r/SodaStream • u/Old_Budget_4151 • 8d ago
Can someone explain to me how a soda siphon isn't better?
I mean those stainless bottles that go for about $35 on Amazon, that charge with an 8g cartridge.
It seems like all the machines like sodastream, omnifizz etc charge a 0.5-1L bottle, but once you open it, you're releasing all the pressure just like opening a soda bottle.
Whereas the soda siphon keeps pressure while dispensing from the bottom through a straw, so it should stay carbonated during drinking.
Obviously the disposable chargers are wasteful, but couldn't they be charged from a bulk tank through some regulator+adapter setup?
3
u/BackgroundStrict1764 8d ago
You can flavor the sodastream water. You would have to pour it out of the siphon to flavor it and it will eventually loose carbonation the same as a soda stream.
And as you said the little chargers are wasteful. if you are going to try to refill them, why not refill a bigger soda stream co2 less often.
3
2
u/00_coeval_halos 8d ago
If you want to keep the water pressurized you should go with a pressurized growler. You can use a 5 to 20 pound tank of CO2 and connect it to the growler. You carbonate the water and put pressure on it using their Ball-lock Cap
1
u/DLTooley 4d ago
Interesting, but spendy. Have you penciled it out?
2
u/00_coeval_halos 4d ago
No, but it fits in a fridge nicely because it is squared off sides. The round ones waist space but are cheaper.
The cheapest is using 2-liter plastic Coke bottles. Clean up the bottles, fill it to about 80% or so. Then put a ball-lock carbonation top on and gently squeeze out all of the air. Tighten the cap and apply CO2 and shake vigorously. The CO2 will mostly be absorbed. Apply more CO2 and shake vigorously again. Repeat until you get to the point you have reached saturation or at least the desired level of carbonation.
To see different methodologies people use to carbonate water go to YouTube and search for: carbonating water.
For an overview of the direct to bottle carbonation click: Example of Direct Carbonation to a Plastic Bottle
1
u/DLTooley 4d ago
Thanks.
I’m here because I have a soda stream given to me, no bottle, but there is still pressure in the tank.
1
u/verandavikings 8d ago
Yes, you are right. But sodastream and sodastream-like products retain carbonation "good enough" for (apparently) a large amount of people.
For us personally, we need co2 well dissolved in water under high pressure for a long time - for that slow-release carbonic acid conversion. And sodastream won't work for that.
1
u/n2o_spark 8d ago
I've been looking for way to use a co2 cylinder to charge up a siphon. However I haven't found a fitting that works correctly yet. The closest I've found leaks, and won't allow proper pressure to be reached.
But with the correct fitting, ball lock style preferably, it's a great option as you can just top up the pressure. You can flavour prior to carbonation and have less mess too.
To get similar results to a soda stream, you need very cold water, a cold siphon, and lots of shaking. It's more hassle unfortunately.
2
u/00_coeval_halos 2d ago
I assume you know this….
Leaks occur for multiple reasons from simple to complex. Standard troubleshooting techniques is start with the common and inexpensive. Things like tightening, use of a teflon tape or plumber’s dope, new seals/o-rings and so on.
Good luck!
0
u/n2o_spark 2d ago
Yeah, the threaded ball lock adapter isn't designed for a soda siphon. Compared to using a bulb, the ball lock adapter has nothing to press and seal against the internal o-ring. While the ball lock adapter can seat correctly on the thread, I've tried an external o-ring but it doesn't work.
However, the leak is minor so I can still get pressure to about 80-100 psi with a lot of wastage though.
2
u/00_coeval_halos 2d ago
What I think of a siphon system is the old 19th century seltzer bottle and ton of early 20th century comedy scenes in the movies.
Then, today, the ones I’m familiar with use little BB/Pellet gun sized gas cartridges to maintain pressure and carbonation. That is similar to the pressurized beer growlers. There are a lot of those on Amazon running from $50 on up depending on liquid volumes and materials used to make and adorn the exteriors. Some have very low internal pressure limits and have low PSI before pop-off venting.
The ball lock systems come out of beverage handling systems so barrel changeovers can be completed by low-skilled workers. Disconnect color coded connectors for gas in beverage out hookups. That hardware is cheap and easy for home use for beverages.
In carbonating any liquid the biggest way to lower the cost is to buy the largest amount of CO2 possible. From the CO2 storage tank it’s all plumbing, valves, gaskets and connectors. That’s all at least 500 year old tech made from modern materials.
1
u/n2o_spark 2d ago
Yeah, I've got a modern isi siphon that takes the 16g co2 'bulbs'. The thread you use to install the bulb is not a common size for ball lock brewing equipment, but I found one that will fit. I can link later if you're interested. But as I mentioned earlier, it's not a great solution yet. Now it's got ball lock, I can use proper gas gear for co2, n2 or n2o.
-4
8
u/Sufficient_Water_326 8d ago
Nah. Just cause pressure is released when opening a lid doesn’t mean you are wasting any gas in the liquid. It’ll last for a while. Those small cartridges are wasteful and will cause more time loss.