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Carbonation problem

Product is still flat at packaging time

The tank has had its time and pressure, but the product reads low or tastes flat. Usually one of a handful of process variables is off, and most of them can be checked in an hour.

What you are seeing

Carbonation reads below target at packaging time, or the batch needs far longer than usual to get there. Packaging waits while you adjust and test again.

Likely causes

  • The product is warmer than assumed, so it holds less CO2 at the same pressure.
  • Tank pressure is too low for the target at the real product temperature.
  • Gas flow through the stone is too slow, or the stone is undersized for the batch.
  • The stone is partly clogged, so less gas gets through.
  • The pressure setting does not allow for the stone's wetting pressure or the depth of liquid above it.
  • A leak is bleeding gas from the tank or the supply.
  • The tank has not had enough time to reach equilibrium.

Checks to run first

  1. Read product temperature from a thermowell in the liquid, not from the jacket or the room.
  2. Confirm tank pressure with a gauge you trust, read at the same point every time.
  3. Check the stone's wetting pressure: submerge it in a jar of water and raise the pressure slowly until fine bubbles appear.
  4. Leak-check fittings, the regulator and gas lines with a soapy water solution.
  5. Measure dissolved CO2 with a calibrated meter rather than judging by taste or foam.
Where FizzWizz helps

FizzWizz reads actual product temperature and tank pressure, calculates the finish pressure for your target, and keeps working toward it rather than waiting for the next manual adjustment. FizzWizz states a typical window of 7 to 14 hours from still product when the stone is correctly sized.

Where it does not help

It cannot make a clogged or undersized stone pass more gas, fix a leak, or cool a warm tank. If the product is too warm or the stone is fouled, the cycle stays slow until those are fixed.

When to get help

If temperature, pressure and the stone all check out and the batch still finishes low, send us your tank, stone and target details.