Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I have an old painted or chromed Sparklets syphon in the back of my cupboard. Can it be repaired?
A: In most cases the answer is yes. We can repair or recondition the vast majority of Sparklets soda syphons from the 1980s right back to the 1920s (and sometimes earlier). If it appears on our sales pages then we can almost certainly do it. The only note of caution is that, because these items are now pretty old, they need to be assessed for the ability to operate safely. If the body of a metal syphon is corroded internally then it may forcefully leak when pressurised, which may cause injury. We can check to see if your syphon will be safe to use when reconditioned or repaired. For glass bodies syphons any cracks in the glass may cause it to shatter (this is why they have a metal mesh cage around them).
Q: Do you repair and recondition the Schweppes type soda syphons, the ones that had to be returned to a shop to be refilled?
A: No, we don’t repair or recondition those. The totally un-protected thin glass body is quite prone to breakage when pressurised, and having no metal mesh to contain the broken pieces would make them dangerous to use.
Q: I have had a mesh covered glass bodied syphon left to me by my grand-parents. It has Sparklets or Aerators stamped on it. Can this be made to work again?
A: If the metal head is essentially undamaged, can be unscrewed from the body and the glass is uncracked, then the answer is probably yes. We can replace some missing parts, such as capsule keys and internal seals with new or reconditioned ones.
Q: I have a small sized glass syphon that looks similar to those on your website. Can that be repaired too?
A: Half–size and smaller refillable syphons were made until the mid part of the 20th Century. Unfortunately, the carbon dioxide capsules these require are not made anymore so, although they are probably repairable, you cannot get the consumable CO2 capsules to use with them.
Q: Where can I get the carbon dioxide capsules to use with my syphon? You don’t seem to sell them from your website.
A: Unless otherwise stated, all the syphons on sale on our website take the easily available 8 gram size carbon dioxide “charger” capsules, which can be bought from sellers on Ebay and Amazon. We recommend capsules manufactured by Liss, ProFizz and Mosa. However, we find that capsules manufactured by ISI do not reliably fit the vintage, classic and antique Sparklets syphons we sell.
Q: I have seen some old green Sparklets soda capsules on Ebay; are these likely to still work with my syphon?
A: You may be lucky with older capsules, provided they have not rusted significantly or the contents leaked away over the years. I have unused capsules from the 1930s that have retained their full charge of CO2 for all that time and others from the 60s that are totally empty. The main issue is that corrosion of the neck region will not allow a good seal to be made when charging your syphon and most of the gas will escape before it gets into the syphon. A good way to check old capsules is to weigh the bulbs prior to use; an empty bulb weighs about 20 grams whereas a full one is around 28 grams.
