Skip to main content

How to Make Your Own Sparkling Water

Buying your own kit means you need to carbonate it in a fridge or freezer since Carbon Dioxide best dissolves at temperatures around zero. 

I have been making my own sparkling water for about a month now. 

It started with a love for carbonated water, but being appalled by the price - about KSh. 80 per 700 ml recyclable glass bottle. Sparkling water is sold as a premium drink. 


This got me researching into what it really takes to make your own sparkling water. 


The easiest way to make your own sparkling water is to buy a DrinkMate or SodaStream Soda Makers or Carbonator. They are available on Amazon,  easy to use and the gas is available at Carbacid along Lusaka Road. 


After considering the reviews of the DrinkMate and Soda Stream, I decided to get my own kit. This includes a  5 litre keg cylinder for carbonating the water, a 600ml or so carbon dioxide cylinder,  a valve/regulator and connecting gas pipes. 


I bought this kit on AliExpress that goes for about $120 and an equal amount for shipping (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001122763012.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.22124c4dylFSa6) The tax on the kit came to about $50,  bringing the total amount to just about $300. 


It took about a month to ship in the kit and unfortunately,  my first regulator was faulty and would let in gas at full pressure blowing the pipes and emptying the cylinder in minutes. The gas you get is pressurised. It took me about one more month to get a working replacement. 


It costs KSh. 900 to refill the 600 ml carbon dioxide cylinder at Carbacid. So far I have done about 3 to 4 batches of sparkling water and the cylinder still has gas, coming in at more than 15 litres. 


The commercial price for 15 litres of sparkling water would be KSh. 1,500 for disposable plastic bottles and about the same for the returnable glass bottles. 


So indeed the kit saves you money since you do more than 20 litres of sparkling water, and it is more environmentally friendly since you no longer do the disposable bottles. You however need to either buy your own glass bottles or reuse plastic bottles. 


One other thing - carbon dioxide dissolves better in colder water. While SodaStream/DrinkMate seem to work well at room temperature, if you decide to get your own kit you will have to get some space in your fridge or chill it in the freezer.  


If you don’t have enough space in your fridge/freezer, a fifty-fifty hack is to carbonate at room temperature under high pressure  (20 to 30 psi on the gauge) then bottle the water and chill the bottles so the water dissolves. 


The tap gasket can be quite troublesome when it gets offset. 
On the right is the pressure release valve and on the left is the 
carbon dioxide input valve. These need some familiarity before use!

If using your own kit, it’s a bit of a learning curve. You need to figure out how to release the ball valves by pulling the bottom back then pulling the valve out. Failing to do so ruins their springs. 


Equally, the tap gasket may get misaligned and become troublesome such that the gasket can let out water at pressure when you try carbonating the keg. The solution is to use a sharp tipped object such as a knife to reseat the gasket such that the valve is in the middle and well supported by the spring. You get some space rubber gaskets though, but managing a leaking gasket can be a pain. 


All in all, a keg carbonator/soda maker is a labour of love. It is more hands on than a SodaStream or DrinkMate kit, but once you have it figured out, then it’s a breeze in the park. 


The toughest bits are topping up water - it can’t be full otherwise it won’t carbonate properly. You then have to learn how many times to carbonate especially when the keg is full. You need to run the gas a couple of times, then you can shut it off or leave it open, but it takes hours to dissolve. So if you shut it off you need to run it again or at least twice for it to sparkle enough when full. 


As for cleaning - I will recommend a solution of bleach and water to about 0.5% or so bleach. While bleach is corrosive especially for metal, it makes for an excellent cleaning compound. 

You'll need to figure out how to cleans your kit. 
A solution of bleach and water works quite well!


Is it worth it - I would say yes, especially if you’re a fan of sparkling water. I’ll however issue a disclaimer - only get the kit if you find yourself buying a lot of sparkling water. You don’t want your $300 investment sitting idle, do you? 


Should you be interested in getting your own kit, you could always let me know and we could exchange notes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beers in Kenya: A sober opinion

Note: This is a dated post and has since been mostly passed by events. SAB Miller beers including Castle and Peroni are no longer widely available in Kenya after their exist. Sirville Brewery was bought out by Brew Bistro before being permanently shut in a tax dispute. Kenya is a land of milk, honey, beaches and taxes. I have penned, or is typed, a newer post here .  Peroni - One of the best beers in Kenya. Did a taste of canned and bottled Italian, and bottled Tanzanian I like the tangy flavour and body in Tanzanian Peroni. The can is close. Heineken drinkers will like the Italian one.  I have had a short beer swigging stint in my life. It has however been long enough for me to share my opinion of Kenyan beer. Interestingly, over the course of sharing such opinions with other drunkards connoisseurs,  I have found that we all have different views as to what beer is the best, which one makes you too drunk, or which one gives one free, extra hangover for every ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Drive from Kenya to Namibia (or South Africa)

  What You Need COMESA Yellow Sticker (Tanzania and Zambia third party insurance. Botswana may require local bond. Namibia doesn’t require insurance) Logbook Processing with KRA Copies of your logbook for temporary import permits in other countries Passport Yellow fever vaccination proof. COVID vaccination proof may be required Warning triangles and 1 litre fire extinguisher
Post a Comment
Read more

Beers of Kenya. The Ultimate 2019 Guide

Four years ago, precisely in 2015, I wrote about beer in Kenya in what has gone on to be my most popular post this year with more than 5,000 people reading it. It seems that there is a lot of interest in exploring beer in Kenya, which is understandable. The brewing sector has grown since then and we now have lots of options, which means it is time for another review. Back in 2015, Kenya had one major brewer - EABL/KBL, challenged by Keroche and Sierra which is more of a small volume craft brewer, and arguably Kenya’s first craft brewery. It had also been joined by Brew Bistro which mostly sells its malted stuff at its outlets in Nairobi and later by Sirville, a bar located at Galleria Mall. Sirville was later sold to Brew Bistro and converted to the latter for a while, before shutting down in what is alleged to be a tax dispute.
Post a Comment
Read more

Lusaka and Livingstone Zambia to Namibia By Road

Zambia is a pretty large country,  an exciting one and with no shortage of potholes.  For instance, take the direct route from Lusaka - Livingstone to Namibia through the Sesheke - Katima Mulilo border crossing. Typically, roads are either good or tend to have potholes here and there. However, the last 120 kilometres of the Livingstone to Sesheke/Katima Mulilo route are best described as potholes dotted by some road here and there for the just thirty kilometres past Kazungula town, which is also the Zambia - Botswana border crossing.  Trying to drive to Sesheke is so bad it will take you anywhere between 4 hours to 6 hours to navigate those 100 kilometres. You may or may not have your dignity at the end and your vehicle may be in more than one piece.  If you really must use the Sesheke - Katima Mulilo crossing as of December 2022, then take the 900 kilometre longer detour from Lusaka to Mongu then back to Katima Mulilo. It doesn't guarantee you absence of potholes, b...
Post a Comment
Read more