Soda Stream Bottles

[toothy]

Hi guys.

Can anyone tell me what I need in order to re-fill soda stream bottle from my large co2 bottle?

I know i have to get an adaptor, but how do i actually fill it from the big bottle? how do i know when it is full etc etc...??

I have got myself a bottle (bought unit from local 2nd hand store for princely sum of $1) and was unsure of the actual process of re-filling it.

Thanks guys.

Oh - and I am slowly getting my chest freezer keg system organised - bought 210L freezer for $190 - in v good cond, ordering bits and pieces off ross - then start to make it look all 'pretty'.

 

[Ross]

Hi guys.

Can anyone tell me what I need in order to re-fill soda stream bottle from my large co2 bottle?

I know i have to get an adaptor, but how do i actually fill it from the big bottle? how do i know when it is full etc etc...??

I have got myself a bottle (bought unit from local 2nd hand store for princely sum of $1) and was unsure of the actual process of re-filling it.

Thanks guys.

Oh - and I am slowly getting my chest freezer keg system organised - bought 210L freezer for $190 - in v good cond, ordering bits and pieces off ross - then start to make it look all 'pretty'.

Toothy, It's up to you, but I'd beware refilling your own bottles, it's very dangerous stuff. It only costs approx $13 (locally here $11) for a refil, not worth the risk in my book.

cheers Ross

 

[pint of lager]

HI toothy,

The gear to refill from a large gas cylinder to a small gas cylinder is specialised. The transfer tube needs to be able to take high pressures. You are "pouring" liquid from one cylinder to another under very high pressure. All liquid gas transfers are dangerous and come with lots of warnings. Most people decide to have the cylinders refilled by a commercial refiller.

How to find the right information on AHB.

Use the search function. This is a bit clunky, but the right information comes out when you use the right parameters.

If you plug stream and refill into the search engine heaps of posts come up and most will not have what you are after.

A better way to search is to use boolean search codes.

Put "+stream +refill" into the search and only half a dozen threads come up.

 

[toothy]

Ok - well, i think i will steer clear of re-fills then - i assumed it wasnt too difficult....

no probs.

cheers.
toothy

 

[Richo]

Hi Toothy,

It is quite easy, same principle as filling a LPG gas cylinder.

Note; Ensure you have the older steel Soda Stream Cylinder (newer alluminium soda stream cylinders, donot have bleed valve and can explode)

1) all you need to do is open the bleed valve on the Soda Stream Cylinder,
2) ensure that you are conected between the Soda Stream cylinder and your larger Co2 Cylinder
3) open the main Co2 Cylinder and wait until you have liquid comming from the bleed valve of the Soda Stream Cylinder.
4) close the bleed valve.
5) Shut the Larger cylinder
6) Disconnect Soda Stream and large Cylinder
7) Smaller bottle full ready for use.

Cheers
Richo

 

[oldbugman]

You make it sound easy.

No mention of how your hooking up one cylinder to the other.

 

[ausdb]

Hi Toothy,

It is quite easy, same principle as filling a LPG gas cylinder.

Note; Ensure you have the older steel Soda Stream Cylinder (newer alluminium soda stream cylinders, donot have bleed valve and can explode)

Not necessarily so, the ali ones still have an overpressure relief built in (look at the small 3mm dia hole that goes from one side to the other it's in there) otherwise they would be bombs and not legal to be sold.

When filling those one's it pays to put the sodastream being filled on to a set of digital scales, tare the scales and then stop filling once you reach the 330g mark which is what the aly ones hold.

They can be filled but as the others have said you need to know what you are doing about it, so use the search function and make your own choice whether you want to or not.

 

[toothy]

OK- so how do you connect the two?
and my other question is does anyone still re-fill the older style soda stream bottles? I know locally in Coffs - gas places do not do it...

 

[poppa joe]

CO2 Replaces Oxygen...... :unsure:
So if you get a wiff of it.......
TA.. TA ..TOOTHY.... h34r:
Chers
PJ

 

[browndog]

Richo makes it sound pretty simple Toothy, and maybe for him it is, also he neglected to tell you that you need to turn your main bottle upside down to get the liquid gas flowing though to the s/s bottle as the cylinders we use do not have a dip tube. My advice to you is forget it, the risks involved far outweigh the cost of getting one filled, a slip up or equipment failure could cost your life.

cheers

Browndog

 

[afromaiko]

CO2 Replaces Oxygen...... :unsure:
So if you get a wiff of it.......
TA.. TA ..TOOTHY.... h34r:
Chers
PJ

Yeah, if you do decide to go through with this - make sure you do it outside in the open and not in an enclosed area.

It's a very weird feeling accidentally breathing CO2, your lungs seem to expand as usual but you feel like you are suffocating... actually you are, so get some air quickly!

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Yeah, if you do decide to go through with this - make sure you do it outside in the open and not in an enclosed area.

It's a very weird feeling accidentally breathing CO2, your lungs seem to expand as usual but you feel like you are suffocating... actually you are, so get some air quickly!

... and if the level of CO2 in the air you're breathing increases over a period of time (as opposed to instantly) your brain clouds and good decision-making becomes difficult without you realising. In another life, I encountered high CO2 concentrations underground and found it to be very unpleasant.

 

[toothy]

yes - i do enjoy being alive, so i might pass - but i will have to check to see if anywhere will accept an old bottle too... nowhere in coffs refills the bottles...oh well.
cheers

 

[floppinab]

As others have said it's not for the faint hearted or not so experienced (and I have had one accident due to carelessness). However it can be done and I now do it regularly.

There is a good reference here

http://www.ceisites.com/refilling.html

I don't use their kits but have put together the brass bits to do the job myself. I don't have the main cylinder upside down but have them lying down on their side and slightly tilted toward the tap end, I find that's enough to get the liquid through.
I use scale as per ausdb's post to ensure they are not overfilled.
Gloves and goggles are a must with the general safety precautions.

 

[Plastic Man]

Toothy

I maybe wrong here but I think that K Mart have dropped the old "deposit" system and you just pay $13 to get a full bottle. Pretty cheap really and probably small insurance to pay for the safety factor. No K Mart in Coffs though but there is a Big W and maybe they have adopted the same pricing as K Mart. Worth a check.

pm

 

[afromaiko]

Toothy

I maybe wrong here but I think that K Mart have dropped the old "deposit" system and you just pay $13 to get a full bottle. Pretty cheap really and probably small insurance to pay for the safety factor. No K Mart in Coffs though but there is a Big W and maybe they have adopted the same pricing as K Mart. Worth a check.

pm

If you have one of the older bottles you will be able to get it swapped over to a new one for around the $12 mark. I did this with two, just swapped them over at Woolworths no questions asked. One was even rusted.

The biggest problem I had was finding a store with exchange refills in stock, I tried 3 stores but most only had new in box cylinders behind the counter and they were around $40. This was over the Christmas holidays and they mentioned they were waiting on refill deliveries from Soda Stream at that time.

I found BigW, Kmart and Woolworths/Safeway all did the swaps. Check the Soda Stream Australia website, they have a list of locations that do it.

 

[toothy]

Ok - so after a few phone calls to soda stream - managed to get the old bottle swapped at Big W - but apparently ss have phone woolies and they have somein there and will swap them over with another couple I have - all sorted. Cheers guys.
Toothy

 

[frogman]

When doing the weekly shopping (as all us good SNAGS do ) if you happen to see a soda stream bottle on the shelf that has somehow "FALLEN OUT OF ITS PACKAGING" I suggest throwing it into your trolley. The lease agreement is on the barcode on the outer box. The barcode on the cylinder relates to the swap price only.
Was lucky enough last weekend for the girl at Wollies on the service counter not to even take the old steel cylinder I was trying to swap. Gave me my new cylinder and my old one back. :blink:

Cheers FROGMAN

 

[MHB]

Soda Stream bottles dont now, nor have they ever had a "Bleed Valve".

The feature referred to is a "Burst Disc" this is a safety fitting. When/If the bottle got so hot or was overfilled so that it is in danger of exploding; the burst disc will rupture, allowing the gas to escape in a more controlled way.
View attachment 13548
The newer bottles have a hole drilled right through them, this is close enough to the gas flow channel, that it to acts as a burst valve.
The metal is thin enough between the two; that at need the metal between will give way rather than the cylinder wall, allowing the gas to escape.

All CO2 bottles (all high pressure vessels) sold in Australia are required to have these or similar safety fittings.

I would strongly recommend that if you dont know what you are doing, and if you don't have the right equipment you leave pressure vessels to the experts.

Unfortunately from some of the comments above: some people who dont know what they are doing - think they do.

The longer you live the more you can drink - be safe first.

MHB

 

[toothy]

no dramas - will not be doing any refilling - for sure.