What’s involved?
On receipt of the head from your Sparklets or Aerators Type C or D mesh covered glass syphon, we will dismantle and then inspect, examine, clean and test each component and, as part of our commitment to sustainability, we will replace only those parts which are required, such as all the rubber seals. We will then completely sterilise your head, pressure test it on one of our test syphons several times to guard against leaks and poor performance, then return it to you, ready for use.
During the dismantling process we need to carefully remove the chromed copper or aluminium cap from the top of the head and also the rivet holding the lever arm in place, thereby destroying them. When work has been completed these are replaced with new - remanufactured - items. The cap on later syphons is replaced with a polished copper cap (see pictures) or - for earlier syphons which originally had an aluminium cap - an aluminium cap (on request a copper cap). The lever arm rivet will be replaced with one made in nickel plated copper (see later listing photos).
Guaranteed to last at least a year, our experience tells us that most vintage Sparklets soda syphons heads made from around 1920 onwards can be reconditioned using our unique process. If you are unsure whether yours is suitable, please see the images and FAQs below. If you send us photos of your syphon and head, including one of the CO2 capsule connection feature, we will be able to give you an opinion.
If you have an old metal bodied BOC Sparklets soda syphon in your collection or at the back of a cupboard, we can return a large proportion of Sparklets Soda Syphons from the 40's, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s (see my other listings for ones we have successfully reconditioned; we can also handle 'Globemasters') back to a fully working condition with about a 95% success rate. We also carry a limited range of original, new and re-manufactured parts.
Which syphon heads are suitable for reconditioning?
All BOC Sparklets (and some Aerators) brand metal mesh covered glass syphons with a chrome, nickel or plain pewter head (with a CO2 capsule attachment feature with a round base which is an integral part of the metal head (see later pictures) are potentially suitable. This includes most Sparklets syphons from the late 1920's onwards, including Types C and D and De Luxe', etc. (We are now able to re-plate the chrome on the heads or bodies of the glass bodied syphons but this service costs extra and has a long lead time; please ask to be added to our waiting list). Do please send us a picture to make sure, before placing your order and sending your head.
What to do next
Once you have paid for your order we will send you our postal address. Please then send us your old metal Sparklets soda syphon head in a small cardboard box, which we will use to return your reconditioned syphon head back to you. We can replace some missing or broken parts from our stocks of reconditioned spares, but this will carry an additional cost. For example, around 3% of syphon heads need a new metal plunger valve piece as the old one has become broken at its end. As these currently have to be taken from another donor syphon to replace the broken item these parts cost an additional £25. Blunt CO2 capsule piercing pins can generally be salvaged unless heavily corroded.
T's and C's
Over 95% of the heads for the glass bodied Sparklets soda syphons from the 20's to 50's can be reconditioned without needing additional components. Sometimes, however, during the dismantling process, components are found to have become broken or are heavily corroded. Where it is not possible to recondition them, we can offer alternatives. In these circumstances, we will inform you via Ebay message. We will then provide you with a quote for the cost of the (recycled or reconditioned or newly remanufactured) components required to complete your job.
Because you have not sent us your syphon body we are unable to inspect the inside or outside for cracks or damage (to do this you would need to use the complete reconditioning service listed elsewhere). As a result you will need to self-certify that the glass syphon body you currently have is mechanically strong enough to be re-pressurised once we supply a working syphon head. Soda syphons operate at a peak of around 60 to 90 pounds per square inch so this is very important.
By paying for this service you have agreed that you are self-certifying that the glass body of your syphon and its neck threads are mechanically strong enough to be used for its intended purpose. Recon Syphons cannot, and does not, guarantee any part of your syphon that we have been unable to personally inspect for damage or wear.
Costs
A straightforward uncomplicated reconditioning of one syphon head (e.g. no substituted parts) is GBP185 inclusive of return UK postage. Discounts are available for multiple items sent together (10% on the cost for each additional item over the first, up to a maximum of 20% for a third item and more). Ask for a combined invoice at the checkout. Please contact us for revised postal costs if you are not from the UK.
Postage/Carriage to Non-British Countries: We now post to most European block countries (see postal options) using an tracked and insured service (up to EURO 300). We can post to other world-wide countries but potential buyers should contact us in advance so that we can provide a postal costs estimate; we will issue an Ebay invoice detailing costs if a sale is confirmed.
Our head reconditioning service includes :
1) Taking the head apart to remove the cap, spring, valve plunger, CO2 inlet valve assembly, etc. Due to age and water damage, parts are often seized together badly or have become broken and cannot be re-used (see below for remedies).
2) All the old parts are ultrasonically and mechanically cleaned to remove traces of old grease, lime, metallic corrosion, rubber seals and dirt. Parts are deliberately not brought back to a “new and shiny” condition, but simply brought back to an “aged but fully working” condition to maintain authenticity.
3) Removal of all the old seals (these are generally old, cracked, inflexible and non-working); old natural rubber parts are discarded and replaced with new, more durable, ones.
4) All the old O ring and other types of seals used in the syphon head assembly are then replaced with correctly sized new ones (not recycled or recovered or old stock!).
5) All the parts in the syphon head are re-assembled using appropriate potable water service approved lubricants, using the correct one for each part.
6) The repaired head is then pressure and leak tested on one of our test syphons at least twice.
7) A12 hour soak test in a fridge is carried out to ensure there is no water or gas leakage and adequate levels of carbonation are maintained.
8) If all the head seals are working properly then good levels of carbonation and no water leakage will be observed, leading to an overall PASS. Leakage of water or low levels of carbonation are further investigated.
9) If all seems OK then the test syphon is emptied of water and the customer's head is made ready for dispatch to the owner or purchaser.
Where possible, metal and plastic parts not in current manufacture or which cannot be economically re-made are replaced by recycled ones from donor syphons. However, all rubber sealing parts used are NEW.