Home Carbonation System...Cheap, Healthy, and Green.

The cost to convert water to soda water is less than $0.04 per 2-liter bottle,
and a single fill of a 20lb tank will charge over 500 bottles!

Here's a quick demo of how it works...

For those looking for the "Clffs Notes" summary of how this works: Take a 20lb CO2 Tank and regulator, attach a tube, and stick a 99 cent locking ball air chuck (tire inflator) on the end of the tube. Pop a cheap snap-in tire valve (schrader valve) into a plastic soda bottle cap and you're ready to carbonate any liquid in about 30 seconds. Colder liquids absorb more carbonation.

If you're intrigued, explore the steps on subsequent pages for more details...

As far as a "soda substitute," you can easily add a splash of orange, cranberry, or other fruit juice, a twist of lemon or lime, alcoholic mixed drinks, commercial or homemade soda syrups,or whatever you like...Our family drinks a ton of sparkling water; as kids, we always preferred it to regular tap water, and it's much healthier than soda.

I've recently taken to flavoring my soda water with lemon juice; I freeze a bunch of ice cubes of freshly juiced lemons, then take out and zap a cube for 15 sec. in the microwave to throw in my drink...Really tasty, low calorie, and no added sugar...

I've also experimented, with amusing success, at carbonating cheap wines (read: Charles "Two Buck Chuck" Shaw from Trader Joe's) to make dirt cheap champagne...Just make sure the bottle is chilled first.

I had been toying with the idea of buying a home carbonator, but I was leery of the idea of being locked into a proprietary, closed system of buying refill cartridges from a retail manufacturer like Soda Club USA...

I knew there had to be a better way. After all, this is just mixing CO2 and water...

Last month, I came across an incredibly detailed essay on carbonation by Richard Kinch, without which I could not have completed the project...I highly suggest reading over his opus before embarking on your own carbonation exploration.

http://www.truetex.com/carbonation.htm

All of this can be done for around $100, plus the deposit on a CO2 tank...

Given that the cost of a 2-liter bottle of sparkling water is now over $1 (California just doubled their CRV surcharges), and based on the volume of water that we drink, it's a no-brainer. Plus, there's the feeling of liberation of being able to drink as much sparkling water as you want (much like digital photography vs. wasting actual film).

I'm not an EnviroNut, but since we're all apparently supposed to pitch in and make a last-ditch effort to save the planet, these facts on the effects of plastic water bottles on the environment were of interest:

- Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil - enough to run 100,000 cars for a whole year - are used to make plastic water bottles, while transporting these bottles to markets burns even more oil.

- According to a 2001 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), roughly 1.5 million tons of plastic are expended in the bottling of 89 billion liters of water each year.

- The growth in bottled water production has increased water extraction in areas near bottling plants, leading to water shortages that affect nearby consumers and farmers. In addition to the millions of gallons of water used in the plastic-making process, two gallons of water are wasted in the purification process for every gallon that goes into the bottles.

- Nearly 90 percent of water bottles are not recycled and wind up in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.

Personally, it's really just nice not to have to lug a bunch of 2-liters home from the market anymore, carry them all in, and find places to store them. (I'm sure she'll find other chores for me to do soon enough...)

Anyways, if you end up making your own, drop me a line with a picture!

- Ben
[e-mail]

Step 1 Procuring your Precious Parts...

(see pictures below for the product labels, etc.)

- CO2 regulator, available for $38.95 from BeverageFactory.com or $50 from Kegworks.com...

- CO2 Tank; either ask to put a deposit on a 20lb CO2 tank for around $100 at a local beverage supply, bar supply, restaurant supply, soft drink, or beer distributor in your area, OR buy your own for around $100 from BeverageFactory.com (according to a hot tip from user Greenbriel, their prices are lower on ebay than on their website, and they will pricematch with their own ebay store...based on feedback from users, you likely won't get your original tank back if you swap it out for a new tank; price out the options based on CO2 suppliers in your area...Regardless of whether you end up buying or putting a deposit on a tank, you can swap out empty tanks for about $15. To find a supplier, call around, search google maps, be creative; as an example, Barmade, the bar products company that I found in Los Angeles was very helpful...

- Locking Ball Chuck, either available at Harbor Freight or Monkey Grip part #M8871, available online or in stores at Kragen Auto Parts...in testing, users have said that the Kragen/PartsAmerica locking ball chuck wasn't as sturdy as the Harbor Freight chuck...and it's also an excuse to visit the tool mecca of Harbor Freight.

******Update! Harbor Freight has put out a coupon through August 15 for a Locking Ball Chuck for 99 CENTS! (you might get them to honor it even after the 15th?) Check it out here...
The picture of the coupon is also below in case they take it down after the 15th...

- Monkey Grip Rubberized Snap-In Tire Valve part #M4130, available online or in stores at Kragen Auto Parts...

- 1/4" Threaded Full-Port Ball Valve (inline shut-off valve), available at Home Depot...The part number is 107-701HC; the SKU on the bar code appears to be 32888 07701...

- 10 foot roll of braided vinyl tubing, 1/4" internal diameter, available at Home Depot...The external diameter of this tubing is 1/2"...

- (3) hose barb adapters, 1/4" barb x 1/4" MIP, available at Home Depot...This part is a "Watts A-192" or "A-192/225." Do not get the "192B"...

- (4) 9/16" hose clamps, available at Home Depot...I found these in a package of 10, with a listed "range" of 1/4 to 5/8.

- (3) 3/4" plastic pipe clamps, available at Home Depot...

- roll of 1/2" teflon tape...

- a 2 liter bottle and cap.

Note:
After completing this instructable, I happened across an attachment for a screw-cap bottle that's not quite as DIY, but slightly more elegant (and slightly more expensive) than the tire valve solution...I haven't tested this option at all, but I'd assume it would work as an alternative...

$12 Screw-On carbonator cap from with ball-lock fitting MoreBeer.com

$4.95 Ball-Lock fitting for braided hose from MoreBeer.com

Comments

[timbooth]

Regarding the questions below on shaking by us compared with injecting by Soda stream.
I hold my bottles upsidedown whilst bubbling the gas in, thereby causing the gas to pass through the water, this reduces, but does not eliminate the shaking requirement.

[Eddie_T]

Since we have to shake vigorously to carbonate I wonder how Sodastream accomplishes it without shaking?

[llathrop]

http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=245
everything but the co2 tank, in an assembled kit, including carbonator cap for less than the cost of parts everywhere else...and they shipped quick! they also have a kit with the tank.I happened to check these guys for the regulator as they were local to me, but it turns out they moved a few cities away. still the best price I found .

[mugsisme]

Well, started gathering the supplies, bought a chuck at Pep Boys, opened it up and see that it says to wash your hands after touching it as according to the state of CA, it contains materials known to cause cancer, etc. Are they all like that?

[stevenh429]

What exactly is a "plastic pipe clamp"?

I am going to make this soon

[stevenh429]

oh sorry, i was on a computer with out those picture notes :O, now i get it

[joe.seltzer]

I love the idea of this and I actually am in the process of setting it up, but I would love to use bottles other than plastic 2 litter bottles. Those are the worst kind of plastic and using them over and over again doesn't sound very good and buying fresh ones all the time seems to defeat the purpose. Has anyone found glass or aluminum bottles that work with this system?

J

[screamkitty]

You can get a generic dual-gauge CO2 regulator for $42 at SodaDispenserDepot.com.

You could also buy a used carbonator for $150

..And, you can add the final touch with a used soda gun for ~ $75 - $85

[waltbosz]

I really recommend for anyone that wants to do this Instructable to spend the extra money to get the Carbonator Cap that is mentioned. I started with the tire stem and I found it to have a number of problems. 1. The chuck did not secure onto the valve stem very well which resulted in a lot of wasted CO2. 2. The stem left a bad rubber taste to the water. 3. The carbonator cap and ball lock really do lock together well for a good secure fit which is important while shaking the bottle to mix up the water & CO2.

Other than that, this is a great Instructable. I love being able to make seltzer at home. I was able to get a 20lb CO2 tank, regulator, hoses, and 2 beer taps for $150 off CraigsList.

[waltbosz]

Also, I've been thinking of upgrading my setup to use an industrial carbonator like the ones used in restaurant soda fountains. This Instructable shows you how to set one up http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Install-a-soda-fountain/ , or you can visit that author's original web page http://www.boneville.net/soda/start.htm

[whayden]

I've copied this set up and it works pretty well. My questions is why we need to shake the water bottle, whereas the Penguin or Soda Stream just squirts the gas in?

The shaking is a pain in the butt. How do we get our system to work (shake free) like theirs?

[Spokehedz]

Their system wastes gas by injecting it into the water, which mixes the gas and water so that the gas can mix into the water. But, since such a small amount of gas has any chance to mix with the water (it's in the water for milliseconds, then it bubbles out the top) you have to press the button over and over again until enough gas has been mixed into the liquid... which wastes gas.

This system does not waste any gas, because it is a closed system. You shake the bottle to get the gas to mix with the water. That's why you have to shake it. If you don't like shaking it, then by all means buy the more expensive products that do all the hard work for you. I won't, but you can do whatever you want.

I suppose in THEORY that if you had a long tube put from the bottom of the inlet valve that had a very small air bubbler from a aquarium store you COULD get away from not shaking so much, but you would have to inject the gas, open the lid, and inject more gas until you had the right pressure--but you would still be wasting gas and the major point of this entire Instructable is that by doing a little bit of work you can save huge amounts of money

It is also slightly more dangerous (although, not much more dangerous than brewing beer at home which many people do) because there is no valve to release the pressure from the bottle except for the cap. However, this is a minimal risk, as soda bottles have to be tested to some crazy high number like 150PSI without exploding because people leave bottles in the backs of cars all the time.

[whayden]

(removed by author or community request)

[beehard44]

do you think this'll work with a co2 air duster?
because i still need to travel just to get a small, expensive can of co2 but i can easily buy an air duster for $4

[bwpatton1]

Most ''canned air products'' contain refrigerant R134a (Tetrafluoroethane, same stuff used in car air conditioning). Which is inherently bad for ingestion! Try a Paintball Co2 cylinder with some type of regulator apparatus.

[surfzombie]

NO Do not use an air duster. most of them have an additive put in them to keep durggoes fromo huffing the stuff but, You could use a paintball tank setup such as this one or cobble together your own. See link

http://stores.kegconnection.com/Categories.bok?category=*Soda%2C+Soft+Drink%3ASoda+Kits%2C+Carbonating

[beehard44]

i made some calculations and a 250mL can of co2 can yield 150 bottles approx, when compared to the 500 bottle capacity of a 20lb co2 cylinder (and that the stuff in the cylinder is liquid)
any ideas? anyone?

[snowluck2345]

that sounds wrong, i realy don't feel like doing calculations, schools out and i'm done with ap chem, no more. but based on the volume of a 20lb cylinder and assuming they both contain liquids, a co2 tank is much bigger than 4 times the volume. also, the critical point of co2 is at around 80 farenhite, welding tanks regularly go over that, so they switch between being super critical fluids and normal liquids, based on the tempature, and turn into gases once they get low on pressure. Welding tanks are up to 3000psi.

[gromit1943]

Can an ordinary pop bottle safely withstand 50 psig?

I wonder what pressure a bottle of Coke, say, is at when opened.

--Terry

[Eurober]

!00% of the bottles can stand well over 100psi, the reason for this is that Coca-Cola does not wish bad press and the expenses associated if a Coke bottle left it in the sun in the car while shopping would explode. The dissolved gas in a warm liquid is rather small (Henry's law), therefore the pressure increases to over 100PSI and the bottle has to hold. I read somewhere that 90% of the bottles can stand 150PSI.

[rloomis]

Is there risk to having the water in plastic containers in terms of pollutants?
http://www.livestrong.com/article/131237-dangers-plastic-containers/


Just curious. I really like the idea of carbonation my water.

[gromit1943]

Thank you for your reply. I stand reassured.

--Terry

[razldazl15]

I just cam across "BOB’S ENDLESS SELTZER SYSTEM" http://www.gravikord.com/seltzer.html ; from the picture it looks like a soda syphon connected to a CO2 tank. Has anyone tried some similar setup? This would negate the whole plastic bottle use and maybe even some of the shacking.

[clibanarius]

Yes, we had our first glass of home-made seltzer tonight! I'd already had a 20oz paintball CO2 canister and a Gentec regulator (which I think is usually used for welding), so there were a number of different issues to solve. But so far so good! Still need to learn how to control the flow better with this setup.

[nitehawk86]

Also a 20lb tank is massivly overkill. I use 5lb tanks that are easy to get at any beer distributor. I serve with the gas as well as carbonate, so I am not sure how much carbonation I could get out of a single tank, however it is quite a bit.

[surfzombie]

This is a good instructable but I just wanted to add that your really don't need any more co2 pressure than 40psi I run mine at 25 and it has plenty of fizz. Make sure that your water or whatever you carbonating is really cold when you start. Any more than 40psi and your just wasting precious co2 gas. Try it at 25 and see what you think. If you want more fizz then go up from there. But again I love this article and all the detail you have put into it. Thanks for sharing it.

[jamesh]

Rather than use the rubber tire valve, which I have found to add an unpleasant taste to my seltzer and beer, you can find all-metal semi-truck valve stems at most tire repair shops.

James H

[jamesh]

Here are pictures:

[snowluck2345]

i always worry about the food safety of things like this, what do you think?

[Lance Mt.]

Awesome.

[snowluck2345]

are standard welding gas cylinders food safe and do they contain food safe co2?

[frkdante]

Anyone know if there is a thing as CO2 pills? Sort of like seltzer tablets? If so, one would be able to drop a few in a water bottle.

[lukeyj15]

Dry ice?

[urbanpirate]

you could use a tiny bit of yeast in a sealed bottle but be very careful, unattended for long enough and it WILL explode

[hossmonkey]

Can either of these regulators from Harbor freight be used for the project? If not could you explain why?


http://www.harborfreight.com/regulator-gauge-94841.html
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/oxygen-regulator-94846.html


Thanks!

[misfist]

You'd need an adapter to connect to your CO2 tank:
CGA-580 Regulator to CGA-320 Cylinder (CO2 tank)

[hossmonkey]

So yes, but I would need something like this to get it to work?



http://www.shoplet.com/Western-enterprises-Brass-Cylinder-Adaptors-810/SEPTLS312810/spdv

[misfist]

The one shown in the link doesn't say what kind of adapter it is. But, what you'll need will look similar to that. You need either a CGA-580 to CGA-320 adapter or a CGA-540 to CGA-320 adapter (depending which regulator you get)

For http://www.harborfreight.com/oxygen-regulator-94846.html
You need an adapter for:
From Cylinder: CGA-320 Carbon Dioxide
To Regulator : CGA-540 Oxygen
Like this one: http://www.restockit.com/western-enterprises-brass-cylinder-adaptor-cga-320-540-(312-806).html

For http://www.harborfreight.com/regulator-gauge-94841.html
You need an adapter for:
From Cylinder: CGA-320 Carbon Dioxide
To Regulator: CGA-580 Argon, Helium or Nitrogen
Like this one: http://www.arizonatools.com/welding-cylinder-tools-and-adapters/detail/WESWD-810 

CGA = Compressed Gas Association

[hossmonkey]

Thanks for the info!!!

[vermillion42x]

For anyone trying to make homemade soda with brand name syrups, I've done a little math to help figure things out. I'm still on the fence myself, but I figured I would share my information, since the thought of fountain coke at home made me giddy. My calculations are based on the cost of 5 gallon bags of syrup ($70.80) and not the carbonation cost:

If you buy 2-liter bottles it would cost $1.16 per bottle in syrup (reg $.99)
If you buy 20 oz bottles it would cost $0.34 per bottle in syrup (reg $.74 in packs)
If you buy 12oz cans it would cost $0.20 per can in syrup (reg $.50 in 24 pack)

SO, for those of us who buy 2-liter bottles on a regular basis, it's a waste of money. BUT for those of us who buy 20oz bottles or cans, it makes some financial sense to switch to home-carbonated. Personally, I just don't drink enough to justify the savings, nor should I drink that much soda. Barring sugary consequences, I would totally do it though.

For those serious about it, I found syrups by googling "coca cola syrup supplier" to find real sales links, or you can find a restaurant supply near you.