I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.
Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with. They seem
to feel that they can make most money by messing everyone around by
changing the system occassionaly and making the old cylinders
obsolete. Of course they claim they haven't made them obsolete it's
just that they are now hard to get hold of - and Sodastream are the
only supplier - oh, and they now have a new system which you can buy
for a mere £50 - and the only real difference is the cylinder fitting.

So, I'm exploring the possibility of either (a) finding someone who
can refill the cylinders with food grade CO2, or (b) getting hold of a
more universal CO2 cylinder and somehow coupling it to the existing
Sodastream mechanism. Does anyone have any ideas of where to try for
an unauthorised refill? I've already tried my local BOC agent who
doesn't have a suitable fitting for the cylinders so can't refill
them.

Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system. I guess I can find a
way to couple a cylinder to the back of my existing machine but I've
no idea what pressure these cylinders are at and what pressure the
Sodastream relief valve operates at. For those who are not familiar
with the system the Sodastream is very simple and just allows gas to
flow into the water until the pressure opens a relief valve and it
"farts" indicating that the fizzy water is ready.

Any thoughts?
Calvin

Calvin wrote:

I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders
So, I'm exploring the possibility of .. getting hold of a more universal CO2 cylinder
and somehow coupling it to the existing Sodastream mechanism.

Try down at the local brewing shop. They do pressurised kegs which
take a self sealing slim bottle of CO2. Check the fitting on one of
these.

You might also want to check the operating pressure of the machine
before any ill advised 'coupling'

Cheers,

Paul.

In article ,
Calvin writes:
I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.
We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.
Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with. They seem
to feel that they can make most money by messing everyone around by
changing the system occassionaly and making the old cylinders
obsolete. Of course they claim they haven't made them obsolete it's
just that they are now hard to get hold of - and Sodastream are the
only supplier - oh, and they now have a new system which you can buy
for a mere £50 - and the only real difference is the cylinder fitting.
So, I'm exploring the possibility of either (a) finding someone who
can refill the cylinders with food grade CO2, or (b) getting hold of a
more universal CO2 cylinder and somehow coupling it to the existing
Sodastream mechanism. Does anyone have any ideas of where to try for
an unauthorised refill? I've already tried my local BOC agent who
doesn't have a suitable fitting for the cylinders so can't refill
them.
Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system. I guess I can find a
way to couple a cylinder to the back of my existing machine but I've
no idea what pressure these cylinders are at and what pressure the
Sodastream relief valve operates at. For those who are not familiar
with the system the Sodastream is very simple and just allows gas to
flow into the water until the pressure opens a relief valve and it
"farts" indicating that the fizzy water is ready.
Any thoughts?

CO2 cylinders are used in pubs to force beverages out of cylinders/kegs.
The CO2 gas pressure in a CO2 cylinder if fixed because the cylinder
contains liquid CO2 - ISTR it's something like 60 atmospheres pressure
which is much to high to safely use directly, so you need a pressure
reducing valve. I can't remember what pubs use, but I made up a keg
of fizzy lemonade once using CO2 at 4 atmospheres pressure from the
CO2 line, so it's probably something a little over that (may be less
for larger beer kegs). (4 atmospheres turned out to be a bit high and
the lemonade was a bit too fizzy.)

BOC supply these CO2 cylinders to pubs, so you could ask them for one,
and they would probably supply a pressure reducing valve too. I don't
recall the cylinders being expensive (part exchange anyway -- first
one might be more). There are some safety issues to be aware of. The
two I can still remember a dangers of having them in cellars (like
pubs often do) -- if there's a leak, you can fill the cellar with CO2,
which will cause anyone who goes down into it unsuspecting to collapse
and suffocate very quickly. If you do get a leak, it's usually quite
obvious as the liquid CO2 cools and you'll see the liquid portion of
the cylinder ice up with condensation on the outside.
The other is the cylinders must be kept upright when in use, with
protection to ensure they can't be knocked over (usually chained
to the wall). If a cylinder does fall over, liquid CO2 goes into the
pressure reducing valve and instantly destroys it, possibly resulting
in full pressure and/or liquid CO2 being ejected. If the cylinder
falls over and hits the neck on a wall, the PRV will snap off, and you
now have a heavy unguided ballistic missile which is capable of punching
holes through walls as it rapidly discharges its contents. There are
probably other safety issues I've forgotten about.

We used to have a sodastream ~30 years ago, but I can't remember how
the valve works. It might just rely on a propreitry valve in the CO2
cylinder like airosols and air dusting cans use, on which case you'll
need to include an alternate valve in the CO2 supply. The fart is just
a pressure relief valve so you can't blow up the glass bottle. I don't
know what sort of pressure reducing valve it had -- possibly just a
tiny jet to limit flow to what the fart mechanism could safely handle.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

wrote in message
...
Calvin wrote:

I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders
So, I'm exploring the possibility of .. getting hold of a more universal
CO2 cylinder
and somehow coupling it to the existing Sodastream mechanism.

Try down at the local brewing shop. They do pressurised kegs which
take a self sealing slim bottle of CO2. Check the fitting on one of
these.

You might also want to check the operating pressure of the machine
before any ill advised 'coupling'

Have a look at this lot....

http://www.teamonslaught.fsnet.co.uk/co2_info.htm

On Oct 3, 10:19*pm, Calvin wrote:
They seem
to feel that they can make most money by messing everyone around by
changing the system occassionaly and making the old cylinders
obsolete.
Well its an intersting way to keep everyone buying new equipment but
there could be design/safety improvements with the new one and it
probably looks sexier. I remember the one-shot micro cartridges and
the changeover to the first big bottle system in the 80's and that
machine was very boxey.

To make a filling adaptor you could try finding an identical model to
yours and butcher it for the correct bottle connector bit? Its
probably not worth the time and hassle so just give into their
marketing/upgrade path.

btw, do they still have the curious effect that if you try to regas a
bottle that already has the syrup in, it expands/explodes causing
liquid to be expelled from various orifices of the machine?

On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 14:19:54 -0700 (PDT), Calvin
wrote:

Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with. They seem
to feel that they can make most money by messing everyone around by
changing the system occassionaly and making the old cylinders
obsolete. Of course they claim they haven't made them obsolete it's
just that they are now hard to get hold of - and Sodastream are the
only supplier - oh, and they now have a new system which you can buy
for a mere =A350 - and the only real difference is the cylinder fitting.

Its a complete pain isnt it! I too far prefer using a Sodastream to
carting bottles of water around and the cartridges are harder and
harder to find though so far the Sodastream website has kept up to
date with who is still supplying. Sodastream were taken over by their
American competition a couple of years ago and I suppose they are
trying to streamline the company

Anna
--
Anna Kettle
Lime plaster repair and conservation
Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
Tel: ***(+44) *01359 230642
Mob: * (+44) *07976 649862
Please look at my website for examples of my work at:
www.kettlenet.co.uk *

Calvin wrote:

I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.

I have not read any answers to your post yet, but to comment on it.

Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with. They seem
to feel that they can make most money by messing everyone around by
changing the system occassionaly and making the old cylinders
obsolete. Of course they claim they haven't made them obsolete it's
just that they are now hard to get hold of - and Sodastream are the
only supplier - oh, and they now have a new system which you can buy
for a mere £50 - and the only real difference is the cylinder fitting.

All pipe fittings are standard, the only ones that are not are the ones
that the stupid EU overtook. It was my privilege to work for BAe systems
and the ejection seat bay had domestic CO2 in plenty and would fill a
bottle up for 50 pence. It went to charity.

So, I'm exploring the possibility of either (a) finding someone who
can refill the cylinders with food grade CO2, or (b) getting hold of a
more universal CO2 cylinder and somehow coupling it to the existing
Sodastream mechanism. Does anyone have any ideas of where to try for
an unauthorised refill? I've already tried my local BOC agent who
doesn't have a suitable fitting for the cylinders so can't refill
them.

Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system.

The measured pressure when a bottle is filled is useless. If you look at
the bottle, you will find an empty and full weight. This takes into
account the pressure and temperature of the bottle. Naturally, filling a
bottle will raise its temperature. Raising the temp will raise the
pressure and result in less gas than you thought you had bought.

I guess I can find a
way to couple a cylinder to the back of my existing machine but I've
no idea what pressure these cylinders are at and what pressure the
Sodastream relief valve operates at. For those who are not familiar
with the system the Sodastream is very simple and just allows gas to
flow into the water until the pressure opens a relief valve and it
"farts" indicating that the fizzy water is ready.

Any thoughts?
Calvin

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

Thanks for all that, but I will have to snip most of it.

CO2 cylinders are used in pubs to force beverages out of cylinders/kegs.
The CO2 gas pressure in a CO2 cylinder if fixed because the cylinder
contains liquid CO2 - ISTR it's something like 60 atmospheres pressure
which is much to high to safely use directly, so you need a pressure
reducing valve.

Out of curiosity, what colour are the cylinders?


pressure reducing valve and instantly destroys it, possibly resulting
in full pressure and/or liquid CO2 being ejected. If the cylinder
falls over and hits the neck on a wall, the PRV will snap off, and you
now have a heavy unguided ballistic missile which is capable of punching
holes through walls as it rapidly discharges its contents. There are
probably other safety issues I've forgotten about.

You forgot about large grindstones that could take a wall out.

The most dangerous gas I worked with was LOX

We used to have a sodastream ~30 years ago, but I can't remember how
the valve works. It might just rely on a propreitry valve in the CO2
cylinder like airosols and air dusting cans use, on which case you'll
need to include an alternate valve in the CO2 supply. The fart is just
a pressure relief valve so you can't blow up the glass bottle. I don't
know what sort of pressure reducing valve it had -- possibly just a
tiny jet to limit flow to what the fart mechanism could safely handle.

On Oct 3, 10:19*pm, Calvin wrote:
I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. *There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.
Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with. *They seem
to feel that they can make most money by messing everyone around by
changing the system occassionaly and making the old cylinders
obsolete. *Of course they claim they haven't made them obsolete it's
just that they are now hard to get hold of - and Sodastream are the
only supplier - oh, and they now have a new system which you can buy
for a mere £50 - and the only real difference is the cylinder fitting.

So, I'm exploring the possibility of either (a) finding someone who
can refill the cylinders with food grade CO2, or (b) getting hold of a
more universal CO2 cylinder and somehow coupling it to the existing
Sodastream mechanism. *Does anyone have any ideas of where to try for
an unauthorised refill? *I've already tried my local BOC agent who
doesn't have a suitable fitting for the cylinders so can't refill
them.

Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system. *I guess I can find a
way to couple a cylinder to the back of my existing machine but I've
no idea what pressure these cylinders are at and what pressure the
Sodastream relief valve operates at. *For those who are not familiar
with the system the Sodastream is very simple and just allows gas to
flow into the water until the pressure opens a relief valve and it
"farts" indicating that the fizzy water is ready.

Any thoughts?
Calvin

What about a soda syphon if you just want fizzy wtare?

http://www.sodasyphons.co.uk/gallery.asp

Although fizzy water cost 17p for two litres at Morrisons (value
range), so other than the effort of lugging it home (not a greenie who
is worried about food miles!) this seems like a cheap and easy
solution

Marc

On Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:19:54 -0700, Calvin wrote:

I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders ...

Aren't CO2 bottles for MIG welding the same?

--
John Stumbles

What is a simile like?

On Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:05:38 +0100, Dave wrote:

Out of curiosity, what colour are the cylinders?

"pub gas" cylinders are normally black with grey/cream top. Not that
there is any particulary strict colour code for cylinders.

The most dangerous gas I worked with was LOX

That's not a gas. B-) But yes you don't want to mess with LOX, though
it's not the gas itself that is dangerous but what happens to other things
when there is a lot of it about.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:26:46 GMT, John Stumbles wrote:

Aren't CO2 bottles for MIG welding the same?

Possibly. Some pub gases are mixtures of CO2 and N2 rather than pure CO2.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Oct 3, 10:19*pm, Calvin wrote:
I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. *There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.
Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with. *They seem
to feel that they can make most money by messing everyone around by
changing the system occassionaly and making the old cylinders
obsolete. *Of course they claim they haven't made them obsolete it's
just that they are now hard to get hold of - and Sodastream are the
only supplier - oh, and they now have a new system which you can buy
for a mere £50 - and the only real difference is the cylinder fitting.

So, I'm exploring the possibility of either (a) finding someone who
can refill the cylinders with food grade CO2, or (b) getting hold of a
more universal CO2 cylinder and somehow coupling it to the existing
Sodastream mechanism. *Does anyone have any ideas of where to try for
an unauthorised refill? *I've already tried my local BOC agent who
doesn't have a suitable fitting for the cylinders so can't refill
them.

Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system. *I guess I can find a
way to couple a cylinder to the back of my existing machine but I've
no idea what pressure these cylinders are at and what pressure the
Sodastream relief valve operates at. *For those who are not familiar
with the system the Sodastream is very simple and just allows gas to
flow into the water until the pressure opens a relief valve and it
"farts" indicating that the fizzy water is ready.

Any thoughts?
Calvin

CO2 Cylinders contain liquid and gas in a ratio of .... when
FULL ...approx 2/3 liquid and 1/3 expansion gap @ room temp of 55 Bar.
A Full 250 gram bottle Sodastream bottle contains 250grams of LIQUID
CO2 approx 0.25 litre.

I'd not recommend replacing the std Sodastream cylinder with another
type ...
The Sodastream cylinder valve and pipework has ....due to the various
orifice sizes...a low flow
and the system is balanced around the "farting" pressure relief valves
ability to exhaust more gas out than flows in,
to much flow into the soda bottle and the relief valve won't be able
to cope and the pressure could rise dangerously high.

Refilling a Sodastream bottle is fairly simple ...NEVER exceed the
Gross weight stamped on the bottle.

RW wrote:

wrote in message
...
Calvin wrote:

I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders
So, I'm exploring the possibility of .. getting hold of a more universal
CO2 cylinder
and somehow coupling it to the existing Sodastream mechanism.

Try down at the local brewing shop. They do pressurised kegs which
take a self sealing slim bottle of CO2. Check the fitting on one of
these.

You might also want to check the operating pressure of the machine
before any ill advised 'coupling'

Have a look at this lot....

http://www.teamonslaught.fsnet.co.uk/co2_info.htm

Thanks RW for that link. There is a lot of info there and some leads
into other areas both for refilling and for alternative coupling.
From that and other sources it appears that, yes, refilling is an
option but that Sodastream go out of their way to make sure that the
cylinder is a pain to refill and is certainly not refillable on a
standard machine - they've even patented an anti-refilling valve! As
far as I can see at the moment the refilling at home option would cost
maybe £40+ to set up and of course involve the hassle of refilling it
myself every couple of weeks, possibly more as it's hard to get a full
refill.
Coupling a more standard, larger cylinder seems like a cleaner option
in that a reasonably sized standard cylinder holds roughly 7 times
more CO2 than a Sodastream cylinder so it would only need attention a
couple of times a year. There is a company in the USA offering to
make up a hose using a standard fitting at one end and the valve of a
Sodastream cylinder at the other but for a price - $170 plus shipping
etc. So my next step is to explore that option in the UK, maybe as a
ready made hose if such exists or maybe as a bag of bits which I make
up myself.

To answer Dave's question: The cylinders are greyish, "35 litres" (of
fizzy water).

Once again, thanks everyone for your help and I'll get back here with
a followup when I've succeeded (or failed!).

On Oct 6, 3:09*pm, Calvin wrote:
RW wrote:
wrote in message
...
Calvin wrote:

I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. *There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders
So, I'm exploring the possibility of .. getting hold of a more universal
CO2 cylinder
and somehow coupling it to the existing Sodastream mechanism.

Try down at the local brewing shop. They do pressurised kegs which
take a self sealing slim bottle of CO2. Check the fitting on one of
these.

You might also want to check the operating pressure of the machine
before any ill advised 'coupling'

Have a look at this lot....

http://www.teamonslaught.fsnet.co.uk/co2_info.htm

Thanks RW for that link. *There is a lot of info there and some leads
into other areas both for refilling and for alternative coupling.
From that and other sources it appears that, yes, refilling is an
option but that Sodastream go out of their way to make sure that the
cylinder is a pain to refill and is certainly not refillable on a
standard machine - they've even patented an anti-refilling valve! *As
far as I can see at the moment the refilling at home option would cost
maybe £40+ to set up and of course involve the hassle of refilling it
myself every couple of weeks, possibly more as it's hard to get a full
refill.
Coupling a more standard, larger cylinder seems like a cleaner option
in that a reasonably sized standard cylinder holds roughly 7 times
more CO2 than a Sodastream cylinder so it would only need attention a
couple of times a year. *There is a company in the USA offering to
make up a hose using a standard fitting at one end and the valve of a
Sodastream cylinder at the other but for a price - $170 plus shipping
etc. *So my next step is to explore that option in the UK, maybe as a
ready made hose if such exists or maybe as a bag of bits which I make
up myself.

To answer Dave's question: The cylinders are greyish, "35 litres" (of
fizzy water).

Once again, thanks everyone for your help and I'll get back here with
a followup when I've succeeded (or failed!).- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi Calvin

The CO2 page linked to is mine.

Might I suggest removing the brass valve from an EMPTY Sodastream
bottle and connecting that to a suitable pipe.

http://www.abdex.co.uk/html/products.html the valve neck thread is a
std bsp size 3/8" as I recall.

Cheers Alan

In article , Calvin wrote:
I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.
Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with.
[...]
Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system.

Have a look at http://www.truetex.com/carbonation.htm

On 3 Oct, 23:31, (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:
If the cylinder
falls over and hits the neck on a wall, the PRV will snap off, and you
now have a heavy unguided ballistic missile which is capable of punching
holes through walls as it rapidly discharges its contents.

Whilst hardly safe, diabatic generation of CO2 gas from a cylinder
full of liquid isn't in the same league as knocking the end of an
oxygen cylinder.

Alan Braggins wrote:

In article , Calvin wrote:
I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.
Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with.
[...]
Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system.

Have a look at http://www.truetex.com/carbonation.htm

Many thanks for that link, it seems that others have already done
something similar to what I intend which is reassuring.

I took my Sodastream unit apart last night to investigate its inner
workings. What I found was that the cylinder is coupled to the
pressure relief mechanisum by a very narrow plastic tube. My guess
(and I'm hoping to go to my local BOC agent to discuss it later today)
is that the nuts and olives holding the thin tube are of a standard
size and I can simply couple a standard cylinder directly to the PRV/
bottle cap this way.
The internals of the head mechanism are interesting and I'm not sure I
fully understand them yet. There are two pressure releasing
mechanisms. Both of them have a pin on top which releases their
pressure just before the bottle is removed (as it is tilted for
removal). One must be the pressure relief valve which limits the
pressure in the water bottle and signals the end of the carbonation
process. I can't work out what the other is for, they are definitely
different "strengths" as they look physically different. My guess is
that one is a long-stop safety mechanism to prevent disaster if the
operating one fails closed.

On 7 Oct, 08:03, Calvin wrote:
Alan Braggins wrote:
In article , Calvin wrote:
I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. *There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders we can have sparkling water in unlimited
quantities without the hassle of dragging heavy bottles of water home
from the shops and the associated waste packaging.
Sadly Sodastream as a company are a disaster to deal with.
[...]
Alternatively, and much more uk.d-i-y, any thoughts on the
practicalities and dangers of a homemade system.

Have a look athttp://www.truetex.com/carbonation.htm

Many thanks for that link, it seems that others have already done
something similar to what I intend which is reassuring.

I took my Sodastream unit apart last night to investigate its inner
workings. *What I found was that the cylinder is coupled to the
pressure relief mechanisum by a very narrow plastic tube. *My guess
(and I'm hoping to go to my local BOC agent to discuss it later today)
is that the nuts and olives holding the thin tube are of a standard
size and I can simply couple a standard cylinder directly to the PRV/
bottle cap this way.
The internals of the head mechanism are interesting and I'm not sure I
fully understand them yet. *There are two pressure releasing
mechanisms. *Both of them have a pin on top which releases their
pressure just before the bottle is removed (as it is tilted for
removal). *One must be the pressure relief valve which limits the
pressure in the water bottle and signals the end of the carbonation
process. *I can't work out what the other is for, they are definitely
different "strengths" as they look physically different. *My guess is
that one is a long-stop safety mechanism to prevent disaster if the
operating one fails closed.

The nut thread is 1/8" bsp.

If the side handle is up ...no bottle in the machine ...then the
relief valve is mechanically depressed and held open....safety
feature.

Insert a bottle and close handle ...the bottle is raised and the neck
top seals....plus the relief valve is mechanically released.

Depressing the top button pushes the pin valve in the co2 cylinder
down releasing gas ....once pressure is reached the relief valve
"farts " ....raise lever.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3953550.pdf Sodastream patent.

Regards Woody
Author of webpage:- http://www.teamonslaught.fsnet.co.uk/co2_info.htm

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:05:38 +0100, Dave wrote:


Out of curiosity, what colour are the cylinders?


"pub gas" cylinders are normally black with grey/cream top. Not that
there is any particulary strict colour code for cylinders.

And here's me thinking there was :-)
I must get out more.

The most dangerous gas I worked with was LOX


That's not a gas. B-) But yes you don't want to mess with LOX, though
it's not the gas itself that is dangerous but what happens to other things
when there is a lot of it about.

LOL you don't have to tell me about that. Instant rusting of damp steel
and huge explosions of other combustibles.

One gas (liquid) that I used to enjoy playing with was nitrogen :-)

Dave

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:26:46 GMT, John Stumbles wrote:


Aren't CO2 bottles for MIG welding the same?


Possibly. Some pub gases are mixtures of CO2 and N2 rather than pure CO2.

That is how they get that so called 'smooth' taste. Yuck.

Dave

John Stumbles wrote:

On Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:19:54 -0700, Calvin wrote:


I'm not mad and I don't want a Darwin Award. There, that's set the
ground rules now to the question.

We have a Sodastream which is fantastic - provided we can get hold of
replacement CO2 cylinders ...


Aren't CO2 bottles for MIG welding the same?

Thinking about this, I have never come across any grading in CO2, unlike
oxygen that comes in welding and breathable grades.

Dave

Andy Dingley wrote:

On 3 Oct, 23:31, (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

If the cylinder
falls over and hits the neck on a wall, the PRV will snap off, and you
now have a heavy unguided ballistic missile which is capable of punching
holes through walls as it rapidly discharges its contents.


Whilst hardly safe, diabatic generation of CO2 gas from a cylinder
full of liquid isn't in the same league as knocking the end of an
oxygen cylinder.

Have you seen that happen and what was it like from a mile away?

Dave

On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:32:20 +0100, Dave
wrote:

Andy Dingley wrote:

On 3 Oct, 23:31, (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

If the cylinder
falls over and hits the neck on a wall, the PRV will snap off, and you
now have a heavy unguided ballistic missile which is capable of punching
holes through walls as it rapidly discharges its contents.


Whilst hardly safe, diabatic generation of CO2 gas from a cylinder
full of liquid isn't in the same league as knocking the end of an
oxygen cylinder.

Have you seen that happen and what was it like from a mile away?

I once got a supply of a few bottles of compressed air from Air
Products (to use for a run of stage productions (bubbling washing
powder solution for a particular scene...)).
It gave the appropriate ambience (including smell!) to the play!

Just casually I cracked open the valve on one bottle at home VERY
slightly and the living room windows gave a severe ping at the rapidly
increased pressure in the room.

(I had to open an account with AP to get gas from them - that took a
few days, but after that getting almost any gas was a doddle.)

For those that are interested, for the play I gutted a front-loading
washing machine and attached a sort of cylinder of polythene from
around the door (minus seal) to a plastic bucket hidden in the machine
and containing a strong washing powder solution. At the base of the
bucket I fitted a Schrader-type valve connected to the aforementioned
air supply, the idea being that the washing machine would blow soapy
bubbles all over the place...

Amateur dramatics can be really great fun at times.

--
Frank Erskine

On 7 Oct, 18:32, Dave wrote:

Whilst hardly safe, diabatic generation of CO2 gas from a cylinder
full of liquid isn't in the same league as knocking the end of an
oxygen cylinder.

Have you seen that happen and what was it like from a mile away?

Just fully-opening the valve on an unsecured oxygen cylinder lying on
the ground is exciting enough in the rocketry stakes.

Only oxygen cylinders I've seen explode were probably over-shadowed by
the acetylene, and it was indeed a mile or two away.

CO2, through a large dump valve (emptying a cylinder in seconds) tends
to be more messy than anything. It makes a vast pile of dry-ice snow,
as there just isn't the heat available to vapourise the gas.