# CO2 from Sodastream?



## Shawn123 (Jan 24, 2013)

I looked into this before and apparently the tanks aren't refillable, they can only be swapped for a new full one, and it is more expensive than refilling a paintball co2 tank.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Shawn123 said:


> I looked into this before and apparently the tanks aren't refillable, they can only be swapped for a new full one, and it is more expensive than refilling a paintball co2 tank.


I was looking it up and I saw a guy on youtube was able to open and refill using dry ice. Just to open is not as easy.


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## Godly3vil (Jun 2, 2013)

Lots of people use them here, and yes they are refillable but most places that sell them just exchange empty one's for full ones for a small fee.


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## ccattie (Feb 6, 2008)

They have proprietary tops on them. A guy on ebay sells an adapter top, but it is easier/cheaper to get a paintball tank if that is a route you want to pursue. I have the sodastream machine for soda, but I have used it a few times for my tank when I ran our of excel or when I was setting up a new tank and didn't have fish yet (I just glunked a bunch in then).


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## MrSlumpy (Jan 4, 2013)

I poured in carbonated water from my sodastream now and then when I was running a 5 gallon plant-only tank, but like others here I never found a viable way to connect the bottle to anything other than the sodastream. 

In fact, because it is so proprietary I wouldn't even recommend getting one for soda. There are cheaper ways to carbonate water. Sodastream's syrups are pretty good though.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

I've seen a few threads on UKAPS.org where some are using it. You might want to do a search over there.


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## Rainer (Jan 30, 2011)

Small Sodastream refills cost as much as a 5 lb refill here.

Anyone know the psi of a Sodastream refill?


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Thank you guys! Awesome help!



MrSlumpy said:


> I poured in carbonated water from my sodastream now and then when I was running a 5 gallon plant-only tank, but like others here I never found a viable way to connect the bottle to anything other than the sodastream.
> 
> In fact, because it is so proprietary I wouldn't even recommend getting one for soda. There are cheaper ways to carbonate water. Sodastream's syrups are pretty good though.


A bit off topic.. but are they as good as the real thing or close to it? Thinking of getting one anyway


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## Silenced (Aug 20, 2012)

other ppl already had the same idea, and hmmpf, maintenance cost is high I assumed.


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## MrSlumpy (Jan 4, 2013)

ivan.f said:


> A bit off topic.. but are they as good as the real thing or close to it? Thinking of getting one anyway


Just as good or better in my opinion. I usually drink the diet cola or the diet fruit flavors, or mix flavors together. I also like the energy syrup (not the diet) mixed with fruit flavors or kool-aid. It's my morning caffeine jolt these days.


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

ivan.f said:


> A bit off topic.. but are they as good as the real thing or close to it? Thinking of getting one anyway


There are many methods to carbonating water. Using the syrup and making your own is a lot cheaper. Heres one...




 
Tons more.


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## MrSlumpy (Jan 4, 2013)

Zorfox said:


> There are many methods to carbonating water. Tons more.


Yeah my coworker made one of those, and now I wish I'd gone that route. We bought the sodastream that takes the bigger cylinders, then later found out there was no place to exchange them near us. So were using the smaller ones and paying an arm and a leg to exchange them. I recently found this adapter to use paintball cylinders with the sodastream unit. It's expensive but I already have a bunch of PB tanks and they are much cheaper to fill.


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## brogan (Jan 16, 2012)

I drink a lot of carbonated water and go through a bottle every month and a half. I Just add a lime wedge and it is much more refreshing than soda. 

I exchange my sodastream CO2 bottles at Bed Bath and Beyond. They send out 5 dollar off 15 coupons every few months and the exchanges are exactly 15 so you can use the coupons on them, dropping the refill price by 1/3rd.


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## Rainer (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks for the tip!


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Awesome stuff. Thanks guys! I don't know.. wife wants one. Saw it a Bed Bath & Beyond for $79.. but is it worth it? Or DIY is better?


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## Rainer (Jan 30, 2011)

If you go DIY, make sure you're getting food-grade CO2.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Rainer said:


> If you go DIY, make sure you're getting food-grade CO2.


There is a difference? :| good thing you told me this because I would have just gotten any ol' CO2 lol.


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## WheeledGoat (Mar 17, 2013)

I wasn't aware there was a difference. co2 is co2 afaik.

perhaps there is the potential contamination of vessels and connection pieces if your source is welding shops or some such place, but I've been using co2 refilled from the Fire Extinguisher Supply place for my beer brewing for years, as do most of my homebrewing buddies.


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## Rainer (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm not that well informed on CO2 so check with your local Airgas distributor or other. Several gases have food or medical grades because impurities in the industrial grades may not be suitable for human consumption. In other cases the grades may be identical other than the level of paperwork maintained by the distributor. It's best to ask.


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## RobiDawn (Jul 21, 2013)

Sadly in australia paintball places are next to no where soda stream place aka bigw and kmart and woolies are EVERYWHERE aka easier to go the soda stream way in Australia. Can actually buy the adapter thread from masters in australia aka the hardware store of the Woolworths chain in Australia.


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## jrh (Sep 9, 2007)

Yeah, and I cant see my husband leaving the "bigger and more powerful home made soda stream" anywhere but in the garage if we had one. As for trying to put that thing in the offfice where your cube is 3' x 4', no shelves, good luck.

Is there any petite, professional looking system you could buy all in one? Even if I didn't us it in my show tanks, I might want it in my grow out tanks.


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## gSTiTcH (Feb 21, 2013)

"Food Grade" CO2 is just an indicator of purity to the hundredth percentage. 99.98% I believe is food grade.


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