CO2Doctor

[BaBang]

Right now, I am looking to connect a soda machine to an external CO2 tank so I don't need to use SodaStream's proprietary containers. My main concern is safety, durability, and quality of the set-up... not price.

CO2Doctor has some wonderful ebay reviews and his website is filled with information... but the site looks outdated, has a national debt counter, and some of his comments to negative ebay reviews seem a bit hostile.

I don't know... in some ways, CO2Doctor looks a bit unprofessional. But on the other hand, it seems to be run by an individual focused on quality components and knows what he/she is talking about.

Has anyone purchased from CO2Doctor or can offer insight into FreedomOne+ External CO2 Tank system. Furthermore, do you think the CO2 pressure gauge is worth it (From what I understand, these things are inaccurate and will only show a decline in pressure when the tank is almost empty).

Thank you =)

 

[Homercidal]

I am not thrilled by his website, I can say that. As far as using Paintball tanks, it's not an uncommon thing in homebrewing, but for the price of a 5# aluminum or steel tank, I can't see myself buying a paintball tank. Now if I already had a couple, that would be a different story.

I think you can buy a 5# tank for about $40 from a guy on this site. Once you have a regulator, the rest of a system is just some hoses and adapters. A LOT of the cost in kegging goes into a fridge and kegs. You can certainly "keg" in other ways, like using 2L bottles or some other vessels. SS kegs have a lot going for them, though. Maybe consider buying 2.5 or 3 gallon kegs if price is not a concern? You might be able to fit one of those in your fridge.

 

[daft]

The paintball tank system lets you keep the wonderfully compact sodastream package on your counter without tubes going all over. Most systems can take 24oz co2 that last for months at near zero refill costs.

If you just do a search in this forum you will find tons of folks experience with co2doc and his competitors, including things like where he sells his equipment at lower cost than his web site. I got his paintball adaptor valve, but think I might have preferred a specific competitor with a less fiddly kind of adjustment system.

 

[geoffey]

I purchased the FreedomeOne external tank system for our soda stream and has worked pretty great so far. I wasn't impressed with their website either, but it got the job done I guess. One thing I don't understand so much is how the FreedomeOne operates without a pressure regulator, but I guess it's not a problem as it is clearly not designed for one.

I do find that the bottles seem to "spit up" a bit while dispensing CO2, like there's a bit more pressure than the sodas stream system can handle. Would like to get more info on that. But it does otherwise work very well!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[BaBang]

As far as using Paintball tanks, it's not an uncommon thing in homebrewing, but for the price of a 5# aluminum or steel tank, I can't see myself buying a paintball tank.

I'm looking at the FreedomOne+, which is used to connect an external CO2 tank to the Sodastream. Obviously, not as compact... but a 5lb CO2 tank is something like 20X more CO2 and will last longer.

Maybe consider buying 2.5 or 3 gallon kegs if price is not a concern? You might be able to fit one of those in your fridge.

Right now I live in an apartment and I cook a lot... I never seem to have enough fridge space and I'm not allowed to have secondary large appliances. Thus, I am settling for growler + keg top for beer (should keep beer for 1-2 weeks) and Soda stream for soda (Since I drink way too much soda).

 

[BaBang]

One thing I don't understand so much is how the FreedomeOne operates without a pressure regulator, but I guess it's not a problem as it is clearly not designed for one.

I do find that the bottles seem to "spit up" a bit while dispensing CO2, like there's a bit more pressure than the sodas stream system can handle. Would like to get more info on that. But it does otherwise work very well!

From what I read, the sodastream is its own regulator and shoots CO2 into the bottles around 130 psi. The high PSI and small water-bottles essentially guarantee that the water moves around... which helps in the carbonation process. Thus, it's a force carbonization system that gets around the mechanical moving parts by shooting CO2 at a high psi into a small space.

Furthermore, I believe the PSI of CO2 coming out of a canister is dictated by temperature more than anything... so it doesn't matter if you have the Sodastream connected to their own CO2 canister, your 5lb canister, or some industrial size one.

Overall, it's a lot of pressure so you want to be careful with modifying the system. This also help explains why the water-bottles have expiration dates on them.


EDIT: The 130 psi may not be right. I keep reading different things about the PSI (Some say 20... other say 45). The manual for the sodastream revolution says it has a maximum working psi of 140... whatever that means. Perhaps someone can clarify how much PSI of CO2 is being pushed into those bottles.

 

[BaBang]

Another question about CO2Doctor...

What's with the price discrepancies between his/her website and his/her ebay auctions? It's nearly $20 cheaper to purchase the items off of ebay.

Just seems odd.

 

[bubba69]

Does anyone know if co2doctor is still in business? I ordered something off his website last week but have heard nothing back.

 

[nostink]

Does anyone know if co2doctor is still in business? I ordered something off his website last week but have heard nothing back.

Unfortunately, he is nowhere to be found. I recently made a purchase on 7/13 and have not received the item.

He pretty much has vanished with no website or email contact left to find. My purchase was through Paypal so I started a claim against him yesterday since he seems to have vanished into thin air.

 

[Isabell]

Co2Doctor is still OPEN for business. The website is down temporarily.

 

[nostink]

Perhaps that is the case, the website is still down, however, I would suggest purchasing with caution if the website ever does go back online. There is a lot of negative comments to be found about his order fulfillment.

I never received any information from Co2doctor regarding my order. Paypal closed my inquiry with a total refund because my order never shipped and Co2doctor never responded to my inquiry about where my order was.

I ended up purchasing what I needed from another online seller.

 

[ChipsNGuac]

I wanted to provide some information about CO2Doctor as I worked with them for a few years with the facebook page and trying to build a new website. CO2Doctor is still in business, it is a small family owned business.

Tragically, the main guy I was working passed away. Another worker, not family, took that as an opportunity to steal all of their products and money. Currently his daughter has taken over, but it has been an uphill battle trying to get things back on track.

He was VERY passionate about providing people with a SAFE product that would last. Many of the knockoffs online are not food safe and/or will not last, with very high PSI CO2, that is a recipe for disaster.

The new website I was working on for them is still out there, just "hidden". I could never get the PayPal checkout to work for some reason. Currently when I connect to their FTP server for the websites I get a certificate error, so I'm not sure how to help them fix that.

I apologize if you've had a negative experience with them. I promise you they are still in business and trying to get things working, but it is going to take some time to repair the damages and fill in the gaps.

 

[nostink]

Thank you for the information. I am sorry to hear about the problems the family has had.

My experience with Co2Doctor is mixed. I made a purchase from them a couple of years ago and received a product that was well made and to this day still works flawlessly. My subsequent dealings with them are what has soured my opinion.

About 3 months after my original purchase, I emailed them for support, in fact, I emailed them a couple of times for two different support questions and never received a response.

Although their customer support was poor, last month I decided to make another purchase from them because I was at least familiar with the quality of their products. My money was accepted through Paypal and 2 weeks later I still had not received my order. My research found their website was no longer available.

After waiting another week, I tried to contact them via Paypal. After two days of no response, I finally received a reply telling me that my item shipped and had been received in Chicago the week before I ordered it. Two problems, the first being that they claimed it had been received and signed for before I had even placed an order AND it went to Chicago, IL. I live in California. When I responded with that information, I did receive another reply "sorry, wrong order." That was it, no further explanation on where my order was. All communication from Co2Doctor stopped from that point. 3-4 days later I escalated the issue to a dispute and received a refund from Paypal in 2 days.

I have no ill will towards the company, as I said I am very pleased with the original item I purchased from them. I am just explaining in detail what my subsequent dealings in the past month have been so that others can make an informed purchase. I honestly can say that I hope they can get the business back on track because their past product was quality.

Again, thank you for the information.

 

[Isabell]

Thank you for the information. I am sorry to hear about the problems the family has had.

My experience with Co2Doctor is mixed. I made a purchase from them a couple of years ago and received a product that was well made and to this day still works flawlessly. My subsequent dealings with them are what has soured my opinion.

About 3 months after my original purchase, I emailed them for support, in fact, I emailed them a couple of times for two different support questions and never received a response.

Although their customer support was poor, last month I decided to make another purchase from them because I was at least familiar with the quality of their products. My money was accepted through Paypal and 2 weeks later I still had not received my order. My research found their website was no longer available.

After waiting another week, I tried to contact them via Paypal. After two days of no response, I finally received a reply telling me that my item shipped and had been received in Chicago the week before I ordered it. Two problems, the first being that they claimed it had been received and signed for before I had even placed an order AND it went to Chicago, IL. I live in California. When I responded with that information, I did receive another reply "sorry, wrong order." That was it, no further explanation on where my order was. All communication from Co2Doctor stopped from that point. 3-4 days later I escalated the issue to a dispute and received a refund from Paypal in 2 days.

I have no ill will towards the company, as I said I am very pleased with the original item I purchased from them. I am just explaining in detail what my subsequent dealings in the past month have been so that others can make an informed purchase. I honestly can say that I hope they can get the business back on track because their past product was quality.

Again, thank you for the information.

I'm sure they're overwhelmed with trying to get the site back online and orders fulfilled since they we're robbed. From what I know of my communication with them, they assemble all their parts in house which takes time. I'm guessing yours was on back order and they didn't get a chance to tell you. It can't be easy losing the head of the business/family member, being robbing and trying to pick up the pieces all at once.

One thing I know, I trust their products and will wait until the site is back to place another order.

 

[bubba69]

Co2Doctor is still OPEN for business. The website is down temporarily.

Define "temporarily." It's been "temporarily down" for about a year.

 

[Isabell]

Define "temporarily." It's been "temporarily down" for about a year.

It's been working just fine for me and my friends for a couple months now at least. Just ordered gifts actually.

 

[bubba69]

It's been working just fine for me and my friends for a couple months now at least. Just ordered gifts actually.

Thanks. Glad to see they've finally solved their problems.

 

[nostink]

It's been working just fine for me and my friends for a couple months now at least. Just ordered gifts actually.

Isabell, you are absolutely correct, their website is now up and running.

Unfortunately, if you have any issues or questions about their products, they still do not respond to support requests. I emailed a request about a week ago and have not received a response.

 

[bubba69]

Isabell, you are absolutely correct, their website is now up and running.

Unfortunately, if you have any issues or questions about their products, they still do not respond to support requests. I emailed a request about a week ago and have not received a response.

Difficult people to work with. Big chip on their collective shoulder.