risottto
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So I used a lot of ideas I found on this forum to upgrade my old kegerator into a limitless seltzer dispenser, I think this way is a lot easier, cheaper, and safer than some of the other methods, so wanted to share so people in the future can reference this method.
I did not want to resurrect ancient threads, but I got a lot of info from these:
DIY - Auto-refilling Seltzer Water Keg
On Demand Seltzer Water
Carbonator set up in home wetbar/drink fridge
For four years I was making seltzer using two corny kegs that I would manually refill using a faucet filter and hose every few weeks. I had carbonation stones dropped with a silicone hose to the bottom of the keg from the CO2 barb inside the keg (this made a huge difference in carbonation speed and nice bubbles). 30 psi with the stone and fridge set to 39 degrees yielded perfect sparkling water. Filling was a getting to be a hassle, as you have to vent and waste CO2 to pop the lid, and the cats ran for the hills every time!
I just remodeled the kitchen and ran a couple of ice maker lines to the empty space behind the main fridge so I could put the kegerator there and somehow refill on demand. It took a bit of research; but I decided to forgo the carbonator route, as it was a lot more complex, expensive, and a greater leak risk running 100 psi (needed a carbonator, new 100psi regulator, and some kind of cold plate, plus all the fittings and hoses).
So I ended up using a carbonation cap I had laying around to insert a float valve into the keg without modifying it. This little part was the key to the whole setup, fits perfectly in the corny, attaches to the bottom of the carbonation cap, and automatically refills water bit by bit as you pull water out of the keg.
All in all spent under $60 to convert my kegerator into an hidden infinite seltzer dispenser. No high PSI carbonator to set up, and seems like the carbonation is staying bubbly with just a bit of fresh water being added on every fill.
In the future I could also use my second corny keg with another float valve and dual pressure regulator to make chilled filtered flat water, going into a shotgun shank through the same hole in the wall. Or even better, beer.
EDIT: Minor modification: 5 gallon bucket filled with water as a pre and post chiller. Had some spare 1/4OD tubing and ran a long coil between the check valve and keg though a bucket of water. Threw the 25ft of seltzer-out hose though there too (might as well, it's only there to reduce the output pressure). This should pre-chill the incoming water to around fridge temp and make it carbonate quicker.
I did not want to resurrect ancient threads, but I got a lot of info from these:
DIY - Auto-refilling Seltzer Water Keg
On Demand Seltzer Water
Carbonator set up in home wetbar/drink fridge
For four years I was making seltzer using two corny kegs that I would manually refill using a faucet filter and hose every few weeks. I had carbonation stones dropped with a silicone hose to the bottom of the keg from the CO2 barb inside the keg (this made a huge difference in carbonation speed and nice bubbles). 30 psi with the stone and fridge set to 39 degrees yielded perfect sparkling water. Filling was a getting to be a hassle, as you have to vent and waste CO2 to pop the lid, and the cats ran for the hills every time!
I just remodeled the kitchen and ran a couple of ice maker lines to the empty space behind the main fridge so I could put the kegerator there and somehow refill on demand. It took a bit of research; but I decided to forgo the carbonator route, as it was a lot more complex, expensive, and a greater leak risk running 100 psi (needed a carbonator, new 100psi regulator, and some kind of cold plate, plus all the fittings and hoses).
So I ended up using a carbonation cap I had laying around to insert a float valve into the keg without modifying it. This little part was the key to the whole setup, fits perfectly in the corny, attaches to the bottom of the carbonation cap, and automatically refills water bit by bit as you pull water out of the keg.
All in all spent under $60 to convert my kegerator into an hidden infinite seltzer dispenser. No high PSI carbonator to set up, and seems like the carbonation is staying bubbly with just a bit of fresh water being added on every fill.
In the future I could also use my second corny keg with another float valve and dual pressure regulator to make chilled filtered flat water, going into a shotgun shank through the same hole in the wall. Or even better, beer.
EDIT: Minor modification: 5 gallon bucket filled with water as a pre and post chiller. Had some spare 1/4OD tubing and ran a long coil between the check valve and keg though a bucket of water. Threw the 25ft of seltzer-out hose though there too (might as well, it's only there to reduce the output pressure). This should pre-chill the incoming water to around fridge temp and make it carbonate quicker.
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