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Great advice, I've seen the recommendation before and will do more deep cleans. I do use hot tap water for my post-brew rinses, which until this last time was enough to keep the pipes clean. As someone who likes to tear down appliances for maintenance, it takes some restraint not to pull out the...

Looking for a little support -- During a recent brew my Pico C was was heating very slowly and that added an hour or two to the total time. The temperature climbed very slowly during the brew, and even stalled out below the top boil temp so that threw up a couple errors. I just ran a deep clean...

Agreed, I tried several filtration lids on my custom 6QT grain bin, and each failed to prevent grain from spilling over into the step filter. So I too now use a grain bag inside the bin, and finally acheived the goal of a fully automated hands off brew session, hurrah. The extra effort of...

I avoid molasses/brown sugar flavours unless called for in a recipe, as they tend to dominate. Brownie brand rootbeer uses caramel for flavour, as do many other soft drinks. Replacing a portion of the sugar with caramel syrup made from white sugar would work well as a way to layer flavour...

Anyone concocting soda flavors at home will sooner or later run into the problem of storing the syrups they make and buy. One solution is to refrigerate, but ever-multiplying syrup bottles fighting for valuable fridge space will eventually lose the battle and get booted. Cheaper syrup brands...

No, but I did attempt a lactose syrup just recently and it failed miserably, by which I mean it recrystalized. Lactose is fairly insoluble at room temp and the solubility is still not great at boiling temp. Wikipedia says the solubility is 189g/L at room temp. Compare this to sucrose which is...

With new gaskets in hand, namely an o-ring and a plumbing taper washer, I finally put it to the test. Much success! No leaks. I wasn't sure how it would seal, but it turns out that the line pressure causes the shuttle to seat itself once it's nearly closed. Is this similar to how modern tap...

Your process sounds unconventional, but I'm a fan of experimentation, so bravo! Am I reading correctly that you only added enough sugar to prime the bottles? Was the goal to have room temperature shelf life without preservatives? If you're leaning on bottle carbonation for the 'fizz', then...

I've been making more syrups lately and I've found a few resources that have helped along the way. I'd highly recommend picking up a copy of Fix the Pumps, which covers all things soda in a rigorous way. The book often references Dr. Saxe's Hints to soda water dispensers, still useful 120+...

I'm seeking advice on restoring a pair of vintage soda fountain taps back to working condition. They are the single-action pull type, not the double action push/pull type that are used at some soda shops. The taps are in good shape, just needing replacement washers and gaskets. I haven't...