DIY Carbonator

This short instructable will show you how to make a carbonating tank. This is useful if you want to make your own soda, maybe you like fizzy coffee, or making fizzy fruit. The principle is simple. Water can absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) if they are both pressurized together. The colder the water (ice is not water, so not freezing temperatures) the more CO2 it will absorb. When the pressure is released the CO2 will start to escape from the water and creates a fizzing action just like your favorite bottle of root beer (it's Virgils...only try it if you're willing to be addicted).

Our DIY carbonator is going to be very simple. We just need a tank to store our carbonating target that is capable of being pressurized to about 100 PSI. Rich Faulhaber over at Evil Mad Scientist Labs was nice enough to share the idea of using a water filter housing. Check out www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/co2inator to see how he did it. Follow on to the next steps to see my take on it.

Step 1 The CO2 Tank

You can build all the carbonating vessels you want, but you can't carbonate anything without some CO2. Thanks to the popularity of paint ball, you can easily get a small CO2 tank and CO2. Just look up your local paint ball equipment supplier and buy a tank from them. The 20 oz tank I bought cost $25 and the "remote supply line" was $30.

The remote supply line makes this setup easy. One side screws onto the tank and the other usually has a quick connect system. I couldn't find fittings that would adapt the quick connect to the plumbing fittings on the water filter housing, so I just cut the paintball quick connect fastener off. With that out of the way, just use a barb fitting and a standard air compressor quick connect fitting to make things work with the water filter housing.

Be sure to use teflon tape on the threads of all connections to prevent leaks!

Comments

[stevegt]

Do *not* build or use this as shown, lest you find yourself with a face and eyes full of plastic shards. Google for "PVC compressed air", "hydrotesting tanks", or even "tire explosion" for more information and horror stories, but here's the short version:

(1) You need a regulator between the tank and the filter housing. Putting a pressure gauge on there isn't enough -- pressure gauges can clog or stick, you can get distracted while pressurizing, and so on.

(2) Always fill the filter housing to the top with liquid before pressurizing -- don't just drop fruit in it as shown. You need to get the air out. While that plastic water filter housing is fine for high pressure water, high pressure gas and plastic are a bad mix. Gas expands. Water doesn't. If the housing shatters when full of water, you get water all over the floor -- no big deal. But if the housing shatters when full of gas, the expanding gas will propel the pieces away from each other like shrapnel.

[didgitalpunk]

i did not get the use of this... What is it for?

[NearSpaceLuke]

It adds carbonation to anything that you can fit inside and has some water content. For example, if you were going to make your own soda (some call it pop) you could use this to make it carbonated, or you could use it to re-carbonate soda that has gone flat.

[didgitalpunk]

haaaa so you can make fizzy fruts and such?

[NearSpaceLuke]

You've got it. Anything with some water in it will turn fizzy.

[Casquinha777]

How would one do the same thing with nitrogen (like Guiness does)?

[NearSpaceLuke]

Well...there are two things going on with Guinness. They are using a CO2/nitrogen mix and a ping-pong ball like thing with a small hole in it. You could add CO2 and nitrogen using this DIY carbonater. Just pump in whatever amount of each you want and that's that. You'll probably notice that you don't get the foamy head that Guinness has when you pour out your beer, though. That's where the ping-pong ball comes in. During the pressurization the beer/nitrogen/CO2 mix is forced into the ping-pong ball through the tiny hole. Then when the can is opened the pressure in the ping-pong ball causes it all to squirt out and foam up.

So, if you just want nitrogenated beer you're ready to go just swap CO2 for nitrogen. If you're looking for that signature foamy head you're going to have to experiment with ping-pong balls and how big of a hole to poke in it.

[Casquinha777]

Thanks!

Actually, I don't like beer. But I was thinking about soda that doesn't produce carbonic acid. I figured nitrogen was inert enough that I can add my own acids as desired (like acetic acid/vitamin C). I figured since Guiness used nitrogen, there was some precedent that it would work.

[ilpug]

That is a good way to die. However, if you get free soda out of it, awesome!

[trojan52]

I would highly suggest the addition of a pressure relief valve.

Since that CO2 canister can pressurize your vessel far beyond it's maximum rated pressure in a rely short time lapse, I think it's would a really good idea to use one in conjunction with the pressure gage.

[whosdadog]

The pressure in a paintball CO2 tank can reach 1000psi. So if you are releasing 100 psi into a slightly larger vessel, I believe you should get around 8 or 9 fillings from one tank, before it dips below 100psi.