Soda Siphon Question

[coffeegirl]

Hi, I recently purchased one of these http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpde...php?prodid=3408 from an Antique store for the purpose of making soda water. It's in quite good condition. I Googled and came across a few comments about old glass soda siphons exploding and causing severe lacerations and even death :unsure: so of course now I am worried I'm using something that isn't safe. I noticed a lot of brewing forums talked about using soda siphons to make home brew hence why I am asking my questions here hoping to gain some knowledge.

I remember seeing some other glass siphons that didn't have mesh around them and I wonder if the injuries were caused by bottles like that. I have heard that the mesh is designed to impact an explosion but to be honest I have no idea where I heard that and if it is fact or fiction.

Does anyone know if the bottle I have purchased is safe to use? If these are prone to explode and cause injury then I would prefer to go out and buy a new ISI siphon if these are safer.

Also the bulb holder was missing and I also read that parts aren't interchangeable so I'm also wondering about the holder. I noticed when I charged the bulb today I felt air escape on my hands, but I'm not sure if it was just poor technique. The bulb doesn't fit snug in the holder but the holder thread screws on snug to the bottle thread.

Hoping someone can help. Thanks.

 

[Ross]

Where are you based?

 

[Supra-Jim]

If you're not sure it's safe, relegate it to the mantle peice and get yourself a soda stream. Cheap, safe and reliable.

:icon_cheers: SJ

 

[Fents]

well i can speak from experince here.

generally i think they are all safe if you use them correctly, if absued they will break. you can also get these ones which are not glass :

dont know what there made from but there not glass.

so heres my story:

one night after a massive night out partying someone got the old soda syphon out, one exactly like you pictured glass with mesh over it. so they boys are having a bit of fun with it, lets just say there not making soda water or brewing with it. google nangs if you have to know.

so some hero loads 5 or 6 bulbs into this thing holding the soda syphon between his feet whilst loading them in and all of a sudden.....BANG. he thought he was ok till he looked down and saw tiny red dots all over his legs where the glass had penetrated his skin. emergency ward no fun after a huge night.

dont abuse it and you should be ok.

 

[Fermented]

Not being sure of the age of it, as this model has been around since the early third of the twentieth century, you may be OK.

Just check that the rubber seals are in good condition and that there are no nicks, chips, cracks or scratches in the glass section. Any kind of damage, no matter how minor, to glass that will be under stress can go wrong, albeit generally not as disastrously wrong as the tales of death and dismemberment you've mentioned. At most, you're looking at the glass component cracking and being contained by the mesh, unless you're being a bit dim like Fents' mate (or trying to an hero).

If you want to be cautious, just half fill with water and use one bulb only for testing purposes.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[coffeegirl]

Thanks all, Ross I'm in outer suburbs of Melbourne.

The reason I didn't want a soda stream is because the siphon keeps the fizz longer, whereas the soda stream is like a normal soft drink bottle. I want something that I can have a drink out of one day and then a week later the fizz is still there ,that's why I like the siphon concept, I dont think the soda streams are like that. Plus the siphons are less bulky in the kitchen and dont need all the accessories.

Fermented, everything looks Mickey Mouse. Rubber seals look excellent and compared to the others I saw when shopping, this one seems like new. All the others were rusty and damaged. There is a part of the mesh at the top near the neck that seems stretched, but the glass is undamaged as far as I can tell (we have used 3 bulbs). I'm not sure if this is a manufacturing flaw or impact caused. (photo attached)

Fents I think that one is the ISI version you can buy today. I have seen them online for about $65 and in retailers for over $130. I dont plan on loading more than one bulb at a time LOL so hopefully your mates story is a good indication of how much abuse they can take. I simply want to make a sparkling drink LOL and dont plan on getting high on it ;-)

 

[Ross]

Coffee Girl,

The mesh soda syphons are no longer made unfortunately, as they look great.
We do Soda Syphon spares (though not on our site), so if you get stuck locally give us a call at CraftBrewer - link in the title bar.


Cheers

Ross
CraftBrewer

 

[Fermented]

The stretch is nothing to worry about. Looks like it had a bump at some stage. After all, the mesh is to keep things from getting in (eg the floor) as much as it is to keep things from getting out.

Happy soda-ing.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[coffeegirl]

Thanks, it really does make a nice drink I will keep using it. Sounds like the accidents are from glass without mesh and/or people loading them up or misusing them. I don't even like Soda Water :lol: but I'm trying to gain the taste. This home made stuff doesn't taste anything like the bottled one so is much easier to take. Very nice with some lemon cordial, tastes just like lemonade without the calories.

 

[Frizzy]

we just had one explode tonight. It was a new model (bought 2020) very stylish I thought, a large glass bottle with wire mesh - I bought it during lockdown as it reminded me of the old soda syphons we used to have at home when I was a child. (My Father's family had run pubs in the 1020's-50's and we had a couple purely for decoration.) Also, I don't like drinking out of plastic so I Googled glass soda syphon and found these new large 1 litre ones with the wire mesh. Thank God for the wire mesh. It exploded in my boyfriend's hands (he's a guitarist) and the shock was awful. Also the pressure was so great that a smaller glass bottle which was sitting next to it also exploded. He had filled it up to the red line as indicated and it exploded as he screwed the Co2 bulb in. I've written to the catering company who sold it for answers. We used Co2 bulbs from Amazon which were quite expensive £10 for a very small box) We have no idea why this happened. We had used it hundreds of times.