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Fixing a SodaStream Jet, Repair #2 - Broken Fill Button

My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully).

First, a look at the button

The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."]

SodaStream Cracked Button
Cracked levering point of the button

SodaStream Button Retaining Pin
The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin

The Fix

It was pretty easy for me to replace the button:

  1. Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator.
  2. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes quite a bit of force. 
    • I found that using something like a nail to push out the pin is the wrong tool to use, as a nail expands the pin, making it even harder to remove. 
    • Instead, I used a small blunt screw of near equal diameter to the pin. 
    • Once the pin shifted a few millimeters, I was able to grab the pin with some large pliers and pull it out.
  3. Remove the lever by wiggling it out of place. Make sure you don't lose the spring!
  4. Take a replacement or repaired lever and install it by pushing the retaining pin back in place
SodaStream Button Lever
 

Obtaining a replacement button lever

What? What about the lever? Yes, there are some options to repair or replace the lever itself.

  • The best option is to find someone's dead SodaStream and cannibalize it for parts. Look on Craigslist, or on the curb during trash day. There is nothing like free.
  • Sometimes these buttons are for sale on eBay, such as this replacement button.
  • A reasonable option is to 3D print a replacement button, as seen here. 
  • Depending on the specifics of the failure, it may be possible to use epoxy putty to repair the problem. Note that any repaired plastic will need plenty of structure to deal with the stresses on the pivot point of the button. Levers are a force multipliers. I find it wise to never over-estimate the magic of glues, adhesives, cements, or epoxy.
  • It seems reasonable to make a replacement lever out of hard wood, or out a small block of aluminum. All of these could be more robust than the original plastic part.

Conclusion

If you find another source for replacement parts or developed another solution, please leave it in the comments.


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