refilling tanks with a compressor......

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bginop

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hi, i would like to get something out in the open. I am a paintballer and the thought of refilling my CO2 tanks with compressed air myself has just dawned in my mind. I know that scubbadivers should have an abundant knowledge of filling your tanks with Nitrogen. So i was wondering if any of you guy would have any idea on how to refull my Co2 Tanks with a compressor? And when i refull my "9 oz tank" how much pressure should i place in my tank?
 
First thing you need to do is find out the pressure your paintball tank gets filled to. If it's not marked, an internet search should turn that up. Then look at the max output pressure of the compressor you're planning to use - see if the numbers are anywhere near close.

Scuba diving requires special compressors that can supply both clean air, and *high* pressure air. A lot of compressors for things like driving spraypaint guns etc aren't even in the same league, supplying maybe 125psi, when you're going to want 3000psi or more.

For the record, most scuba tanks are filled with regular air, or oxygen-enriched air, not nitrogen :)
 
heh thanks for the info i found that a 20oz tank needs to be filled around 800-850 psi. So i found that a normal compressor will not even come close, although i was wondering if it was cheaper to buy a tank full of compressed air like from a scubba diving place. Or do you just go in and have your tanks refilled.


And for the record our "Fresh air" is acutally composed of 70% Nitrogen and 30% O2. Heh thermochemistry fills my mind with plenty of interesting facts. :)
 
bginop once bubbled...
filled around 800-850 psi. So i found that a normal compressor

cheaper to buy a tank full of compressed air like from a scubba diving place. Or do you just go in and have your tanks refilled.

And for the record our "Fresh air" is acutally composed of 70% Nitrogen and 30% O2. Heh thermochemistry fills my mind with plenty of interesting facts. :)
Uhh... actually it's closer to 21%/79%... unless you live in LA.

Our standard fill pressure is 3000psi, so we'd blow your 20oz tank to heck and back, but there must be some way to do it. I see scuba tanks being sold on Ebay as "paintball" tanks, and most local dive shops are allowing "paintball" fills for people who are not certified divers as long as they sign a release that the air will not be used for diving.

I would assume that there is a fill adapter available than also regulates the pressure to allow you to use one of our larger tanks to fill your gun.
 
Are you using Co2 or compressed air. I take from your post that you are using a co2 cartridge. If that is the case why not go to your local gas supplier and lease a large tank. You will of course need to purchase the raw caps, crimper and filler.

Without the new caps you can't refill the cartridge because it will empty as soon as you disengage the fill whip. One of the local paint-ball shops here has a set up like that. I have no ideal what the cost of it is though.

If your gun is capable of using compressed air like most of the newer guns first off a 9oz tank won't last but one shot. that is why they currently are using between 68 cubic inch and 98 cubic inch tanks.

Regardless I think you may be losing money converting.

Hallmac
 
By Scuba standards the pressure ina CO2 tank is relatively low but it is enough to keep the CO2 in a liquid state which is where the high storage volume comes from. When using air you will be storing a gas rather than a liquid and the volume will be very small.

Paintballers in this area using CO2 guns normally buy a large CO2 tank (about scuba tank size) and the required fittings.

Other people using guns designed for compressed air will transfill from an 80 or 100 cu ft 3000 psi aluminum scuba tank. This gives good results initially but after several fills the max pressure available falls off to the point where you need to refill the scuba tank.

Some of the newest air powered guns use very high pressure tanks in the range of 4000 psi. to increase air volume available. So even a full 3000 psi scuba tank does not yeild anywhere close to full capacity. High pressure fills also cost more at the local dive shop as do tanks that could accomodate pressures substantially greater than 3000 psi.

One of the local paint ball clubs in the area has their own compressor and 4000 psi cascade system mounted in an enclosed trailer. Memebers generally get very good fills until things get hot and heavy at tournaments. This type of club arrangement is really the ideal way to go.
 
bginop once bubbled...
hi, i would like to get something out in the open. I am a paintballer and the thought of refilling my CO2 tanks with compressed air myself has just dawned in my mind. I know that scubbadivers should have an abundant knowledge of filling your tanks with Nitrogen. So i was wondering if any of you guy would have any idea on how to refull my Co2 Tanks with a compressor? And when i refull my "9 oz tank" how much pressure should i place in my tank?

Shoot yeah, I hook paint ballers up all the time. But the air doesn't work well for them on chilly days. The CO2 is preferred when the temp. drops.

They will fill there CO2 tanks to 3K or lower.
 
hey, Ive been playing for 7 years and filling my own tanks for 5.

First off...you can not fill a co2 tank with compressed air. the tanks are very week and the regulator is completely different. If you decide to fill a co2 tank with air then dont expact to come out of the experience as a whole person...IE still haveing 2 arms, 2 legs, 1chest, 1torso, 1 head.

If you want to stay with CO2 then take Hallmac's advice and rent a CO2 tank. If you want to switch to nitro then there is one of two ways to do it.

1) The first and most expesive way to do it is to buy a compresser capable of producing 3000 psi. these will run in the thousands of dollers.

2) The second way is to buy a scuba tank and a scuba tank fill addapter (found on ebay under the paintball section for around 20-40 bucks).

So yea PLEAS remember DON'T FILL YOUR CO2 TANK WITH AIR. just pay the extra cash for a nitro tank. you can get them for under $100 now.

If you got any other questions about this topic or anything else paintball related. my e-mail is Snipes287@hotmail.com , my aol/msn sn is snipes287

Hope this helps. :D
 
Snipes is on the ball.

Here's the easy way. Buy a 3000 or 4500 psi paintball HPA tank ($80 for a 45ci 3000psi), an 80 cf SCUBA tank ($140), and a fill adapter ($50). Then you can get the tank filled at the local SCUBA shop for around $4, which will give you maybe 7 or 8 useful fills. All told, for an initial investment of about $220, you'll be able to fill your own paintball tank for roughly 50 cents per good fill. Keep in mind that if you get a 4500 psi tank, you'll only be able to get 3000 psi of air in there from a SCUBA tank.

A system to fill CO2 tanks will run roughly the same price, and cost you more per fill - more like $1 - and be a little more complicated.

Aluminum CO2 paintball tanks are rated to 1800 psi. Obviously, hooking that up to a SCUBA tank filled to 3000 psi will probably make you and whoever owns the building you're in very very unhappy.
 
CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...


Shoot yeah, I hook paint ballers up all the time. But the air doesn't work well for them on chilly days. The CO2 is preferred when the temp. drops.

They will fill there CO2 tanks to 3K or lower.

You have that backwards. CO2 doesn't work well when the temp drops, and air is preferred. The CO2 tanks are only rated to 1800 psi, I hope you're not filling their tanks with 3000 psi of air.
 

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