Timmy Simmons - we don't need continuous carbonation, so your kegerator idea might work the best. Does anyone know if you have to have a chiller? I've read mixed reviews on whether or not it's necessary for the performance ...

THANKS everyone!

My husband just buys Perrier by the case. Cases are kept in the garage and he keeps several bottles chilled in an under counter beverage fridge. It was annoying when all those bottles were in the main fridge taking up space. He probably drinks a bottle per day. His only request for the new kitchen was a built in Miele coffee machine!

If you get a small kegerator, everything will be there for you but the gas (and a keg). Keeps it nice and cold and 1 fill of CO2 will last a looooooong time. I have the 24 inch version of this. https://www.perlick.com/residential/products/beer-dispensers/view/15-signature-series-beer-dispenser

But you can get any kegerator.

THANKS!

Jmiller0413-- I'm very interested in finding a solution to this as well. I'm so glad you asked this question.

I really don't understand about the kegerator. I've never seen one in action so I'm having a hard time understanding how it can be refitted to work for sparkling water.. Can one of you dumb it down for me?

Thanks so much for the explanation! Definitely an interesting idea that I need to explore some more.
My husband and my three kids drink sparkling water like it’s their job. Right now we use soda stream, but measuring the consumption is hard bc they have to make a liter to pour a glass. (The don’t typically save it, they toss it. )I’m honestly not sure how long a keg would last. If we were changing it more than once a week it would probably be a hassle.

I love my SodaStream, and I won't toss what I don't drink... it goes in the fridge and i get another glass or two from it later. Maybe the kids should start paying for the cartridges?

The keg thing sounds interesting.

I'm with Chispa. I'd just get bottled or canned seltzer water and put it in the beverage fridge. At my local grocer, they have the grocer-branded seltzer water in cans for the same price as pop, 12 pack for $4. On sale regularly for $2.50, just like pop.

Thanks! We decided against the built. Soda stream for that very concern! Thanks!

Having researched this extensively, and created a DIY solution to self carbonate, here are my suggestions. First, best suggestion for most people is to put a kegerator in the basement. Use the kegerator to fill two previously used glass seltzer bottles at a time, and put them into your upstairs fridge. This allows for many options, including adding minerals to your water to mimic the exact taste of just about any of the world’s mineral waters (there are recipes online for all of them, and the minerals are cheap).
Second best option is to make your own carbonator, which is like your own soda stream. This allows you to control the carbonation level (I like more carbonation than sodastream can put into the soda). Cost about $120, pays for itself in under a year. Sodastream is crazy expensive for CO2. It costs me about $15/year in CO2, and we drink almost a liter of seltzer a day. Continuous carbonation can be found cheaply from Chinese companies, but no word on how well they work.

I bought a unit from www.kegman.net and while expensive, it is pretty awesome. You need to put it in the basement OR a garage. The carbonator and flash chiller are too loud to have in a living space. But the lines that run to the dispenser head are refrigerated so the first pull is as cold as the 5th pull. This was how it looked when we were still mid construction. Another option for countertop seltzer is in the second pic - we fill this with ice and water, then pressurize it before a long car ride or day out. It is an insulated bottle (like a hydroflask) with a special top that gives you the connections for CO2 and a tap. One could always fill/charge one of these and have lots of seltzer on demand.

https://vivreauwater.com/water-systems/vi-tap-dispenser/

I reached out to Vivreau in April of 2019 - they responded that their products are for commercial / clubs / restaurants and that they won't sell to residential (and that they're not licensed to). Disappointing considering how much I see their paid advertising pop up

So many helpful suggestions here. We are currently building and would love sparkling water on tap, but wonder if it's worth the cost. We buy a Costco case of San Pellegrino a week and a Costco case of cans as well (family of 4). We also feel making our own would reduce the amount of recycling and other pollutants at bit. (I know we could just drink tap tap water, but carbonated is our treat.)

@eric smith (or anyone else) would you mind explaining how to make option two (or point me to a link). Making your own carbonator sounds like a good option.

@jmiller0413, what did you decide to do in the end? Are you happy with it? Thank you!

We've had a Grohe Blue Chilled & Sparkling set-up for about two years now. First - customer service for this is almost non-existent and the directions for installation and maintenance are unclear, so be prepared to problem-solve on your own (or have a good plumber who can do this.) Our first unit was a dud, so had to go back for a replacement. Grohe required us to have a plumber come out (service call fees to the same plumber who installed it initially to come here during Grohe business hours) and talk to them while he was here to verify it had been installed correctly before they would authorize a return, but in the end they did so.

The biggest thing I wish I'd known before we installed it is that it is LOUD. We have an open concept kitchen. When the compressor(?) is running (when you draw more than about 8 oz of carbonated water) the sound of it fills the entire space to the point where we can't hear the TV over it. The noise lasts longer the more water you draw - but seems to average about 3 minutes when we fill a 20 glass. Yes - it's loud enough that I timed it - lol!

Had I known how loud it was going to be I would have still put it in, but down in our family room instead of upstairs. Which emphasizes the fact that I'm really pleased with how cold it chills the water and the level of fizzi-ness. Added bonus - the faucet looks great and the finish doesn't show spots or fingerprints.

We've noticed that the unit has started throwing error codes that we have trouble clearing when we replace the filter, so are worried that it may be failing already - at about 2 years old. For the cost of the unit this seems insane to me ... but it is still working fine as of the writing of this post, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope this is helpful!

Pam:

What is the name of the item in the second pic, and where can one purchase it?

Julie Sawyer - we are just installing our Grohe Blue sparkling water. We also have an open concept kitchen and great room but no other location to put it. Does it get very loud at other times of the day or just when you’re dispensing sparkling water?

I have a Grohe Blue Filter/Chiller and Sparkling Water faucet. I got lucky. A woman in my area buys pallets of overstock items and sells them online. She had a couple of them for a great price so I bought one for upstairs and one down. The instructions are difficult and the plumber installed it incorrectly. We had him come back and fix it and have loved it.

I only have one daughter that drinks sparking water daily but that and Torani syrup is the life of every party. I actually bought it for just the filter/chiller feature because I didn't want a drink dispenser in my fridge. The water lines have flooded every house I've owned as well as my parents and in-laws. I didn't realize how much we would love and use the carbonator.

As for the sound, I haven't noticed it as being overly loud. It just sounds like we're turning on our faucet. Would I pay $2K for it? Probably not, but for $500 with faucet included, it was a no-brainer. Having said that, I'm glad the faucet isn't my main one. There is no pull-down sprayer so dishes and sink cleaning would be more difficult.

Any idea if that woman in ur area has anymore to sell?

How’s the carbonation with the Grohe compared to a SodaStream? I tried a Zip in a showroom and found that it was barely fizzy. The rep described it as a soft, European-style sparkling. That may be, but I didn’t like it!

On our SodaStream, my wife and I usually use the first or second setting (out of 3). The Zip’s water was significantly less dizzy than even the first setting. Does the Grohe do better in this regard?

The other option I’m now considering is the KegMan setup that you suggested, @Pam A. Any feedback on how that’s working, how it’s held up, etc.? I assume that kind of setup is adjustable for different levels of carbonation as desired.

I don't have a SodaStream and haven't tried a Zip, so can't compare the Grohe to either of those. On the fizziest setting the Grohe is more fizzy than San Peligrino, but less fizzy than Topo Chico.

Thanks @JazzyzGurl! I'll have to find some Topo Chico to compare...

For those willing to spend a little more and don't want to make sparking water in batches (ala soda keg/kegerator).

https://www.crysalli.com 

Most of their stuff is for commercial use, so you'll need to look under low volume section for residential products. They have countertop units - we don't have cabinet space below the counter, and don't want to drill thru the counter for a tap. (we can come from behind the cabinet w/ the water and the Co2 line.

this unit I think is around $2500

https://www.crysalli.com/low-volume/cp-jr-ct2fr-k 

CP-JR-CT2FR-K

They also make remote chiller / carbonators like the Kegman.

Based on the west coast / CA, which impacts shipping prices, depending on where you are. They don;t sell direct will connect you w/ a distributor.

Wow, so easy to forget about these older discussions but as a quick follow up ... We still have our seltzer maker from Kegman and we still LOVE it. I am a G&T fan and Jack Rudy tonic syrup with seltzer is pretty good stuff. Often I use the plain water during the day but it is used for seltzer many times a day. Many.

A small drawer holds all our flavors, definitely get dropper bottles with SILICONE droppers. Some citrus flavors can eat through non-silicone dropper bulbs. Ours are organized by Tropical Fruits, Candy, North American Fruit, Citrus, etc. Making combos is FUN, blackberry and rhubarb is great. Cucumber and lime are also pretty awesome, or cucumber and pomegranate.

We had one issue, the chiller quit working after a couple months of use. They brought us a new one, which I was a bit panicked about because I thought we would have to redo all those connections. Nope, the new compressor thing popped right in to the existing unit, it was super easy. Overall it remains my boyfriend's favorite thing in the kitchen and it is probably #2 for me (having a full depth fridge is still #1 for me).

Anyways, no regrets here. I would replace it in a heartbeat if it died.

Pam A can you tell us a little bit more about your setup and provide some photos for reference? Do you have the single tap handle and is the whole operation located at your sink? The Kegman I'm seeing on their website goes for about $2,700. Same one? Is the equipment stored in the space under the sink or somewhere else? Where did you get all of your flavorings and droppers to dispense them? I'd love to see as much of the whole setup as you're willing to share b/c my wife and I would like to do the same thing with our Kitchen renovation. Thanks!

Weird - there *was* another comment from a Jennifer a few weeks ago that mentioned she uses a product called Ion that they rented. I reached out to Ion to inquire, and this was their reply:

Thank you for your interest in the ION Water Appliance.
The ION is our commercial product.
We do have a residential version of the ION called the KÜL.
The KÜL can be found and ordered at www.verykul.com.
KÜL sports our best filter yet, comes in four colors and your first 3 filled kulCO2 tanks for the Sparkling water feature come free. Our website is having issues adding the 3 free tanks, but I monitor all of the orders and grab the order to add the tanks.

I haven't purchased yet but I'm seriously looking at it - especially as we try to cut soda out. I think this was the most affordable consumer model I'd seen yet.

Pam, is it loud? And assuming you had to cut ventilation in your cabinet - does Kegman give pretty solid installation instructions? Thank you!

Joining in to share our Grohe Blue nightmare. Unit 1 installed by plumber - does not work. Returned and wait a month. Unit 2 comes in with physical damage. Return and wait a month. Unit 3 comes in. Works for a day or 2 and dies. Return and wait a month. Unit 3 comes in. Works for a week and dies. Return and wait a month. Unit 4 comes in. You guessed it. Return and wait a month. Unit 5 works for 3 whole weeks! Then dies. We're shopping now for something different.

@Toddb1 did you end up getting the Kül? anything to report? considering this as well…

I know this thread is old, but I’m posting to agree with the people who have commented about how loud the Grohe Blue is.

My family drinks an embarrassing amount of seltzer, so we installed one in our last kitchen. It was so much louder than I could’ve imagined. I’ve never been bothered by the noise of a household appliance before, but this was really noticeable and went on for minutes every time it was used. Not worth it, IMO.

I am currently choosing things for our new kitchen remodel after having moved and have decided not to get the Grohe Blue again even though the seltzer is so great. For people who are curious, the faucet has three different options to choose from any time you get a glass of water – two different levels of carbonation, so you can get seltzer that is super bubbly or seltzer that is less bubbly more like San Pellegrino, and a chilled, filtered still water option. These are in addition to regular water that is not filtered, which you turn on using the handle on the right.

It won't let me edit my comment above, but I'll just add - I did buy the Kul Dispense and we like it a lot. Only issues are 1) It's very large - we got a dedicated beverage cart for this and our GE Opal Ice Maker... 2) It needs to be plumbed in (which we did at the beverage cart) and 3) It won't take larger external CO2 cannisters like their commercial version does. So far we've been using SodaStream cannisters which you can get at any WalMart since theirs requiring a shipping charge that makes it kind of expensive. Soon we'll just get a 20# tank and refill our own in-home. All that said, I love it and I drink sparkling water every day. We also let the kids get little Miio water additives to mix things up since we don't allow actual soda in our house. We've found them to be the best value vs. Soda Stream's super diluted additives.

“sushipup2” I was attempting to share with full disclosure and thought it might be valuable to this thread. How would you suggest I share and not have it be a spam?

I totally get that. is there a way to pay for it or mark the post in a way that is responsible?

I have never posted on this Forum before. I have used Houzz to find contractors though. Are there specific rules for posting? I couldnt easily find them.

Contact Houzz for info on advertising.

I will contact them and apologize if this was spam.

There are a number of professionals in various businesses/trades who do post here in answer to questions, but they never link to their own businesses or products. Good information is always appreciated.

Comment above deleted and appreciate you flagging this for me.

I read through the policies for the Houzz Discussion board and did not see anything saying that this type of post was not allowed. Toddb1 you are correct that this is a very limited market. sushipup2 you are welcome to officially flag the post and see what Houzz moderators say.

Reposting. Full disclosure that i am the owner of the company. My background is mechanical engineering and I have personally tested/torn apart most sparkling machine on the market. For my application I believe the SeltzaHub has many valuable benefits compared to the competitors. It is quieter, smaller, highest level of carbonation, requires no special ventilation, and can be used with numerous faucets. The SeltzaTap faucet is mechanical and there are no electronics in the faucet. It has a nice mechaicnal feel when you turn the knob. Like the difference between a digital watch and a mechanical watch. You can check it out at www.seltzatap.com. I am also happy to answer any question people have.

will you be releasing a gold seltzer faucet? brushed champagne? those available options don't match my kitchen

has anyone found a solution that accomodates a large CO2 bottle? Im looking for maximum filtration and carbonation. I dont want to use space for a chiller. and I’m also really picky about the look/finish of my faucet (need bronze or flat graphite gray)

Ashley - it depends on which system you go with. For something under-counter, I'd bet you could get a sodastream adapter from ebay and just run it to an external tank. I use the Kul dispenser which is counter-top, so unfortunately I'm stuck with the small canisters but I'm at least going to start filing them at home. Do you have a particular system in mind?

Interesting idea. I hadn't heard of that option. I'll look into it. How would a soda stream adapter work with a water filtration system? Our tap water tastes surprisingly bad to me, a regular fridge filter doesn't cut it. I want to stop buying water (5 gallon jugs) and I don't want anything on the counter. We're finalizing the cabinet design, so I still have time to modify undercounter space if needed. I'm okay w/ spending $$$ to solve this issue but don't really want one of the systems that supplies hot/cold since we're not looking for that and don't want the energy draw.

Maybe I need to back up a bit - I was thinking you'd had your eye on a particular system and just wanted to get away from the small CO2 tanks they use. The best water in my opinion is Reverse Osmosis water - so I use a large commercial unit in my utility room that's piped up to my kitchen separately - that can feed the fridge at some point, but for me it serves a countertop dispenser for now. You could also do an under-sink RO unit as your base. Then it would need to go into one of these system - like Grohe's or Seltazap listed above or something like that, up to a tap likely in your kitchen sink it sounds like. Some of these systems have internal filters (as does my countertop unit) - I just leave those alone but basically never have to change them. For your fridge, you don't have to rely on just the filter inside - depending on your kitchen layout, you could possibly tap it into the same RO system that feeds your tap, or if there's no way to get a water line between, I've also put much higher quality filtration systems into my fridge before by using a 3-cartridge unit mounted on the wall behind the fridge that then runs into the fridge itself - this will do way more than the small internal filter can do and can get rid of far more contaminants. Now where my comment about the SodaStream adapter comes in - most of these carbonation systems use some sort of CO2 canister obviously - they'll either have an external connection to any size tank you want, or they'll be designed specifically for the sodastream bottles (regardless of how they're labeled, they're all the same). Plenty of SodaStream users grew frustrated with these little cartridges and came up with adapters that'll go from the little bottle hookup to an adapter that'll hook to any size tank. It's not an option on mine because it's a countertop unit and leaving the door open to run a hose to the tank would look bad - but under a counter, it wouldn't make any difference.

ashleymariestinson with regards to the space concern. I have a large 20lb CO2 tank located in a corner cabinet that is dead space connected to the SeltzaHub. I also have customers that have put the CO2 and the SeltzaHub in the basement below the kitchen sink location. Not sure if either of these suggestions would work in your situation. Also as a comment. You definitely want cold if you are looking for sparkling water from the faucet. The amount of carbonation/sparking/fizziness is directly related to how cold the water is when it mixes with the CO2. Regular tap water temperature is too high for carbonation to be effective. I have no experience with filtration and I think Toddb1 advice sounds excellent. I am also about to order a batch of new faucets and would consider bronze.

interesting, i never knew cold water carbonated better. yes, we could use part of the corner cabinet, thats a great suggestion. thank you

I posted above back in June 2022. After our multiple dead-on-arrivals with Grohe, we worked with Donavan from SeltzaTap. We couldn’t be happier. It takes up less space under our cabinet than Grohe. We have filtered, chilled, and chilled seltzer. No issues at all and I love the faucet. I highly recommend SeltzaTap. Donovan engineered a great solution.