Fountain System Startup & Shutdown Procedures

Use these procedures whenever a fountain system comes back online after a closure (seasonal shutdown, remodel, extended power loss, or after a boil-water advisory is lifted) — and to put a system safely to sleep for a planned shutdown. Done right, startup takes minutes and prevents the flat, off-tasting first week that follows a sloppy restart.

Boil-water advisory: do NOT serve fountain beverages during a boil-water advisory. Once the advisory is lifted, run the full startup procedure below (including flushing and ice discard) before serving again. If you are unsure, call us before reopening the fountain.

Startup procedure

1. Turn on the incoming CO₂ supply and wait one minute to let the system

pressurize.

1. Turn on the incoming water supply.
2. Connect power to the carbonators, ice makers, and beverage equipment.
3. Check every BIB's "Enjoy By" / date code — replace any expired boxes.
4. Run the standard daily AND weekly cleaning procedures with an approved

food-grade sanitizer (see the preventive maintenance guide).

Then, per piece of equipment:

Ice makers mounted on dispensers:

• Run two complete ice-making cycles and discard all the ice made.
• Sanitize the ice maker bin.

Fountain dispensers:

• Sanitize the ice bin, if present.
• Load fresh ice in full contact with the cold plate — bin at least ⅓ full.
• Run every beverage on every dispenser for at least 2 minutes, then

repeat.

• Taste every drink. If any valve has an off taste, flush that valve for

another minute and taste again. If the taste is still off, stop and place a service call for that valve.

Shutdown procedure

1. Unplug all carbonators.
2. Shut off the incoming water supply and the CO₂ supply to the beverage

equipment.

1. Disconnect the BIB connectors.
2. Operate each valve (or bar-gun button) until water stops flowing —

this empties the lines.

1. Disconnect power to the ice makers and beverage equipment.
2. Sanitize and re-attach the BIB connectors and run the daily cleaning

routine with an approved food-grade sanitizer, so the system sleeps clean.

Shutting down a single dispenser

To take one dispenser out of service while the rest of the system runs: clean and sanitize it (daily procedure), disconnect its power, and let ice melt out of the bin — then drain and dry the bin so nothing grows in it while idle.

Need help?

If a startup taste test won't come clean, or you're shutting down for a long period and want the system winterized properly, request service or call 1-800-372-5098 / service@brixbev.com.