about to buy a sodastream , any reviews / experiences?

[BongoBong]

wow that's a very cool conversion kit. 70 seems a bit high, 30-40 seems more reasonable. I'd probably still buy it mind you. He doesn't really show where the grease goes, but I'm sure I could figure it out. I'm definitely going to do it.

That kit would radically reduce the cost of the sodastream!

lol I feel funny asking this since your talking about one of the links I put up but what 70 dollar conversion kit? Also what grease are you talking about (another post)? From the links its basically saying you need a co2 tank, then connect a regulator to it, then some sort of carbonator cap (bought or one you make yourself) to connect to the regulator. I feel like I am missing something here!

anyways as far as my project goes I should be getting a dual gauge regulator this weekend (50 bucks) and a 10lb co2 fire extinguisher (40 bucks). The fire extinguisher valve is apparently able to be adapted to attach to the regulator (we shall see!). The co2 tank is the thing I have been having trouble finding used and new they are like 150+ it seems, so figured the fire extinguisher would be worth a shot. I will probably make my own carbonator cap but not sure which design I will go for yet.

[setTopbox]

lol I feel funny asking this since your talking about one of the links I put up but what 70 dollar conversion kit? Also what grease are you talking about (another post)? From the links its basically saying you need a co2 tank, then connect a regulator to it, then some sort of carbonator cap (bought or one you make yourself) to connect to the regulator. I feel like I am missing something here!

anyways as far as my project goes I should be getting a dual gauge regulator this weekend (50 bucks) and a 10lb co2 fire extinguisher (40 bucks). The fire extinguisher valve is apparently able to be adapted to attach to the regulator (we shall see!). The co2 tank is the thing I have been having trouble finding used and new they are like 150+ it seems, so figured the fire extinguisher would be worth a shot. I will probably make my own carbonator cap but not sure which design I will go for yet.

Umm, the video I had watched said that you needed a couple of things:

a) the conversion kit which : connects the sodastream to the c02 cannisters. Some guy was selling these for 70 bucks off his website
b) I guess the conversion kit needs to be greased to connect to the c02 cannister (or something).

anyway, I was kind of confused, but take a look.


Ohh, maybe because it was in the comments! http://www.thriftyscrimper.com/

errrr, apparently it's 90 bucks.

[BongoBong]

ahhhhh I think I missed that you already have the sodastream unit? I thought from your op that you were just considering buying one.

The conversion would be great. It does look pretty easy to make yourself. Even with the video what part are you talking about for greasing? He uses thread sealant when connecting the part from the sodastream canister to the adapter. I didn't see anything about greasing? If you could figure out what the adapter is that you can connect to the top part of the sodastream canister the rest of it should be real simple

[Supercooled]

The sodastream just seemed too expensive when one considers all its actually doing (C02 + water under pressure), especially since your buying small proprietary CO2 tanks filled in another country, so I looked for an alternative

I built a home carbonation rig from scratch two years back after reading a few sites on forced carbonation (including both the links above)
The home built rig is dead-easy to setup and use, I highly recommend one for anyone who goes through lots of carbonated beverages and can justify the initial outlay for the tank & reg. Mine may not be shiny and sit on your counter, but 2L of carbonated water out of tap water in under a minute for less than 5¢ just makes so much sense to me

Plus, the tank & reg are idential to whats needed for homebrew or kegging (used for dispensing finished beer from kegs, and as an alternative to natural carbonation using sugar/bottle conditioning)

Parts I used:

20LB CO2 tank
one CO2 primary regulator for beer
5ft of vinyl tubing, sized to fit the barbed connector on the regulator ($3)
a carbonator cap (1-way valve in a pop bottle lid)
empty 2L pop bottle

But yah... I screwed the regulator onto the tank, slipped on the vinyl tubing, tossed the cap on, turn on the gas and shake for 45sec and bam, carbonated water.


About tanks:
bigger the tank you get the cheaper the CO2 is when you fill. 20LB (of CO2) is the largest std. size 1 person can move, any bigger and your talkin hundreds of LBs. check classifieds, ebay, local industrial gas/airgas/welding supply places for a deal on used tank
purchased my CO2 tank used & empty for $50 off local classifieds. law requires hydrotesting every 5yrs, this one was out of date, got it hydrotested & filled at local fire extinguisher shop for $40

A half dozen local industrial suppliers claimed to offer CO2 tank fills, however most do not fill on site and will offer to swap for one of their on hand full tanks, however asking about hydrotesting should find you someone who can actually do the fill as well

My regulator is a Tap-rite, cost me about $40 shipped on ebay. Dual gauge, PSI adjustable from 20-50, safety valve blows at 55psi
My reg has a built in o-ring seal, if yours doesn't ask whoever fills your CO2 about a fiber washer (it'll be a standard size)

the truetex.com site describes the construction of one yourself using an automotive valve and the other site links to a $15 carbonator cap available commercially. I built mine using hot glue & some plastic 1way valves I got as samples from a plastics manufacturer (turns out small food grade 1way valves are near impossible to source lol)

The very bottom of the truetex.com site has example pictures of a half dozen people's CO2 rigs, which I for one found quite useful. Seeing so many rigs helps it all make sense.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask

Thanks for sharing your information with us interested but I have a nagging curiosity. Why does all the home made solutions always include a 2litre bottle to be the container? Can't there be a more "elegant" solution whereby you simply flip a switch and carbonated water comes out of a spout/faucet like a wet bar? I know the initial investment may be higher but I've seen some people have those instant hot water systems in their kitchen where a little unit under the sink flash heats the filtered tap water and dispenses it on demand. Something like that would be great; I just don't know why home improvement stores don't sell them as a kit for carbonation. Must be a soda cartel or something.

[Bookpreviews]

Thanks for sharing your information with us interested but I have a nagging curiosity. Why does all the home made solutions always include a 2litre bottle to be the container? Can't there be a more "elegant" solution whereby you simply flip a switch and carbonated water comes out of a spout/faucet like a wet bar? I know the initial investment may be higher but I've seen some people have those instant hot water systems in their kitchen where a little unit under the sink flash heats the filtered tap water and dispenses it on demand. Something like that would be great; I just don't know why home improvement stores don't sell them as a kit for carbonation. Must be a soda cartel or something.

You probably could get something like that- not sure of the price and it would not be at a regular store- maybe a used restaurant supply place can help.

[fury420]

anyways as far as my project goes I should be getting a dual gauge regulator this weekend (50 bucks) and a 10lb co2 fire extinguisher (40 bucks). The fire extinguisher valve is apparently able to be adapted to attach to the regulator (we shall see!). The co2 tank is the thing I have been having trouble finding used and new they are like 150+ it seems, so figured the fire extinguisher would be worth a shot. I will probably make my own carbonator cap but not sure which design I will go for yet.

Yup, an affordable tank is definitely the hardest to track down. A Co2 fire extinguisher can be converted for "homebrew", some things you need to know tho:

first... check the date, hydrotesting is good for 5yrs
second, whoever is doing your fill/hydrotest MUST remove the dip tube/siphon tube beforehand (CO2 in tank is stored in gas-over-liquid form, dip tube pulls LIQUID co2 from bottom instead of the Co2 gas we want from the top)

third, your going to need a standard gas cylinder valve and CGA-320 fitting instead of the fire extinguisher squeeze valve. The valve itself shouldn't be more than $10-15. I'd call around to find out who does hydrotesting locally, and make sure they can remove the dip tube & install the right valve.

for a carb cap, I got samples of plastic 1way valves designed for lab fittings from www.ark-plas.com and used hot glue.

Edit: Looking through my email history apparently I put up an ad on Craigslist/UsedEverywhere, http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/11608056 and was emailed by two people suggesting places to check and four people with tanks, ranging from $50 empty to $200 filled
Oh... just remembered the fire extinguisher place locally had 5LB tanks for sale, and they regularly refit old extinguishers

[fury420]

Thanks for sharing your information with us interested but I have a nagging curiosity. Why does all the home made solutions always include a 2litre bottle to be the container? Can't there be a more "elegant" solution whereby you simply flip a switch and carbonated water comes out of a spout/faucet like a wet bar?

Homebrew solutions use plastic PET bottles of various sizes because they're convenient, dirt cheap and easy to obtain. The bottles are manufactured to withstand pressures of 150-200PSI (has to withstand dropping an unopened warm 2L bottle of pop), more than enough for our needs.

More commercial carbonation rigs (restaurants, bars, concessions, etc...) use refrigerant, pumps and a stainless steel pressure chamber to mix prechilled water in a pressurized CO2 rich environment before dispensing. The parts are specialized, and designed for high volume applications. Even when shopping used, the water chiller parts alone would have run me $200, nevermind the pumps, stainless foodsafe fittings ($100), carbonating chamber ($150), dispensing gun ($50), etc...

all to save me 30-45sec of shaking when I want carbonated water? not worth it

[BongoBong]

Yup, an affordable tank is definitely the hardest to track down. A Co2 fire extinguisher can be converted for "homebrew", some things you need to know tho:

first... check the date, hydrotesting is good for 5yrs
second, whoever is doing your fill/hydrotest MUST remove the dip tube/siphon tube beforehand (CO2 in tank is stored in gas-over-liquid form, dip tube pulls LIQUID co2 from bottom instead of the Co2 gas we want from the top)

third, your going to need a standard gas cylinder valve and CGA-320 fitting instead of the fire extinguisher squeeze valve. The valve itself shouldn't be more than $10-15. I'd call around to find out who does hydrotesting locally, and make sure they can remove the dip tube & install the right valve.

for a carb cap, I got samples of plastic 1way valves designed for lab fittings from www.ark-plas.com and used hot glue.

Edit: Looking through my email history apparently I put up an ad on Craigslist/UsedEverywhere, http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/11608056 and was emailed by two people suggesting places to check and four people with tanks, ranging from $50 empty to $200 filled
Oh... just remembered the fire extinguisher place locally had 5LB tanks for sale, and they regularly refit old extinguishers

Thanks for the info. I have been looking into the fire extinguisher thing and have found that if I can find an adapter to fit the cga 320 fitting of my regulator I could just use the tank upside down which puts the dip tube at the "top" and in the gas as opposed to in the liquid co2. Not sure though on finding an adapter or if its worth the hassle of rigging something up to keep it upside down. There is a good chance I will get the dip tube removed and a new valve installed, but checking to see if its feasible to do it the other way. Do you know though where I would find the date of the hydrotesting? Mine has a general instructions sticker with a bar code and what looks like a product number, but no date on it, and other then that just the engravings on the tank itself.

For the carb caps I ended up going something extremely similar. I got a hold of the guy who sells the fizzgizz system found at www.fizzgizz.com and I bought some one way valves from him that he is shipping up to me and I will put together with plastic caps like this http://www.fizzgiz.com/DIYSodaMaker.htm

If you used one way valves did you end up going with an air gun and a needle/nozzle tip to fill your bottles?

[fury420]

Thanks for the info. I have been looking into the fire extinguisher thing and have found that if I can find an adapter to fit the cga 320 fitting of my regulator I could just use the tank upside down which puts the dip tube at the "top" and in the gas as opposed to in the liquid co2. Not sure though on finding an adapter or if its worth the hassle of rigging something up to keep it upside down. There is a good chance I will get the dip tube removed and a new valve installed, but checking to see if its feasible to do it the other way. Do you know though where I would find the date of the hydrotesting? Mine has a general instructions sticker with a bar code and what looks like a product number, but no date on it, and other then that just the engravings on the tank itself.

Hydrotesting date on mine is engraved right onto the tank itself

Forget about using your tank upside down, could be VERY dangerous.
CO2 tanks in commercial operations have to be chained down, as if they fall over and the valve is damaged the tank can become a flying projectile that'll go through walls, people, etc...
In a big city like Ottawa there should be several places that do hydrotesting (which involves removing & reinstalling the valve), removing dip tube and fitting a standard valve instead shouldnt be a prob, call around (likely fire ext. companies)

For the carb caps I ended up going something extremely similar. I got a hold of the guy who sells the fizzgizz system found at www.fizzgizz.com and I bought some one way valves from him that he is shipping up to me and I will put together with plastic caps like this http://www.fizzgiz.com/DIYSodaMaker.htm

If you used one way valves did you end up going with an air gun and a needle/nozzle tip to fill your bottles?

the type of valve I used:
http://ark-plas.com/products/product.asp?classID=1
they're for laboratory tubing, I've got a small length of vinyl tubing directly attached on, which I connect to my CO2 rig's longer tube

those needle valves should work too, you'll just need to find a refilling needle and mount an on/off valve before the needle. keep in mind you'll be shaking the bottle with this all attached and on, so an airgun squeeze handle could be rather awkward, I'd go with a thumb turn valve

[YLSF]

Bumping up an old thread. I saw the sodastream at Costco the other day. Cheapest model for around $89 but I understand it includes 2 CO2 cartridges.

Anyone end up experimenting more with hooking up another tank to the machine/etc? I am thinking of getting a sodastream from Costco but now that I see this thread I might look into a homebrewed (no pun intended) solution.

[nicoleberry]

Bumping up an old thread. I saw the sodastream at Costco the other day. Cheapest model for around $89 but I understand it includes 2 CO2 cartridges.

Anyone end up experimenting more with hooking up another tank to the machine/etc? I am thinking of getting a sodastream from Costco but now that I see this thread I might look into a homebrewed (no pun intended) solution.

My husband and I just bought a Soda Stream from Costco for $59 last weekend. We found the sample packs and bottles at Bed Bath & Beyond as well as London Drugs. The flavours are not comparable to regular pop but we were thinking that cost wise and flavour wise it might be an idea to check out a restaurant supply store or something to get the big boxes of syrup that fast food and gas stations use for there fountain pop. As it stands, it does end up being cheaper to go out and buy the bottles of pop...we really got it for the lower calories, sugar etc that the soda stream flavours have compared to the store bought pops. Yah the taste is off but its still not bad. The one we got from COSTCO is the basic white (jet) model that they sell at bed bath & beyond for $129. It came with 2 carbon tanks but no samples. we got the samples from BB&B (12 pack for 11.99)

Overall we enjoy having it and do not regret purchasing it for 59$.

[dmdsoftware2]

My husband and I just bought a Soda Stream from Costco for $59 last weekend. We found the sample packs and bottles at Bed Bath & Beyond as well as London Drugs. The flavours are not comparable to regular pop but we were thinking that cost wise and flavour wise it might be an idea to check out a restaurant supply store or something to get the big boxes of syrup that fast food and gas stations use for there fountain pop. As it stands, it does end up being cheaper to go out and buy the bottles of pop...we really got it for the lower calories, sugar etc that the soda stream flavours have compared to the store bought pops. Yah the taste is off but its still not bad. The one we got from COSTCO is the basic white (jet) model that they sell at bed bath & beyond for $129. It came with 2 carbon tanks but no samples. we got the samples from BB&B (12 pack for 11.99)

Overall we enjoy having it and do not regret purchasing it for 59$.

Good price because two tanks usually cost $35 each. So you end up paying $11 less and you get a machine out of it. I would have bought mine from Costco if I had known better.

[ji_howa]

I bought mine at Costco and love it. I mostly drink carbonated spring water, and buying bottles and bottles of san pellegrino was just a pain, both in transport and storage. Now I use chilled filtered water to make the soda water and it works great! You can adjust the level of carbonation to your preference.

Avoid the syrups, they suck and too much sugar anyways. Nothing goes better with carbonated water than lemon or lime and a splash of vodka!

[daaave]

would these things be any good for mixed drinks? rye+ginger/coke, rum+coke, etc?

[jumbojones]

would these things be any good for mixed drinks? rye+ginger/coke, rum+coke, etc?

Sure, try getting creative too, I use a lot of different flavours from Torani, watermelon, pink grapefruit, blood orange...

http://www.reunionislandcoffee.com/T...yrups-s/56.htm

Got a vitamix, try mixing rum/vodka with some real fruit smoothie mix and ice, got me through the heat wave last week with no A/C...

http://www.reunionislandcoffee.com/T...e-Mix-s/57.htm