Which carbonation system is right for you?

by Nick Bergstrom

I starting carbonating when I moved the to the West Coast and couldn't find any seltzer bubbly enough for my tastes. I visited my local home brew shop for parts and soon had a system that could carbonate almost anything. I've made my own ginger ale and root beer, revived flat champagne, made gin and tonics from scratch, and even added fizz to coffee and blueberries (they're acquired tastes).

This guide will help you find a system to meet your needs. I'll start by reviewing the benefits of carbonating, then compare 4 systems including costs, provide recommendations based on what you're looking for, and provide links to other websites where you can buy the systems and CO₂.

1. Why carbonate at home?
2. Comparison of 4 Systems
3. Pros and Cons
4. Recommendations
5. More Information and Where to buy

How were the systems selected?

There are many systems on the market. I chose these systems because they are:

• Well established - all have been on the market for more than 5 years
• Reliable
• Readily available online
• Representative of the main types of systems available

If you want...

• the easiest system and only want to carbonate water, get a SodaStream.

• the least expensive system in the long run, put together a DIY system.

• a portable system, get a Fizz Giz.

• a system that looks great on the table or at your home bar, get a siphon.

• SodaStream: sodastreamusa.com/sparkling-water-makers-c1.aspx
  See their comparison for help choosing a model.

• DIY: You can buy a pre-assembled kit for $150 from Keg Outlet.
  To build your own, see the Serious Eats tutorial which includes links to buy parts online.

  Tip: CO₂ tanks ship empty, so check for local places to fill your tank size ahead of time.

• Fizz Giz: fizzgiz.com and 16g unthreaded cartridges (also known as chargers or bulbs)

• iSi Siphon: Stainless Steel Siphon and 8g unthreaded cartridges (also known as chargers or bulbs)

This section provides more details on bottle materials, earth friendliness ratings, and cost per liter calcuations. If you don't need this level of detail, feel free to skip it.

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Cost Per Liter Calculations

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All calculations are in US dollars as of December 2015.

• Liters per pound of CO₂
  8 grams of CO₂ per liter of water makes fizzy seltzer.
  1 pound = 454g
  454 / 8 = 57 liters/pound

• SodaStream
  A SodaStream canister exchange (14.5 oz / “60L” carbonator) costs $15. It makes about 52 liters at 8g/l.
  15 / 52 = $0.29 per liter
  
  Note: About half of SodaStream models allow using the larger
  “130L” canisters. These reduce the cost by a few cents per liter if you pay $30 per exchange.

• DIY
  A pound of CO₂ costs about $3 from most suppliers.
  3 / 57 = $0.05 per liter.
  If you have a large tank (5, 10, or 20 pounds) it may cost even less.

• Fizz Giz
  A package of 100 unthreaded 16-gram CO₂ cartridges costs $99 from Amazon. Each bulb costs $0.99 and makes about 2 liters of seltzer.
  0.99 / 2 = $0.50 per liter

• iSi Siphon
  A package of 100 unthreaded 8-gram CO₂ cartridges costs $42 from Amazon. Each bulb will make 1 liter of seltzer.
  42 / 100 = $0.42 per liter

Ease of Use

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I rated the SodaStream higher because I've found it to be the easiest system to use right off the bat. The other systems have a small learning curve, but are all fairly easy once you get used to them.

Earth Friendliness

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Any system is significantly better for the environment than buying bottled drinks, primarily because of the carbon cost of shipping water long distances.

• SodaStream
  Slightly less environmentally friendly than the DIY system. Smaller CO₂ canisters require more trips to the store and higher shipping weights.

• DIY
  The most efficient because you can buy large CO₂ canisters. There is a small cost for plastic bottles, but they can be reused many times instead of being recycled or thrown away.

• Fizz Giz and iSi Siphon
  Rated lower because they use single-use CO₂ cartridges. Cartridges are recyclable when empty but use more material and energy than a large canister. 8g cartridges are a bit less efficient than 16g.

What about CO₂ emissions from carbonated drinks?
This isn't a major concern because:

1. Most CO₂ used for carbonation is recaptured from sources that would otherwise release it into the atmosphere.

2. The overall amount is very low as a percentage of all emissions.

Fizz away!

Bottle Materials

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• PEN plastic is polyethylene naphthalate, used in current SodaStream bottles. (Older SodaStream bottles used PET.) It's dishwasher safe and recyclable in some places (#7 plastic).

• PET or PETE plastic is polyethylene terephthalate, used in most seltzer and soda bottles. It's also known as #1 plastic and should not be exposed to high heat. With the DIY and Fizz Giz systems, you can reuse bottles from any carbonated drinks.