Buy yourself a co2 tank, you deserve it

Make soda at home, make less waste, safe some money. 

 This will tell you everything you need to buy and how to set up your own CO2 tank so you can make Soda, or Carbonated bottled cocktails in your home or bar. This setup will  quickly pay for itself and allows you much more flexibility in terms of what you are carbonating and how bubbly it is. The below steps take less than 10 minutes to follow.
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For a more thorough understanding of setting up a CO2 system check out Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold

​Steps:
0. Review Safety Section
1. Buy Everything
2. Assemble Your Tank
3. Check For Leaks
4. Start Carbonating

Safety

There are always potential risks in everything you do. The below safety guidelines come from Beverage Factory.

1. What you’ll need to buy

• CO2 Tank w/ gas (5lb Tank - $75)
• CO2 Regulator  $35-$75
• Hose & Clamps $5
• Ball Lock Quick Disconnect $7
• Carbonation Ball Lock Cap $10
• Empty Plastic Soda Bottle $0-2
• Total cost: ~$135-$175 ​

Links above are just examples to illustrate the parts you will need. Shop around at local businesses, order from wherever you want.

CO2 Tank

You can either buy a tank full of gas in person (no one will ship full CO2 tanks), or buy an empty tank and take it to be filled. Many homebrew beer stores, welding shops, and sporting goods stores can refill or swap your empty CO2 tank for a full one for a small fee. All of the setup steps below are the same regardless of tank size, but your projected savings will increase with larger tanks as they are cheaper to fill relative to their output. ​​

Use the chart below to figure out what works best for your space. Yield estimates are conservative. ​I use a 5lb tank at home and replace my tank every few months. 

Cost to refill/swap and empty CO2 tank
This is going to vary greatly based on your location, the size of your tank, and the shop you go to. A welding shop might refill your 5lb tank for $10 where a homebrew shop might charge $28 to swap your empty tank for a full one. There’s no point in paying for a new shiny tank, just get the cheapest one you can get from a reputable source.

CO2 Regulator

These will vary slightly by brand but look like the image on the right. The function is to drop the high pressure of the CO2 tank.

There are  two gauges,
Tank Pressure Gauge which shows the pressure of the tank (not how much gas is left in the tank. It will read full until the tank is nearly empty)
Output Pressure Gauge which shows the pressure coming out of the regulator. This is the PSI your bottle should be.

In the photo (right), the valve on the right lets CO2 into the regulator from the CO2 Tank, while the valve at the bottom of the image, lets the CO2 out of the regulator and into the hose.

Hose & Clamps

​You are looking for Gas Tubing with dimensions of 5 /16” x 9/16” & 2 clamps.
The hose is about $1.50 per foot, I used 2ft for my home setup. You can use any type of hose clamps you want, you’ve probably seen the ones pictured around. The clamps are used to prevent gas from leaking out of your hose and to keep it attached.  Clamps pictured are  1 / 4 in. - 7 / 8 in. You’ll need a small screwdriver to tighten them.

Ball Lock-Quick Disconnect

You can choose either of the ball lock quick releases to the right. The flare will require an additional piece to fit on the hose. I went with a barb fitting. One end of this is going to attach to the hose, and the other is going to fit on to the carbonator cap

Carbonator Cap

This sits on top of your empty soda bottle and allows gas to enter the bottle.  Go with the stainless steel version if you can. I have seen the plastic caps get damaged over time and need to be replaced. The steel caps also seem to fit better on most soda bottles.

Empty Soda Bottle(s)

Any empty plastic soda bottle will do as long as the Carbonator Cap fits on top. Don't use bottles that aren't meant to hold carbonated beverages as they can burst. 

Co2 Wrench (Optional But recommended)

Stays attached to the tank so you won’t lose it. Fits perfectly so you won’t strip or damage the regulator while attaching and removing it from the CO2 tank.

2. Assemble your tank

1. Vent the CO2 Tank
   Briefly open then close your CO2 tank to remove any debris that may have covered the valve. One second or less should be fine. Point this away from anyone while you are doing this. 
2. Attach hose to bottom of regulator and ball lock quick disconnect.
   1. Put both ends of the red tube in warm water to make them more malleable. 
   2. Put both clamps on the gas tube but do not tighten.
   3. Attach one end of the hose to the regulator, and the other to the ball lock quick disconnect.
   4. Slide the clamps towards each end of the hose and tighten.
3. If you purchased one, slide your CO2 wrench onto the regulator.
4. Attach the regulator to the CO2 tank, tighten by hand, and then tighten with the wrench
   

You’re almost ready to make some soda. 

If you are completely unfamiliar with how a system like this works, you should probably read section 3, but don't allow it to discourage you from buying a CO2 tank. It takes less than a minute to check. It is just an added precaution to make sure your CO2 tank is set up correctly.

3. Check for Leaks

There are 3 areas where your setup can leak CO2.

1. The inlet at the 3 o'clock position of the regulator
2. The outlet at the 6 o'clock position of the regulator.
3. The connection at the end of your hose where the ball lock quick disconnect is attached.

To test the inlet located at the 3 o'clock position on the regulator:

1. Make sure your regulators “Shut off Valve” (located at the 6 o’clock position of the regulator) is in the OFF position.
2. Turn the valve on top of the tank all the way to the on position.
3. At this point gas should be leaving the tank and entering the regulator. You will see the dials on the regulator move. 

One of 3 things will happen now:

• What we want: You should see the dials on the regulator move, and briefly hear the gas enter the regulator and then stop.
• What is OK: Gas will enter the regulator and exit out of the pressure release valve. This is a built in safety precaution. It happens because the pressure in the regulator is set too high.
  • To Fix: Lower the pressure on your regulator with the dial in the center. (Turn it towards the minus sign ( - ) until the sound stops. You can now continue to check the second potential leak.
• Not Good: You continue to hear gas coming out from the connection between the regulator and the CO2 Tank.
  • Fix: Turn the CO2 tank valve to the off position and remove and reattach the regulator to the CO2 tank. Repeat the steps below "To test the inlet located at the 3 o'clock position on the regulator".

If you have confirmed there are no leaks in your regulator to CO2 tank attachment it is time to check the 2 connections on the hose.

• ​With your CO2 Tank valve turned completely to the ON position, open the shutoff valve located at the 6 o’clock position on your regulator completely to the ON position. This will allow gas to leave the regulator and enter the hose.
• Some of these valves look like those shown in the “CO2 Wrench” photo vs the “Regulator” photo above. In that case make sure the valve is turned pointed down, in line with the hose. (Perpendicular with the hose is considered the "off" position.) 
• Consult your regulators instructions if these instructions are unclear.

One of 2 things will happen now. 

• What we want: You will briefly hear gas flow from the regulator into the hose and stop.
• Not Good: You hear or feel gas coming out from one of the 2 connections on the hose.
  • Fix: Close the shutoff valve (located at the 6 o'clock position of the regulator) Turn off the gas, and try to tighten your clamps. If this does not work, try loosening them so you can reposition them and tighten them. The name of the game is to stop gas from escaping.​

You’re now leak free and ready to make some carbonated beverages

Make some soda or carbonated cocktails

1. Fill your bottle with  2 / 3 - 3 /4 full leaving some empty space at the top of the bottle. This step is important as it allows room for CO2 to enter the bottle, and for the liquid to move around once we start shaking it.
2. Chill the liquid that you intend to carbonate. The colder your liquid is, the more CO2 it can hold. At home I'll keep 2 bottles carbonated at one time, and have 2 backup bottles full of still water chilling in the fridge for when I am ready to make more.
3. Set your regulator to your desired PSI. You can experiment to find what works best for you. I recommend picking a lower number and working your way up so you can see what you prefer. Around 40PSI makes a nice bubbly soda water. 
4. Squeeze the empty head space of the bottle and then squeeze the liquid from the bottom of your bottle up towards the cap. This removes as much oxygen as possible from the bottle. 
5. Screw on your carbo cap. 
6. With the ball lock quick disconnect in your hand, pull up on the part of the quick release that moves and press it down onto your carbocap.  Once it clicks into place the CO2 should flow from the tank into the bottle and instantly inflate it. You should hear the gas enter the tank and then stop. What you have done so far is fill the empty headspace with CO2, this won’t really carbonate your drink much because CO2 can only diffuse into the liquid where it makes contact.
7. To incorporate more CO2 into the liquid, shake the bottle (still attached to the hose) and you will hear and feel more gas entering the bottle.  Continue to shake vigorously for 30 seconds or so. For a more precise carbonation, you should shake until you can no longer hear gas entering the soda bottle. 
8. Disconnect the quick release, let the bottle rest briefly and repeat the process of charging the bottle 1-2 more times.  If you are carbonating something other than water, open the bottle slowly and carefully as it will likely foam up. You will also want to give it more time to settle.
9. When you're finished turn all of your valves to the OFF position to ensure no gas leaks when you are not using it.
10. Drink your soda water, repeat above steps forever.  Enjoy!