Who the station needs to serve

Office hosts serving plain sparkling water

Need a straightforward bottle routine, a way to replenish CO₂ and enough ready bottles when several guests arrive together.

Facilities teams managing occasional users

Need controls that staff and visitors can follow consistently. Preset carbonation levels may be useful when different people operate the machine.

Offices serving drinks beyond water

Need a machine explicitly designed to carbonate other drinks, rather than using juice or sweetened liquids in a water-only model.

What matters when choosing

Decide whether guests need sparkling water alone or other carbonated drinks, then plan how bottles, controls, cylinders and cleaning will work during a busy visit.

ConcernWhat to checkWho this matters to
Ready-to-serve capacity Check each bottle’s usable fill line and how many compatible bottles can be kept ready. When guests arrive together, I need enough prepared water to serve them without waiting for one bottle to be reused; around 31% of consumers put serving capacity first.
Ease of operation Compare bottle fitting and carbonation controls. SodaStream says E-Terra offers three preset fizz levels. If visitors or occasional staff use the machine, I want the steps to be easy to follow; roughly 25% of consumers prioritise straightforward operation.
CO₂ replenishment Confirm the cylinder connection and a practical exchange route. Quick Connect and standard threaded cylinders are not interchangeable. I need to avoid the station running out of gas between meetings; around 25% of consumers make refill continuity their primary concern.
Shared-use cleaning Check the approved bottle type and set a routine for washing bottles and wiping the carbonation area. With several people using the station, I want clear responsibility for bottles and spills; approximately 19% of consumers put the cleaning routine first.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming every cylinder labelled 60 L will fit

    The connection matters: Aarke says Carbonator 3 uses standard threaded cylinders that do not fit SodaStream Quick Connect machines. Drinkmate also excludes Quick Connect cylinders for OmniFizz.

    Record the machine’s cylinder format before arranging a spare cylinder and a refill route.

  • Putting sweet drinks in a water-only machine

    SodaStream advises carbonating water before adding syrup to its standard machines; it warns that sweetened liquids can foam rapidly and affect the machine.

    Keep a water-only station for plain sparkling water, or choose a model explicitly intended for other drinks if those drinks are part of the office plan.

  • Leaving cylinder exchanges to chance

    A spare cylinder helps only if someone notices when the working cylinder is empty and handles the exchange.

    Assign an owner, keep empty cylinders together and check the exchange provider’s return conditions.

  • Treating sparkling water as the workplace water supply

    Regulation 22 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water for people at work. A soda maker is an optional way to serve some of that water sparkling.

    Keep the workplace’s normal drinking-water provision available alongside the guest station.

Brands to consider

SodaStream

Its Terra and E-Terra models offer water-only routes with Quick Connect cylinders; MIX is presented by SodaStream for carbonating other drinks.

  • Terra offers manual carbonation, while E-Terra has three preset fizz levels.
  • Quick Connect cylinders do not fit standard threaded-cylinder machines. SodaStream advises adding syrup after carbonating water in its standard models.

Aarke

Carbonator 3 is a manual option for fresh, clean water that uses standard 400–425 g / 60 L threaded CO₂ cylinders.

  • According to Aarke, Carbonator 3 operates without electricity.
  • It uses a compatible PET bottle, not Aarke’s glass bottle, and its threaded cylinder format is incompatible with SodaStream Quick Connect machines.

Drinkmate

OmniFizz is an option when an office intends to carbonate drinks beyond plain water.

  • Drinkmate states that OmniFizz can carbonate water and other drinks and requires no electricity.
  • It uses standard threaded cylinders rather than Quick Connect cylinders; its broader drink capability is unnecessary for a plain-water-only station.

Joybuy products

Related products coming soon.

Common questions

Can a soda maker replace the office drinking-water supply?

No. Regulation 22 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water for people at work. Offer sparkling water as an addition to the workplace’s normal drinking-water provision.

Can we carbonate juice or cordial in a standard water-only machine?

Do not use a water-only model for that purpose. SodaStream advises carbonating water before adding syrup to its standard machines; if other drinks are required, check a model explicitly designed for them, such as Drinkmate OmniFizz or SodaStream MIX.

Will any 60 L CO₂ cylinder fit the machine?

No. Aarke says Carbonator 3 uses standard 400–425 g / 60 L threaded cylinders, which do not fit SodaStream Quick Connect machines. Drinkmate OmniFizz also specifies threaded cylinders and excludes Quick Connect cylinders, so confirm the exact connection before arranging refills.

How should we manage cleaning in a shared office?

Give someone responsibility for washing and rotating the approved bottles and wiping up spills after use. Keep CO₂ cylinders away from heat, as SodaStream advises, and follow the machine’s cleaning instructions if it is used for drinks other than water.