# Soda Stream CO2



## harryH

I am using Soda Stream CO2 in my new tank (80 ltrs). I went for this system as it was easy just to pop into my local store and exchange for a new refilled Cylinder. I bought 2 full cyls from Amazon for £18 so that I never run out, always having a spare to put on until I have time to pop round to my local store to get the empty replaced.
Trying to find a place locally who could refill a larger canister or fire extinguisher proved difficult. I have it running at 4 bps with the Soda Stream and it's in it's 3rd week and going strong!

Anyway to those who have this system, check out Argos. The exchange refills are being offered at just £7-99.
To those thinking of using Soda stream, you will need to buy an adaptor to make this cylinder compatible with a normal regulator. I got mine from CO2Art. Soda Stream is not the cheapest way but very successful when used on the smaller aquarium.
Harry.


----------



## darren636

I'm in my second week of sodastreaming my 40 litre.  Have yet to get a refil, how does it work? You get a replacement immediately or have to wait?


----------



## harryH

Your replacement is a straight swap so should be no waiting. If you Google Soda Stream you are able to put in your post code and it brings up your nearest store. I know Tesco and some Spar shops sell them.

If you buy from Argos you can check out your local store to see if they are in stock and if so reserve on line.


----------



## HullTiger86

Would you say these would last long on my lido 120 tank?
Looking at co2 but don't want a massive bottle and not finding many local places to me for FE.


----------



## Rich Jackson

Does it say on the bottles how much gas is in them? Machine Mart do 600g bottles for £16.


----------



## harryH

HullTiger86 said:


> Would you say these would last long on my lido 120 tank?
> Looking at co2 but don't want a massive bottle and not finding many local places to me for FE.


 
Hi Matt, not sure how long they last yet. Mine is almost three weeks at 3/4 bps and gauge has hardly moved..still going strong.

Seems you have my problem too, finding someone to fill. That's the attraction to me about the Soda Stream, they are readily available but NOT the cheapest way to go. Mind you Argos offer of under £8 is not bad at all.


----------



## harryH

Rich Jackson said:


> Does it say on the bottles how much gas is in them? Machine Mart do 600g bottles for £16.


 

Hi Rich, Soda Stream bottles are 60 ltrs. Not sure how that equates to 600 gms these metrics really do the heads in of us old folk!!

Edit:
Just looked again and it says 60 ltrs, 425 g so at the moment Soda Stream at Argos is working out at £16 for 850g


----------



## Phlash

When Soda stream say these bottles are 60 litres, they mean it makes 60 litres of fizzy drink.  
It confused me at first when I was investigating.

Phil.

Sent from my SGP311 using Tapatalk


----------



## darren636

[quote="harryH, post: 324245, member: 10933"

Edit:
Just looked again and it says 60 ltrs, 425 g so at the moment Soda Stream at Argos is working out at £16 for 850g[/quote]


its pretty poor value, compared to a pub bottle- but a damn sight more attractive with a small set up.


----------



## harryH

Phlash said:


> When Soda stream say these bottles are 60 litres, they mean it makes 60 litres of fizzy drink.
> It confused me at first when I was investigating.
> 
> Phil.
> 
> Sent from my SGP311 using Tapatalk


 

Ha! Ha! I'm loving it.... Now that makes sense Phil, thought it seemed a helluva lot!! It does however say on the box (60 Ltrs 425g) so that makes more sense. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction there
Harry


----------



## harryH

darren636 said:


> [quote="harryH, post: 324245, member: 10933"
> 
> Edit:
> Just looked again and it says 60 ltrs, 425 g so at the moment Soda Stream at Argos is working out at £16 for 850g


 

its pretty poor value, compared to a pub bottle- but a damn sight more attractive with a small set up.[/quote]


Spot on, as I keep saying NOT the best value. Mind you if it's only a couple of quid a week, convenient and neat, it has some things in it's favour.
Harry


----------



## HullTiger86

I might just try them and if they don't last long at all and cost a fortune I can just take the adaptor off and try something else 
You guys got any pics of your set ups with these on please?


----------



## harryH

HullTiger86 said:


> I might just try them and if they don't last long at all and cost a fortune I can just take the adaptor off and try something else
> You guys got any pics of your set ups with these on please?


 

Hi Matt,
It's always a good option to have.
You could change to a larger cylinder or fire extinguisher at any time and If you keep the adaptor and a spare full Soda stream, it gives you the option of popping the Soda stream bottle on until the bigger canister is refilled.
My LFS can refill Cyls ( not sure about FE's) but it takes a week for them to do, so if I ever wanted to go down that route its just a case of using the S/stream while I'm waiting for the big refill.
Best of both worlds
Harry.


----------



## HullTiger86

harryH said:


> Hi Matt,
> It's always a good option to have.
> You could change to a larger cylinder or fire extinguisher at any time and If you keep the adaptor and a spare full Soda stream, it gives you the option of popping the Soda stream bottle on until the bigger canister is refilled.
> My LFS can refill Cyls ( not sure about FE's) but it takes a week for them to do, so if I ever wanted to go down that route its just a case of using the S/stream while I'm waiting for the big refill.
> Best of both worlds
> Harry.



That's a very good idea Harry thanks for that.
I will get the stuff from co2 art I think as they seem pretty good


----------



## darren636

HullTiger86 said:


> That's a very good idea Harry thanks for that.
> I will get the stuff from co2 art I think as they seem pretty good


 I recommend them.


----------



## wisiu

Hello, what is the height of this canister ? I am wondering if will fit in my cupboard.


----------



## darren636

wisiu said:


> Hello, what is the height of this canister ? I am wondering if will fit in my cupboard.


 About 30 CMS. Plus regulator.


----------



## harryH

wisiu said:


> Hello, what is the height of this canister ? I am wondering if will fit in my cupboard.


 

The canister is 425 grams Sodastream call it their 60Ltr as that is the amount of drinks it will make and is 36cms, around 14-1/4" tall including the thread.
The thread on the canister sits on top (like a bottle) and therefore you will have to add on the depth of your adaptor and regulatror. The adaptor being the bit that screws on to the bottle thread first and converts it into a suitable thread for the regulator.

Once all assembled, mine is 46cms (18") tall.

Hope that helps,
Harry


----------



## wisiu

Thank you, I had 2kg FE which was 60cm so it should be OK, I am switching to sodastream after my issues with FE.


----------



## harryH

wisiu said:


> Thank you, I had 2kg FE which was 60cm so it should be OK, I am switching to sodastream after my issues with FE.


 
It works well on the smaller aquarium, mine is 80ltrs. Just bear in mind it is not the cheapest way. I bought 2 full canisters from Amazon, check my initial post.

Harry


----------



## wisiu

On the other post you said that one canister last for nearly 2 months, do you dose 24h/7 ? My tank is 70L, I dose only during the light period and I use reactor to dissolve co2 so max 2b per second.


----------



## daizeUK

I was just checking this out and Argos charge £9.99 for a refill - have they put the price up?

Results for SODASTREAM GAS


----------



## harryH

wisiu said:


> On the other post you said that one canister last for nearly 2 months, do you dose 24h/7 ? My tank is 70L, I dose only during the light period and I use reactor to dissolve co2 so max 2b per second.


 

Ah! I knew there was something I missed..sorry

Mine work on a solenoid and the CO2 comes on 10.30 am lights come up slowly until full light at 12 noon. CO2 off at 7.30pm lights gradual off until dark at 8.30.

So my CO2 is on 10 hours a day at 3/4 bps via a bazooka ceramic diffuser.

Harry.


----------



## harryH

daizeUK said:


> I was just checking this out and Argos charge £9.99 for a refill - have they put the price up?
> 
> Results for SODASTREAM GAS


 

Yes it's usually about a tenner but they had them included in the post Xmas sale at £7.99


----------



## wisiu

I've got mine from Argos today, let's see how long it last


----------



## harryH

wisiu said:


> I've got mine from Argos today, let's see how long it last


 

Great! best of luck, do let us know how you get on

Harry


----------



## wisiu

I dont know why but when I try to connect canister with regulator the gas is leaking, I attached adaptor to regulator first, then put the gasket on sodastream and when I screw canister into adaptror the gas starts to come out. The adaptor is from co2art.


----------



## darren636

wisiu said:


> I dont know why but when I try to connect canister with regulator the gas is leaking, I attached adaptor to regulator first, then put the gasket on sodastream and when I screw canister into adaptror the gas starts to come out. The adaptor is from co2art.


 hand tighten , then another turn with spanner


----------



## harryH

When the gas starts to leak, go for it and turn the spanner all the way until tight and the leak stops. Once you get used to it you won't lose any gas. You have done everything in the correct order, it's just a matter of confidence as you fit it all to the bottle 

Harry


----------



## wisiu

It is pretty scarry, when I was thightening more the gas started to leak more and more causing white frost on the adapter. I found  bigger gasket and I put inside the adpater plus the standard one on the canister. Managed to tighten without any gas leak and now is fine. No leaks and bubbling nice in reactor. Hope that additional gasket will be OK. Did you have any gasket inside the adaper?


----------



## harryH

I'm pretty sure there is no 'O' ring or gasket in the adaptor, it should nip down onto the 'O' ring in the cannister neck. Mine just fastened straight on with nothing more than a puff of Co2. Hope you didn't lose too much gas. If you have a seal it should be okay, I believe the seals for CO2 should be neoprene.

I would check it periodically by brushing over the adaptor with washing-up liqiud solution just to be sure.

Be careful not to lose the 'O' ring for the cannister, They cost £3.95 ea


Harry.


----------



## wisiu

No luck , came back home yesterday and the canister was completely empty, additional gasket was not good idea  . I exchanged for the new one today and going to try again. I hope it won't kill me


----------



## harryH

So sorry to hear you are having this problem. It all sounds so bizarre and really you shouldn't have a problem.

It appears you are doing everything right but just to recap.

1) On the regulator, close the needle valve fully but don't over tighten.

2) Attach the adaptor to the regulator and make sure it's a nice tight fit.

3) Once confident the adaptor and Reg are coupled tightly together, place the rubber 'O' ring in the groove
	on top of the canister. Check the 'O' ring and groove are clean and not damaged and that the 'O' ring
	is sitting in the groove.

4) Now screw the adaptor / regulator assembly on to the canister until finger tight, then using a spanner firmly screw the assembly
	to a lock tight fit. Gas may escape as the regulator engages but just keep screwing firmly on to the seal.
	In future once this is mastered it is possible to attach the assembly with no more than a small puff of gas indicating the seal has been made.

From what you have said you are doing this so the above is listed to reassure you.

Do let's know how you get on. Good luck.

Harry


----------



## darren636

Nice explanation, harry.

The soda stream cannister can be screwed on fast- once your are confident with the ' whoosh'


----------



## wisiu

So I tried again and complelty different story, this time I just heard a quick puff and thats it  , With the previus canister I had constant leak, white frost appearing on the adapter etc...I don't know if I was not confident enough to tighten this up quickly but deffinitely it was much harder than this time. Many thanks Harry for your help.


----------



## harryH

wisiu said:


> So I tried again and complelty different story, this time I just heard a quick puff and thats it  , With the previus canister I had constant leak, white frost appearing on the adapter etc...I don't know if I was not confident enough to tighten this up quickly but deffinitely it was much harder than this time. Many thanks Harry for your help.


 

Great news, now you did it once I'm sure you'll be up and running.

I'll look forward to hearing how you get on and how long you get from the bottle. Good luck,

Harry


----------



## Four50

Thanks for the notes above Harry, I have just got my hands on a Sodastream cylinder or two and a setup from co2art ... Not been brave enough to connect the cylinder to it all yet but will give it a go tonight. Thanks again


----------



## harryH

Four50 said:


> Thanks for the notes above Harry, I have just got my hands on a Sodastream cylinder or two and a setup from co2art ... Not been brave enough to connect the cylinder to it all yet but will give it a go tonight. Thanks again




Hi,
I just went today to get my spare exchanged again at Argos. £9.99 so I am all ready again once my current one expires. It's really easy when you have more than one canister.

If you follow the instruction above you'll be fine. Do it in exactly the order I have listed and if when making the final connection with the spanner you hear gas, just continue to tighten and the leak will stop. Then it's a good idea to wipe a bit of washing up liquid solution around the joints just to be sure there are no tiny leaks.

Do let us know how you get on.

Harry.


----------



## wisiu

wisiu said:


> So I tried again and complelty different story, this time I just heard a quick puff and thats it  , With the previus canister I had constant leak, white frost appearing on the adapter etc...I don't know if I was not confident enough to tighten this up quickly but deffinitely it was much harder than this time. Many thanks Harry for your help.


So I ran out of gas after nearly two months, not too bad, replaced for £7.49 in Argos and no problem with connecting bootle this time..


----------



## harryH

wisiu said:


> So I ran out of gas after nearly two months, not too bad, replaced for £7.49 in Argos and no problem with connecting bootle this time..



So glad you are doing okay with it, I was wondering how you had got on. Lucky to catch Argos at a time when they offer reductions, the last twice I had to pay £9.99.
Still, it's not bad as I do get a fair amount of 'life' from a bottle and the plants are doing well. I always keep a spare full bottle too so that I don't have to panic once mine runs out.

Glad you mastered the art of changing over, I'm sure you won't have any more problems now. Good luck, 

Harry


----------

