Sodastream

Raoul

alexander11 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'd like some advice on this. I drink about 1.5-2l of sparkling water every day and you can imagine the plastic bottles add up. Even though they're being recycled it still doesn't feel great. A friend of mine has a SodaStream machine and I absolutely love it. I'd like to get one for myself as well. The only downside I see to it is the expensive refills ... thankfully I found this forum. He doesn't drink that much and one refill lasts him about 3 weeks

• I kept seeing around the co2 adapter from Germany which costs about 50 euro. I see similar ones for about 10 euro on aliexpress; has anyone ordered from there? If so, how did you find them?
• Also, what type of cylinder would you recommend and what size? I saw quite a variety of cylinders mentioned. Do you have any recommendations on what to buy?
• I live in midlands, so I would have to travel up to Dublin to fill up the cylinder, what companies are the easiest to deal with?

Thank you !

Genuinely not being a d1ck. All these questions are answered fairly in depth. Even within the last few posts, I think.

If you are getting sodastream, definitely get the adapter and the cylinder. It is a gamechanger really in terms of waste and also cost. Probably about 20/30 times cheaper.

54and56

alexander11 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'd like some advice on this. I drink about 1.5-2l of sparkling water every day and you can imagine the plastic bottles add up. Even though they're being recycled it still doesn't feel great. A friend of mine has a SodaStream machine and I absolutely love it. I'd like to get one for myself as well. The only downside I see to it is the expensive refills ... thankfully I found this forum. He doesn't drink that much and one refill lasts him about 3 weeks

• I kept seeing around the co2 adapter from Germany which costs about 50 euro. I see similar ones for about 10 euro on aliexpress; has anyone ordered from there? If so, how did you find them?
• Also, what type of cylinder would you recommend and what size? I saw quite a variety of cylinders mentioned. Do you have any recommendations on what to buy?
• I live in midlands, so I would have to travel up to Dublin to fill up the cylinder, what companies are the easiest to deal with?

Thank you !

AJ Edge in Bray (https://goo.gl/maps/DpLxCyqDZHvv6Ln3A) are a fire extinguisher servicing company. They convert used fire extinguisher cylinders into CO2 cylinders. I forget what they charge for the initial cylinder and a fill of CO2, IIRC it's about €45 and the one I got from them has "5 - 5.8KG" stamped on it which I think refers to the amount of liquid gas it can hold.

From my experience with them they do this as a bit of a nixer so don't expect a polished retail type service. You can call ahead and see if they'll prep one for you given the trip you'd be making. I live in South Dublin so it's only a 10 minute spin for me but I've had to wait up to half an hour for them to get round to doing a refill for me. Not complaining, it's just they have more important priorities so be patient.

I've always paid them in cash, not sure they accept credit cards.

If you're getting a cylinder from them ask them to include a "dip tube". This makes refilling a lot easier, saves having to turn the cylinder upside down.

I can't remember what the refills cost, I think it's €10 or €15 but I'm sure someone who's done it recently will confirm.

I too drink 1-2L of sparkling water a day so I've 3 Sodastream cylinders which I fill in one go.

When refilling always bring the donor cylinder (the one from AJ Edge) into a warm environment a few hours before refilling and place the empty Sodastream cylinders in a freezer for a few hours before refilling as the greater the temperature difference between the donor and Sodastream cylinders the greater the amount refilled into the Sodastream cylinder will be.

I get about 3-4 weeks out of a refilled Sodastream cylinder and I'm guessing I get about 10-11 Sodastream refills out of the donor cylinder.

There must be other fire extinguisher servicing companies around the country who could do this but don't as no one has asked them.

Could be worth Googling your local area and just calling to ask. If you don't ask...............

kuang1

I was waiting to have a bit more info before posting, but currently I'm failing to get a tank of CO2 online.
I'm in Waterford so going to Bray not an option for me at the mo.

Got a 10L delivered from stargas in Limerick, and the connection at the top of their tank was incompatible (and I have the €50 adapter from Germany) so had to return that. (and they specifically mentioned afterwards that others have had the same issue, can't connect the soda stream cannisters to their CO2 tanks by any means)

Contacted the seahorseaquarium guys who were helpful but currently out of stock of CO2 tanks. And even at that they're not optimistic that the German adapter is the correct one for connecting to their tanks.

If anyone else has any suggestions about ordering a CO2 tank online please share.

4motion

kuang1 wrote: »

I was waiting to have a bit more info before posting, but currently I'm failing to get a tank of CO2 online.
I'm in Waterford so going to Bray not an option for me at the mo.

Got a 10L delivered from stargas in Limerick, and the connection at the top of their tank was incompatible (and I have the €50 adapter from Germany) so had to return that. (and they specifically mentioned afterwards that others have had the same issue, can't connect the soda stream cannisters to their CO2 tanks by any means)

Contacted the seahorseaquarium guys who were helpful but currently out of stock of CO2 tanks. And even at that they're not optimistic that the German adapter is the correct one for connecting to their tanks.

If anyone else has any suggestions about ordering a CO2 tank online please share.

https://brownefireprotection.ie/ try them that are driving everyday to Waterford I think would deliver to your door probobly very friendly guys. Got lot of co2 from them cheap as well.

VinLieger

Was onto AJ edge last week and again today, seems they are out of valves and wont have them for at least another 10 days

RobAMerc

can someone please tell me if this will work to have the guys at AJ fill my canister ?

Adapter -

thanks

comput1

I don’t think AJ would fill a Sodastream canister - it’s too small a quantity to be worth their time, they usually supply larger bottles so you can fit yourself a few times.. is that what you mean?

RobAMerc wrote: »

can someone please tell me if this will work to have the guys at AJ fill my canister ?

Adapter -

thanks

RobAMerc

they said they would ( told my wife ), but I am happy to buy a large canister. Either way I need to buy an adapter. Does this one work ?

comput1

RobAMerc wrote: »

they said they would ( told my wife ), but I am happy to buy a large canister. Either way I need to buy an adapter. Does this one work ?

Ah ok. That’s good news.


The one I got had options for cga320(USA) or w218 (EU)
I went with the W218 and that connects to the AJ canister I got

volker81k

Hi all,

I have been following the board for a while. Thanks for the information provided here.
As @kuang1, I live too far away from Galway or Dublin to use the suggest suppliers.

Has anyone tried BOC as a source for CO2? I couldn't get in contact with them yet to confirm whether their cylinder comes with a male thread. I'll let you know what the story is.

I have been in contact with CO2 Adapter and they told me, that there are thoughts of making a batch of adapters with male thread, which would fit the CO2 sold by StarGas for example. This batch is planned for mid May.

volker81k

Quick update on my post above:
The BOC cylinder has a female thread as well. That means waiting for CO2-Adapter to have the parts made in May.

BOC price for a 34kg bottle is currently €71.46, which brings the refill down to €1 ish. That'll do

jimmy86

volker81k wrote: »

Quick update on my post above:
The BOC cylinder has a female thread as well. That means waiting for CO2-Adapter to have the parts made in May.

BOC price for a 34kg bottle is currently €71.46, which brings the refill down to €1 ish. That'll do

Out of interest, did they quote that price to you or did you find it online? I was having a look on BOC before and the yearly rental for a cannister that size was around €130 ex vat, plus whatever the cost of the gas was

volker81k

jimmy86 wrote: »

Out of interest, did they quote that price to you or did you find it online?

I found it online. Thanks for the hint. I must have a detailed look into their pricing system when/if that new adapter becomes available.

54and56

volker81k wrote: »

Quick update on my post above:
The BOC cylinder has a female thread as well. That means waiting for CO2-Adapter to have the parts made in May.

BOC price for a 34kg bottle is currently €71.46, which brings the refill down to €1 ish. That'll do

I'd double check that volker81k, the AJ supplied (converted) canisters are 5kg (that's their internal capacity) and are sizeable enough i.e. large / industrial fire extinguisher. I can't imagine one person being able to manoeuvre / carry a canister with 7 times the capacity!!

I reckon the price you saw was the price to refill not the price to buy the canister and IIRC BOC don't "sell" canisters, they rent them annually so you are tied into their network for refills etc. Similar to how gas BBQ cylinders work, you pay an initial deposit (€75 IIRC) to get a full cylinder then it's €37.50 a refill after that but you never actually own the cylinder, you keep swapping empty's for full ones.

rubadub

54and56 wrote: »

I can't imagine one person being able to manoeuvre / carry a canister with 7 times the capacity!!

You can get custom trolleys



Or people can roll them, not down on the ground, the hold them at a slight tilt and roll along

54and56

rubadub wrote: »

You can get custom trolleys



Or people can roll them, not down on the ground, the hold them at a slight tilt and roll along

Fair play, I guess if you were really ploughing through carbonated water/drinks and/or getting a refill was a major undertaking a cylinder that size might make sense.

The 5kg I get from AJ Edge lasts me over 6 months at an average of 1.5 to 2 litres of carbonated water per day.

€20 a year for all the carbonated water I like to drink and no plastic bottles clogging up the recycling bin is a win win for me.

volker81k

54and56 wrote: »

I reckon the price you saw was the price to refill not the price to buy the canister and IIRC BOC don't "sell" canisters, they rent them annually so you are tied into their network for refills etc.

You could be right there. jimmy86 said the same.
At the end it's all down to the adapter. If there will be an adapter with male thread even StarGas is interesting again, and they do 6.5kg cylinders.

Although the cylinder spinning skills from that YouTube guy are inspiring

RobAMerc

I am now totally confused - Does anyone know if this one or this one is useful for the gas canisters sold by AJ Edge please ?

Both are TR21-4 which I believe is correct for the soda bottle - but I am unsure if it should be the W21.8 fitting or the G1/2 fitting for the canister

Anyone here able to help me out ?

TIA

54and56

RobAMerc wrote: »

I am now totally confused - Does anyone know if this one or this one is useful for the gas canisters sold by AJ Edge please ?

Both are TR21-4 which I believe is correct for the soda bottle - but I am unsure if it should be the W21.8 fitting or the G1/2 fitting for the canister

Anyone here able to help me out ?

TIA

I'm pretty sure it's the W21.8 fitting you want. The adapter and spare Sodastream canisters I got are from (https://www.co2-adapter.de/adapter2/) but don't have the W21.8 marking on them however the valve on my AJ Edge supplied 5KG cylinder has W21.8 stamped into it.

theintern

For those of you who haven't taken the plunge yet, I was in Harvey Norman the other day in Galway, and they do the Sodastream canister replacement too (21 euro). Bring your old one and get a new one. Not sure how they can open when Argos can't, but it's an option if you're stuck.

Going to get all the gear for self refill soon but for now I'm still paying the sodastream tax

VinLieger

theintern wrote: »

For those of you who haven't taken the plunge yet, I was in Harvey Norman the other day in Galway, and they do the Sodastream canister replacement too (21 euro). Bring your old one and get a new one. Not sure how they can open when Argos can't, but it's an option if you're stuck.

Going to get all the gear for self refill soon but for now I'm still paying the sodastream tax

Thanks for this im stuck with 2 empties and don't want to have a 3rd and was onto AJ Edge again who say they wont have the valves required for their cans till the end of April now. Ive got one old style sodastream can and one newer one so might try and chance my luck of getting a 2nd old style as the trade in as they are easier to refill.

54and56

VinLieger wrote: »

Thanks for this im stuck with 2 empties and don't want to have a 3rd and was onto AJ Edge again who say they wont have the valves required for their cans till the end of April now. Ive got one old style sodastream can and one newer one so might try and chance my luck of getting a 2nd old style as the trade in as they are easier to refill.

Old style canisters available for €35.63 including shipping to Ireland here - https://www.co2-adapter.de/produkt/co2-zylinder-425gr-leer/
I have two of them and they are the "old" easier to fill style.

Also, it's a bit steeper than AJ Edge and similar but you can get an entire "Refill Kit" including a 10KG cylinder (twice the size of AJ Edges) with a dip tube, an adapter and a spare Sodastream canister for €257 including delivery - https://www.co2-adapter.de/produkt/co2-steigrohr-bundle-111-sodastream/ At one refill a month you'd have your money back in a year!!

Perhaps those with a business might have a need for environmentally friendly carbonated water in the office and be able to expense the purchase of one thus saving the business and the environment long term from buying San Pellegrino for those all so important clients/customers who drop by for meetings when lockdown is lifted.

Just sayin.....;)

VinLieger

54and56 wrote: »

Old style canisters available for €35.63 including shipping to Ireland here - https://www.co2-adapter.de/produkt/co2-zylinder-425gr-leer/
I have two of them and they are the "old" easier to fill style.

Also, it's a bit steeper than AJ Edge and similar but you can get an entire "Refill Kit" including a 10KG cylinder (twice the size of AJ Edges) with a dip tube, an adapter and a spare Sodastream canister for €257 including delivery - https://www.co2-adapter.de/produkt/co2-steigrohr-bundle-111-sodastream/ At one refill a month you'd have your money back in a year!!

Perhaps those with a business might have a need for environmentally friendly carbonated water in the office and be able to expense the purchase of one thus saving the business and the environment long term from buying San Pellegrino for those all so important clients/customers who drop by for meetings when lockdown is lifted.

Just sayin.....;)

Thanks for all that ive already bought the bigger adapter from c02 supermarket and im kinda set on the cheaper aj edge main tank now.

Ruairi.g

This came in the post yesterday from China, under €10, the Sodastream canister fits on one end and the other end fits onto a CO2 fire extinguisher!
I’m going to try to refill my canisters from a fire extinguisher!
Is there any reason while this plan would not work, apart from the risk of not having a fire extinguisher in case of a real fire

54and56

Ruairi.g wrote: »

This came in the post yesterday from China, under €10, the Sodastream canister fits on one end and the other end fits onto a CO2 fire extinguisher!
I’m going to try to refill my canisters from a fire extinguisher!
Is there any reason while this plan would not work, apart from the risk of not having a fire extinguisher in case of a real fire

I assume you're joking but in case you're not please DON'T!!!

AFAIK fire extinguishers aren't filled with the CO2 you need for your Sodastream.

See https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-chemicals-are-used-i/

Ruairi.g

Or even get a larger canister of CO2, from a friendly publican!

Is it the same gas used in lager as used in a Sodastream??

54and56

Ruairi.g wrote: »

Or even get a larger canister of CO2, from a friendly publican!

Is it the same gas used in lager as used in a Sodastream??

I believe the answer is "yes" and it's commonly referred to as food grade CO2 but the fittings on the canisters used in pubs may differ from those typically used by AJ Edge and others. I'm not sure on that score.

Ruairi.g

54and56 wrote: »

I assume you're joking but in case you're not please DON'T!!!

AFAIK fire extinguishers aren't filled with the CO2 you need for your Sodastream.

See https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-chemicals-are-used-i/

I’m confused now!

My thinking, which I admit may be flawed, was that if I went to a fire extinguisher company, like AJ Edge, they would refill my Sodastream canister with the same ci2 as they put into the fire extinguishers??
So there is a different mixture for the fire extinguishers??

54and56

Ruairi.g wrote: »

I’m confused now!

My thinking, which I admit may be flawed, was that if I went to a fire extinguisher company, like AJ Edge, they would refill my Sodastream canister with the same ci2 as they put into the fire extinguishers??
So there is a different mixture for the fire extinguishers??

My understanding is essentially "yes". They use CO2 as part of what they do but fire extinguishers also contain other chemicals to suppress fire (obviously) which aren't something you want to mix through your carbonated water, unless of course you want to become a YouTube sensation of some sort????

Ruairi.g

54and56 wrote: »

My understanding is essentially "yes". They use CO2 as part of what they do but fire extinguishers also contain other chemicals to suppress fire (obviously) which aren't something you want to mix through your carbonated water, unless of course you want to become a YouTube sensation of some sort????

Being a YouTube sensation is the absolute last thing I would want to be!!

Well. I’ll just have to talk to a friendly publican!!