Filling your own soda stream bottles

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timmmay

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#101040 23-Apr-2012 21:38

I just got a soda stream, i'm curious to find out if it's practical to fill it myself. It costs $12-14/refill at retail, it's about $1 worth of gas, max. The old razor and blade model, except I paid $150 for the soda stream machine already.

There are plenty of posts online about getting big CO2 tanks, getting the right adapter, setting it up, but none are idiots guides. Other guides say just get this adapter then have them filled at a paintball store. I'd be happy doing that, just buying the adapter, it sounds much easier than having a full CO2 rig at home, but paintball stores are a bit hard to come by in NZ.

Any thoughts or tips?

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#613975 23-Apr-2012 21:46

timmmay: I just got a soda stream, i'm curious to find out if it's practical to fill it myself. It costs $12-14/refill at retail, it's about $1 worth of gas, max. The old razor and blade model, except I paid $150 for the soda stream machine already.

There are plenty of posts online about getting big CO2 tanks, getting the right adapter, setting it up, but none are idiots guides. Other guides say just get this adapter?then have them filled at a paintball store. I'd be happy doing that, just buying the adapter, it sounds much easier than having a full CO2 rig at home, but paintball stores are a bit hard to come by in NZ.

Any thoughts or tips?

Is it really worth it as they are quite dangerous to fiddle around with? A cylinder lasts quite a long time. The same would apply to a gas cylinder, the gas in it isn't worth as much as it cost to get a refill. I actually found it was better value just buying soda water, than using a soda stream and getting refills and fiddling around with it, so sold mine. But they are good if you are just doing smaller quanities and don't use it that often.

Decal

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#614001 23-Apr-2012 22:00

timmmay: I just got a soda stream, i'm curious to find out if it's practical to fill it myself. It costs $12-14/refill at retail, it's about $1 worth of gas, max. The old razor and blade model, except I paid $150 for the soda stream machine already.

There are plenty of posts online about getting big CO2 tanks, getting the right adapter, setting it up, but none are idiots guides. Other guides say just get this adapter then have them filled at a paintball store. I'd be happy doing that, just buying the adapter, it sounds much easier than having a full CO2 rig at home, but paintball stores are a bit hard to come by in NZ.

Any thoughts or tips?

Do you have a rock gas near by? They fill all our CO2 tanks for paint ball

gzt

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#614042 23-Apr-2012 23:04

Food grade CO2 vs industrial grade CO2 - different standards for storage and allowable contamination I believe.

keewee01

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#614053 23-Apr-2012 23:21

I just did some research and it seems that CO2 and food grade CO2 are the same thing - it is just the storage containers that are different, but ultimately they came from the same up-stream source. Go figure.

timmmay

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#614059 23-Apr-2012 23:42

It should work out cheaper and more importantly easier than buying water at the supermarket even praying soda stream retail prices to fill them. I drink 1L of sparkling water per day.

Food grade is about tank cleaning not contents. Soda stream has a special valve to prevent you filling off a regular tank, you pay them or buy an aftermarket adapter.

Kyanar

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#614094 24-Apr-2012 07:42

Just bear in mind you don't actually own that little gas tank. The Sodastream machine yes, but the gas tanks always belong to Sodastream - they lease them to you. Legally, tampering with the tank is a no no.

keewee01

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#614108 24-Apr-2012 08:30

Kyanar: Just bear in mind you don't actually own that little gas tank. The Sodastream machine yes, but the gas tanks always belong to Sodastream - they lease them to you. Legally, tampering with the tank is a no no.

How can that be the case when you buy extra gas bottles, for something like $20 I think???

That's a bloody expensive lease - and that is not how they are sold. They are being sold. Period. Legally you would have to be clearly informed of it being a lease when "buying" them otherwise someone is breaking the law.

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timmmay

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#614131 24-Apr-2012 08:45

They're about $35, and I bought it outright. They can put any license or crap they want in the box, I bought it, I own it. Plus you're not tampering with it, you don't modify it at all, you're just filling it.

keewee01

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#614135 24-Apr-2012 08:47

timmmay: They're about $35, and I bought it outright. They can put any license or crap they want in the box, I bought it, I own it. Plus you're not tampering with it, you don't modify it at all, you're just filling it.

+1

It was a while... actually many, many year... since I bought our spare bottle.

Annoyed the hell out of me the first time I took it to get a refill as I handed over a shiny new gas bottle and was given a crappy old one in return! I wouldn't bother buying a new one again - I'd just get a second hand one from somewhere.

But in your case where you want to fill your own, then the new one is perfect.

timmmay

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#614147 24-Apr-2012 08:56

It'd really bug me if I got a faulty one, but I guess they test them when they're filled. I would rather not give me brand new ones away, but there don't seem to be any other practical options. Filling yourself looks like a bit of a mission.

keewee01

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#614158 24-Apr-2012 09:09

There must be places that will do it. Is there no local BOC depo or the like? Ask some local paint ballers where they get theirs recharged.

timmmay

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#614181 24-Apr-2012 09:46

I doubt BOC would do it, since Soda Stream probably wouldn't like it. I'd be happy to buy an adapter to a standard CO2 tank myself then pay someone with the tank to fill it. The trick would be finding somewhere convenient that would do it for me. Having my own CO2 system sounds like overkill.

Any suggestions?

skyhigh

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#614196 24-Apr-2012 10:01

I used to fill them at ASCO carbon dioxide in CHC. It cost less than $5 per bottle to fill

timmmay

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#614201 24-Apr-2012 10:06

skyhigh: I used to fill them at ASCO carbon dioxide in CHC. It cost less than $5 per bottle to fill

Thanks for the tip! I'm in Wellington, but it suggests it can be done elsewhere.

Did you take your own adapter, or did they have one?

Kyanar

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#614235 24-Apr-2012 11:21

keewee01:
Kyanar: Just bear in mind you don't actually own that little gas tank. The Sodastream machine yes, but the gas tanks always belong to Sodastream - they lease them to you. Legally, tampering with the tank is a no no.

How can that be the case when you buy extra gas bottles, for something like $20 I think???

That's a bloody expensive lease - and that is not how they are sold. They are being sold. Period. Legally you would have to be clearly informed of it being a lease when "buying" them otherwise someone is breaking the law.

Well no, they aren't being sold any more than Sky decoders are sold to you when you pay $599 to Sky to get one. The bottles belong to Sodastream, it's clearly written on the box and the bottle and the claim that you "own it outright" because you paid for it is absurd.

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