BIB connectors sanitized weekly and after each box change.
• Syrup pressure gauge on the syrup rack set at 45 psi.

2. Refrigeration

• The finished drink must be cold: 32–40°F without ice in the cup.
• On mechanically refrigerated dispensers, keep the condenser grill clean and

unobstructed.

• Only ice stored in the ice bin — nothing else.
• Ice in full contact with the cold plate; stir it periodically and break up

chunks so it can't bridge over the plate.

• Ice bin clean and draining properly.

3. Carbonation

• CO₂ tank turned fully on, with gas in it.
• Carbonator plugged in and turned on.
• Backup CO₂ tanks stored upright, chained, in a ventilated area.
• Pressure regulators properly set — 95–105 psi for the carbonator side.

Your system's exact settings are posted on your CO₂ tank status tags; go by the tag, and leave adjustments to a technician.

4. Presentation

• Nozzles, diffusers, lower valve bodies, levers, drip tray, drain, ice chute,

and the inside of the ice bin cleaned nightly with an approved sanitizer.

• No soap, bleach, or unapproved chemicals; never leave nozzles soaking

overnight.

• Complete the daily dispenser sanitizing log.

5. Taste

• Taste plain water and every flavor, without ice, every morning before

serving customers.

• Free from off-taste and odor (metallic, sulfur, earthy, chemical)?
• Water-to-syrup ratio tastes right?
• Water supply on, lines flowing and unblocked?
• Water filter still within its change-out date?

Boil-water advisory

Do not serve fountain beverages during a boil-water advisory. Fountain drinks are made from the building's water supply on the spot. Once the advisory is lifted, run the full fountain startup procedure (see the startup & shutdown guide) — including flushing every valve and discarding the first ice cycles — before serving again.

How the ice & beverage dispenser works

• The dispenser holds both ice and beverage and can serve carbonated and

non-carbonated drinks. It does not make ice — ice is loaded in (or made by an optional ice maker mounted on top).

• Inside is a cold plate: the ice sitting on it chills the water and syrup

passing through. Carbonated water must run across the cold plate to get cold — and cold is what lets a drink hold its fizz. No ice on the plate = warm, foamy, flat-tasting pours.

Starting a carbonator pump (after a shutdown or new install)

The official start-up sequence — if you're not comfortable with it, request a service visit instead:

1. Turn on the water halfway.
2. Open the relief valve slightly so the tank fills with water.
3. Leave the valve open until water starts to come out.
4. Close the relief valve once the tank is filled.
5. Turn on the CO₂ — confirm pressure is strong enough, adjust if necessary,

then lock the setting.

1. Connect power to the carbonator pump.
2. Run water through the dispenser (this can take a while).
3. Wait for the pump to kick in.
4. Drain the remaining plain water out of all valves.

When to get help

If a quality check keeps failing — drinks won't hold 32–40°F, carbonation stays weak at correct pressure, a flavor tastes off after cleaning and a fresh BIB — request service, or call 1-800-372-5098 / service@brixbev.com.