Easiest solution I found is sticking with the Sodastream system, but refilling the CO2 tanks myself.
For that I’m using this simple adapter [0].
NB, newer Sodastream tanks have a booby trap valve, but I had no problem sourcing older ones. Spare Sodastream “60 Liter” tanks can be had at BestBuy for $30.
Refilling of my large 20lb CO2 tank with dip tube [1] (also called siphon) is done at a Bay Area fountain supply store [2] for ~$30. This store also carries commercial syrup for all kinds of soft drinks (Coke Zero, Apple Juice, Ice tea, etc.).
For a more continous supply of carbonated water, I’ve thought about a small “Korny” keg system with a special adapter [3]. But that would require fridge space and running CO2 and water lines. A Kegerator for the garage may be the better solution.
I almost walked this path, but ended up buying a Sparkel https://sparkel.com/ -- it creates CO2 on the fly, using sachets of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. It's pretty easy to use, seems pretty robust, and my use of it has lasted much longer than my use of Sodastream which I never managed to keep up the habit of swapping tanks and so on.
Wow, this is super helpful. How do you know if you're getting an older Sodastream tank?
How many refills of the 60 liter tank is the 20lb tank good for? Are there any safety concerns, or steps to take to make sure you don't overfill or have an accident?
This is what I do. I bought my tank used and I don’t know if it has a syphon tube, but I’m assuming it doesn’t. So what I do is flip the tank upside down and fill the bottles that way.
Honestly refilling the gas is the least cumbersome part. It’s filling the soda stream bottles every two glasses of carbonated water. In summer I never have a supply of cold carbonated water because it flows faster than I can carbonate it and chill it. But better than buying the equivalent from the store still
if you have space in your kitchen an easier solution would be to buy an adapter for the large CO2 tank directly to the sodastream input, 20lbs would last a long time.
For that I’m using this simple adapter [0].
NB, newer Sodastream tanks have a booby trap valve, but I had no problem sourcing older ones. Spare Sodastream “60 Liter” tanks can be had at BestBuy for $30.
Refilling of my large 20lb CO2 tank with dip tube [1] (also called siphon) is done at a Bay Area fountain supply store [2] for ~$30. This store also carries commercial syrup for all kinds of soft drinks (Coke Zero, Apple Juice, Ice tea, etc.).
For a more continous supply of carbonated water, I’ve thought about a small “Korny” keg system with a special adapter [3]. But that would require fridge space and running CO2 and water lines. A Kegerator for the garage may be the better solution.
[0] https://www.co2-adapter.com/
[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ICO58CG
[2] https://www.carbonicservice.com/
[3] https://www.morebeer.com/products/continuous-soda-carbonator...