“Mini Fridge Soda Fountain” refers to a do-it-yourself project—not a commercial appliance—that uses an air pump to push soda from a chilled bottle through a dispensing tube. Jason Poel Smith documented the build for Make: on September 1, 2014; a matching Instructables project appeared August 29, 2014. The setup is simple in concept, but routing tubes through a refrigerator calls for care, especially if you are considering drilling its housing.
How the mini fridge soda fountain works
The refrigerator keeps a soda bottle cold while a small air pump pressurizes it. One tube carries air into the bottle; a second tube draws soda from near the bottom and delivers it to a dispensing point. In the Make: project, the air-intake tube stays above the soda and the outlet tube reaches down into the liquid.
As Jason Poel Smith explains, “When the switch is activated, the pump begins to push air through a tube and into a soda bottle.” The added pressure forces soda up the outlet tube. The pump’s strength limits how high the liquid can be lifted, so the location of the dispenser matters.
Materials and tools listed for the build
The project lists these core materials, without specifying brands, dimensions, or performance ratings:
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- Mini refrigerator
- Soda bottle
- Air pump
- Airline tubing
- AC power switch
The listed tools are a drill and bit set and a sharp knife. These are the project’s stated supplies, not a tested or endorsed specification for particular equipment. Make: provides the build details at Mini Fridge Soda Fountain; the matching project is also listed on Instructables.
Three ways to route the tubes
The tube route affects how much cold air escapes and whether you need to modify the refrigerator. The Make: tutorial describes three approaches:
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| Route | What it involves | Trade-off or caution |
|---|---|---|
| Through the refrigerator door | Run the tubes through the door opening. | The larger gap makes the refrigerator less efficient. |
| Through a slit in the door gasket | Make a small slit in the gasket for the tubes. | The tutorial says this leaves a smaller gap than routing through the door. |
| Through holes in the refrigerator housing | Drill openings through the housing for the tubes. | You must first locate internal wiring and refrigeration coils. If you are uncertain where they are, the tutorial advises choosing another route. |
Do not assume drilling is safe simply because it is one of the described options. The project specifically warns that internal wires and refrigeration coils must be located before drilling.
Fitting the bottle and maintaining the tubing
The project routes both tubes through separate holes in the soda bottle cap, with a snug fit intended to limit air leakage. It also recommends cleaning the tubes regularly and periodically replacing plastic parts, which can eventually grow unwanted material. Follow the project’s cleaning and replacement guidance as part of using the improvised dispenser.
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What the project does—and does not—establish
This is a personal DIY build documented in 2014, not a verified turnkey mini-fridge product. Its source pages do not give pump specifications, tubing dimensions, flow rates, costs, cooling-performance measurements, or a safety rating. Those details should not be inferred from the materials list or the fact that the setup dispenses soda.
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