Donastar

FBD frozen beverage installation

Hello,

This week I had the opportunity to help out one of our customers, JSC Management Group at one of their Burger Kinglocations in eastern Massachusetts. We had been dispatched a few weeks back for service on an older unit they had at the same location. On site, we found it would be better to replace it with a newer one given its age and condition. So we planned on removing the old frozen beverage dispenser and installing a brand new FBD 372 unit. This unit is much more technically advanced and smaller in size.

This old unit was on a stand-alone cart that we would need to repurpose for the new FBD 372. We started by disconnecting all the lines from the the old dispenser, cleaning up the cart, and sanitizing the syrup lines and pumps for use with the new FBD unit. Removing the old unit was a bit cumbersome given the sheer size and weight of the unit but luckily I had the help of one of our service partners, and the use of a lift cart to ease the strain.

Once the old unit was disconnected and moved outside for disposal, we had to contend with installing a sheet metal top plate that was provided by FBD to accommodate the new dispenser on the old cart. This required marking off and drilling 4 holes in order to be able to bolt the the FBD dispenser to the top so that it would be secure. Once we were able to get it all situated, we lifted the new dispenser into position and bolted it in place. From that point it was a matter of connecting the 2 syrup lines, co2 line and water line in the back. Once secured, we are able to turn on the water and co2 and check for leaks. Lastly, we could fire up the new dispenser, connect the BIBs underneath, and set the co2 pressures according to factory specs which is between 70-72PSI .

At the main control board, I looked at the readout screen to ensure all pressures are reading correctly. If not, adjust as needed. Then, brix the product. To do this, remove the panel in the front to access the valves and check for leaks. Turn off the syrup side (right side) and use the 1/4″ vinyl tube to ensure the water flow rate if correct. It should pour at a flow rate of 1.5 oz/sec. Once this is set, you can turn on the syrup side and dispense until you have an even flow of syrup and water. Once established you can pour a 16oz cup and mix thoroughly. Using a refractometer check to see if you fall in between a brix of 13.5-15 on most standard syrups or 9-10 on “light” syrups.  Adjust the set screw on the syrup side until you meet these requirements.

Now you can fill the barrels and start to make the final product. Enter the service menu on the main screen and go to Drain/Fill/Purge. Go to barrel 1 and start the process by purging the gas until the menu tells you to proceed then you can fill with product until full. Repeat this on the other barrel as well.  

Now you are ready to defrost and freeze. Using the main screen, press defrost on the barrels. Once they have defrosted, turn the barrels on and wait for them to freeze properly and done! If all was set properly you should have a finished quality product ready to drink. There are many settings on this machine to adjust the final product, but all are automated and shouldn’t need to be adjusted necessarily. Check out the images and thanks for reading!

 

For a replacement part or any additional questions or concerns, please visit donastar.com for contact information or call us at 833-366-2782. We are happy to help. We have lots of other content on diagnosing and fixing beverage issues, please check those out for a fast/free way to keep your cups full!

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