DIY Sparkling Water System

Cut down on waste, save money, and enjoy endless fizzy water right from your home setup!

Why Build Your Own Sparkling Water System?

My family has been into sparkling water since the Perrier days, long before La Croix and Waterloo made it trendy. We don’t drink soda, so sparkling water is our go-to for that fizzy fix. Over time, the stacks of Costco boxes and aluminum cans piling up in our recycling bins started to wear on us and we knew there had to be a better way.

Pre-children, we used to enjoy brewing our own beer so over the years we built up a collection of brewing equipment, including a kegerator and keg equipment. So I thought to myself: Why not repurpose that into a sparkling water system? In this article, we’ll talk about how to take a regular old beer keg, the kind you buy at a liquor store and not a corney keg, and make it into a sparkling water machine. No more cans and no more expensive CO2 refills for that SodaStream.

Benefits of a DIY Sparkling Water System

Before we get into the nitty gritty, here’s why this project is 100% worth doing:

  • Save money: After an initial ~$250 investment, you’ll break even around the 25-case mark. That’s about one year’s worth of fizz in our house.
  • Reduce waste: No more cans in the recycling bin, and no more plastic packaging.
  • Convenience: Say goodbye to grocery runs for bubbly.

The initial investment for this set up is about $250 but if you do some quick math you’ll quickly come to the realization that’s about 25 cases of sparkling water. We would easily drink that in 1 year.

🔧 Basic Parts List

  • D System Keg Tap Coupler

  • CO2 Tank (5 lb is ideal, especially for moving it around)

  • Dual Gauge CO2 Regulator

  • 5 Gallon Sankey D Keg (Commercial-style keg)

  • Kegerator or Fridge Setup

  • Food-Grade Beverage Tubing

💡 Want to go the “all in” approach?

Check out this kit you can buy for $210

How to Build Your DIY Sparkling Water Machine

  1. Clean and Sanitize Everything

    Even though you’re just using water, cleanliness is key. Run a sanitizer like Star San through the keg and tubing before your first use.

  2. Chill Your Water First (if possible)

    Cold water carbonates more efficiently. If you have space, you can keep a second full keg chilled and simply tap it when you’re ready.

  3. Remove the Lock Ring & Neck

    This is the trickiest part of the whole set up. If you’re using a Sankey D Keg, there’s a small ring that locks the neck into place.

    1. Make SURE the keg is depressurized. While it’s conntected to the coupler either open the handle completely or pull on the small ring on the side of the coupler. After I disconnect it, push down on the ball with a small screw driver to double check.

    2. There are 2 small holes on the neck that you can put a screw driver in. What you’re looking for is the end of the lock ring and you slowly want to pry the end of the ring out. You may need to lightly tap the end to shift it towards the opening. Sometimes grabbing it with a pair of pliers helps.

    3. Slowly pry the ring out. Twist the neck and lift it straight out.

    4. Finally, remove the neck.

  4. Fill the Keg Fill the keg to almost full. Leave some room at the top since the neck will displace some water and you’ll want to have some room left over for the CO2 gas to fill.

  5. Replace the Neck and Lock Ring Reverse the steps from step 3. It helps to have a pair of pliers to slowly press the lock ring. Work your way around the neck securing the lock ring in place

  6. Set Up the CO2 System

    Connect your regulator to the CO2 tank.

    Hook up the gas line to the D system coupler.

    Attach the coupler to your keg (make sure it’s locked in place).

  7. Carbonate!

    Set your regulator to around 30 PSI and leave it for 24–48 hours. Shake the keg a few times during this period to speed up absorption. Once it’s carbonated to your liking, dial the pressure down to 10–12 PSI for serving.

  8. Enjoy! A fresh 5 gallon keg of sparkling water usually lasts our family about a week. Your mileage may vary.

Pro Tips

  • Add citrus: Drop a slice of lemon or lime into your glass. No need to flavor the whole keg.

  • Don’t have time for fresh fruit? Consider buying the flavor options in your local supermarket. Both SodaStream and Bubbly make small bottles to flavor your water

  • Try filtered or mineral water: Different water types give different taste profiles.

  • Clean between fills: Even though it’s just water, always rinse and sanitize the keg between batches.