Reverse Osmosis System with Sparkling Water: How to Make Sparkling Water from RO Water
A reverse osmosis system like the Hydrion Purity RO600 filters tap water in several stages and then dispenses it still—that is, without carbonation—through its own faucet. The carbonation for sparkling water always comes from a second, independent device: either a countertop water carbonator, which you fill with the filtered water, or a permanently installed inline carbonation system with its own CO2 supply. So anyone searching for a “reverse osmosis system with sparkling water” is essentially looking for two separate devices that are installed, operated and maintained differently.
- RO filtration and carbonation are two technically independent processes, even though providers often mention them together in their advertising.
- The RO600 dispenses filtered, still water through its own faucet and does not include a carbonator or a CO2 cartridge.
- For sparkling water, you need either a countertop water carbonator or a separate inline system with its own CO2 cylinder, each with its own maintenance schedule.
- The built-in TDS display measures dissolved minerals and salts in the filtered water, not the carbonation you add afterward.
What a reverse osmosis system actually provides
The RO600 purifies water through three cartridges arranged in sequence. The first stage combines a sediment fleece with an activated carbon block to trap sand, rust and coarse particles while reducing chlorine. The second stage is the reverse osmosis membrane itself, with a pore size of 0.0001 micrometers, which, according to the manufacturer, significantly reduces dissolved solids, heavy metals, fluoride and PFAS. The third stage adds a rounder taste using activated carbon as well as alkaline and mineral media. For a detailed explanation of how the individual stages of a system work together and what matters at each stage, see the in-depth reverse osmosis guide.
These three stages purify water, but they do not add gas or the pressure needed for carbonation. The RO600’s live TDS display shows how many dissolved solids are present in the water just filtered, making it a different measurement from dissolved CO2. The water leaves the system only through its own designated low-flow faucet, still and uncarbonated. The same principle—do not confuse an additional feature with the filtration performance itself—also applies to hydrogen enrichment: the comparison Reverse Osmosis Water Filter with Hydrogen Function explains why a system with a hydrogen function still does not have different filtration performance.
How sparkling water is made
Physically speaking, carbonation in water is CO2 gas dissolved in the water under pressure. In a closed, pressurized container, considerably more gas remains dissolved than would be possible at normal air pressure; cool water also holds more gas than warm water. When the container is opened, the pressure drops and the excess CO2 escapes as bubbles. This relationship between pressure and the amount of dissolved gas is described by Henry’s law and applies whether carbonation takes place in a small countertop device or a larger, permanently installed system.
Two common ways to turn reverse osmosis water into sparkling water
In practice, there are essentially two ways to carbonate reverse osmosis water, and both keep filtration and carbonation as separate consumables with their own maintenance schedules.
Fill a countertop water carbonator with reverse osmosis water
With the first option, you fill the supplied bottle of a countertop water carbonator with water from the RO faucet, then carbonate it using the device’s own CO2 cartridge. Devices in this category, which includes SodaStream devices, press compressed CO2 directly from a refillable cylinder into the bottle filled by the user. The cylinder is a separate, replaceable consumable that has nothing to do with your choice of water; historically, soda siphons worked in the same way, using small, single-use CO2 capsules. Accordingly, its use is independent of how often you replace the reverse osmosis system’s filter cartridges.
Separate inline/under-sink carbonation system
With the second option, a permanently installed device pumps water into a pressure chamber, mixes it there with CO2 from its own tank and dispenses it through an additional faucet outlet. The same basic technology used by commercial systems in bars and restaurants is described here as a separate step, distinct from water purification itself. In the kitchen, this generally means an additional line or a second faucet handle beside the existing sink faucet. The article Faucet for a Reverse Osmosis System explains why reverse osmosis systems use a separate faucet and what to consider at the sink; the same considerations can also be applied to an additional carbonation faucet.
What the Hydrion Purity RO600 does—and does not—provide
The RO600 product page describes a filtration system only: three cartridge stages, a live TDS display, filter status lights, automatic flushing after startup and after extended operation, and a safety shutoff after 30 minutes of continuous operation. Water is dispensed through its own faucet at up to 1.6 liters per minute. No carbonation function, sparkling water or soda mode is mentioned anywhere in the product description. The overview below therefore separates what the system itself includes from what you additionally need for sparkling water.
| What the RO600 provides | What you additionally need for sparkling water |
|---|---|
| Three filtration stages: sediment/activated carbon, RO membrane, post-filter with alkaline mineral media | A countertop water carbonator or an inline carbonation system |
| Live TDS display for dissolved solids in the filtered water | A separate refillable or replaceable CO2 cartridge, or a CO2 tank for the carbonation device |
| Its own low-flow faucet for still, filtered water | For an inline system: an additional line or a second faucet handle at the sink |
| Automatic flushing, filter status display, 30-minute safety shutoff | A separate maintenance schedule for the CO2 supply, independent of filter cartridge replacement |
So, if you are looking for filtered water with the lowest possible TDS before carbonating it, the RO600 is a suitable source; the carbonation itself is always handled by a second device. The article Remineralizing RO Water explains how carbonation differs from remineralization, which is also a separate process and concerns taste, pH and minerals rather than gas bubbles.
Does carbonation change the TDS reading?
TDS meters work by measuring the electrical conductivity of water; they register how well ions conduct electricity between two electrodes. Conductivity meters measure only ionic transport in water, that is, charged dissolved particles such as mineral salts. Most dissolved CO2 is present in water as a neutral molecule and contributes very few charged particles, so based on this measurement principle, pure carbonation is expected not to change the reading to any significant extent; there is no direct set of measurements specifically for CO2, and this remains an estimate derived from the measurement principle rather than a verified individual value. In practice, this means you should check the TDS value at the RO600’s still-water outlet before carbonating the water, because the meter was not designed for the subsequent carbonation step. The article What Is TDS in Water? explains in more detail what a TDS value means and what values are typical for filtered water.
That leaves a clear distinction for your purchase decision: the RO600 handles filtration and provides still water with a low TDS value through its own faucet, while the carbonation comes from a second device of your choice, whether a countertop water carbonator or a permanently installed inline system. If you want to combine both steps, it is best to plan them separately: choose the reverse osmosis system based on filtration performance and the space available under the sink, and choose the carbonator or inline system based on CO2 consumption, connections and the desired level of carbonation.