It is the first automatic
push-button soda maker that can be used at home to make carbonated drinks but
the cost of refilling the SodaStream CO2 can be hefty when you want to use
refill packs from SodaStream but fear not, there is a cheaper way to refill and
I will show you the one I use to get my bubbly popping again.
It is not that hard and takes only a couple of minutes. You will need to purchase a donor tank
and SodaStream tank.
Lets get right into it, shall we? First you put the empty CO2 bottle in the freezer for a few hours till the temperature drops to about minus 14 – 21 degrees Celsius. This is because a cold bottle accepts more CO2, filling takes place at bottle pressure and not with a pump. By cooling the receiving bottle the pressure in it is reduced.
Make sure you have screwed on the
adapter to the 6kg bar bottle that has been filled with food quality CO2.
It’s always better to fit the
little adapter by hand. Then you open fully quickly and wait for it to stop
blowing, this takes about a minute. Then close the valve, unscrew the little
bottle and weigh it. The weight of the bottle when empty is usually marked on
the bottle. Add it to the weight of the CO2, this gives you the weight of the
bottle when full.
When frozen repeat the filling. Do
that four times and arrive at just under 1200g full weight. That is enough; you
have filled just about 400g.
I usually fill the bottle for a
fifth time after which the bottle is so overfull I have to release some CO2.
This method suits me fine. When I am
at the freezer and a refill is needed, I do it.
A one minute job done four times is
much easier than driving off to buy expensive CO2.
This cost I recover just by not
having to drive to the shop pays for the adaptor after about 4-6 fillings.
In case you are wondering, the
adaptor does not fit the old 300g SodaStream steel bottles. These have another
screw thread. Today CO2 bottles must have a certain screw thread, different for
different gases to prevent accidents.
The small screw can be adjusted so
it pushes the pin. It is not always necessary to press. Threads generally suit
the CO2 6, 8, 10 kg tanks. The CO2 adapter is made of aluminum and
brass. The two materials can be separated. You must have a gasket, plastic, cardboard or rubber.
Donor tank you buy yourself. You can buy a used tank, often used for welding
work or the like.
If you look down at the adaptor,
you will see a small screw at the center. That screw can be adjusted, and it presses
the center pin on the donor CO2 tank when the adaptor is fully screwed on.
This opens the internal valve on
the donor CO2 tank allowing the liquid CO2 to floe freely into your tank.
After your tank is filled, you need
to keep the filler equipment attached but the donor tank turned off. Then you
can unscrew the adaptor from the filled tank. As you unscrew the adaptor from
the filled tank, the center pin stops pressing in the valve, and the CO2 stays
in the tank as it is supposed to.
Note that bottles with flat
valves are difficult to refill. If the bottle’s valve has a pin, it will be
much easier to refill.
Remember to use safety glasses,
work gloves and common sense. Please DO NOT fill the tank 100%
with liquid CO2. There must be a gas pocket. The liquid CO2 expands a little
with temperature.
The pressure in the tank is about
240BAR, and liquid CO2 is never more than 50BAR. Most tanks have a security nozzle that blows if the
pressure gets too high, it blows at about 100 BAR.
Therefore,
if you have the appetite and talent to take on this CO2 filling station
project, the savings in the CO2 refilling will repay this entire assembly in 6
months to 8 months depending on the size of the CO2 tank that is purchased.
After this initial investment is repaid with the savings, your CO2 refill cost
reduces to one-tenth (1/10) of what one pays to SodaStream retailers.
That is how to refill SodaStream CO2. Have you done it successfully?
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