How can I elevate my sparkling water setup and method?

[LKR_seltzer]

I love sparkling water. I want to make the best. I have it pretty good, but I know I can do better. Here's what I have:



My current setup:

5 lb CO2 tank with a quick disconnect adapter attached to a steel carbocap attached to a 2L bottle.



My current method:

Force carb at 45 psi by leaving the pre-chilled bottle ~4/5 full and shaking vigorously for about 10-20s. Before or after this, I may or may not add stevia + flavoring extracts.





What are some objective things I can do to improve my current setup, still keeping the base 2L bottle carbonation the same?



I see three ways of improving and some thoughts on how to, but I am no expert. Maybe you have better ideas.

• Flavor
  • Salt packets?
  • Bag-in-box adapter for soda syrups?
  • Already have flavor extracts…
• Efficiency / Convenience
  • Carbocap pressure relief or something similar to purge headspace better?
  • Way to force carb without shaking?
• Scale up
  • Kegerator + corny keg, though this might be more hassle than its worth because I live in an apartment and it might require cleaning where…carbocap system really needs nothing. I am not good with my hands in setting up stuff, too

 

[harry_the_face]

I love sparkling water. I want to make the best. I have it pretty good, but I know I can do better. Here's what I have:



My current setup:

5 lb CO2 tank with a quick disconnect adapter attached to a steel carbocap attached to a 2L bottle.



My current method:

Force carb at 45 psi by leaving the pre-chilled bottle ~4/5 full and shaking vigorously for about 10-20s. Before or after this, I may or may not add stevia + flavoring extracts.





What are some objective things I can do to improve my current setup, still keeping the base 2L bottle carbonation the same?



I see three ways of improving and some thoughts on how to, but I am no expert. Maybe you have better ideas.

• Flavor
  • Salt packets?
  • Bag-in-box adapter for soda syrups?
  • Already have flavor extracts…
• Efficiency / Convenience
  • Carbocap pressure relief or something similar to purge headspace better?
  • Way to force carb without shaking?
• Scale up
  • Kegerator + corny keg, though this might be more hassle than its worth because I live in an apartment and it might require cleaning where…carbocap system really needs nothing. I am not good with my hands in setting up stuff, too

Just buy a small keg and a carbonation lid from Kegland. This will give you continuous carbonated water. Ideally you would plumb it into a small fridge or kegerator to have cold water but not required.

They make small 2 gal swing top kegs because you don't really need 5 gal unless you are giving water to 20 people per day.

https://www.kegland.com.au/products...da-water-solution?_pos=1&_sid=d14638c6c&_ss=r

 

[LKR_seltzer]

Just buy a small keg and a carbonation lid from Kegland. This will give you continuous carbonated water. Ideally you would plumb it into a small fridge or kegerator to have cold water but not required.

They make small 2 gal swing top kegs because you don't really need 5 gal unless you are giving water to 20 people per day.

https://www.kegland.com.au/products...da-water-solution?_pos=1&_sid=d14638c6c&_ss=r

Is this setup a ton more convenient than my carbocap + 2L setup? How long would it take to chill + carbonate water at 45 psi or w/e, assuming you aren't going to force carb? If you're out of seltzer for 24hr+, I don't see how this is an upgrade, but maybe I am missing something!

Is something like this (link to Walmart) a good start, or is there a better budget starter? Are these hard to setup for someone who isnt mechanically inclined? That's another big worry. Another big worry is scale buildup .... my water is like 750 ppm which is pretty absurd, and I'd imagine is a huge hassle for cleaning