Tanks for Paintball

[SpyderTek]

So I'm shopping around and I've found a number of people selling used tanks. Seems tey bought and used these tanks for Paintball NOT scuba.

So here's my questions...

1) how are they using these tanks for paintball?
2) since they are normal ALS 80s anyone see any reason they wouldt be able to be brought back into the scuba fold (as it were )
3) How are they getting airfills if they aren't scuba cetified?


Curiously,

SpyderTek

 

[JamesK]

Hmm, I never heard of that. When I worked at a gun store, we had a paintball range, and everything was CO2, not regular compressed air. Unless they are filling them with CO2, changing the valve out, and using them to fill their indivual smaller tanks that attach to the gun.

 

[roakey]

I don't know about paintball, but I used to coach air pistol down at the Olympic Training Center (no, I didn't coach the US team ) and they used AL80s and air to charge their pistols.

The dive shop made them sign a waiver "not to be used for SCUBA diving" and filled 'em up!

Roak

 

[devjr]

I remember seeing a paintball/Scuba tank being filled with air by a small LDS in the Woodbridge, VA area. The shop owner understood what it was for and it all looked pretty routine as the customer stood by.

 

[Scottri]

The tanks used for paintball are the exact same tanks as used for SCUBA. The paintballers have a special adapter that fits over the yoke that enables them to fill paintball guns. Most paintballers buy their tanks from a SCUBA shop. To use one for scuba you would just need to take it to a dive shop and have the VIS inspection done as well as a Hydro if it is needed. Other than that it is the same as SCUBA. I would buy one if it was a good deal and not worry about it.

Scott

 

[tank189]

Well Scottri has the basic idea right but I thought I would just clear a few things up. The tanks we use in paintball that get filled from scuba are compressed air tanks either 3000 or 4500psi, but they are not the same threaded fittings we have to have a speacial adaptor that goes from the tank to a 1/8in fill nipple on the air tank, as to how people fill the tanks I dont know as I have never done it before but I was wondering if any of you would be able to tell me what the thread dimensions are on a standard scuba tank valve because I have worked out a deal with the local dive shop that if I can get an adaptor he will be able to fill my tanks out of thier compressor, I would be very thankful to anyone who would be able to tell me this.

 

[Brandon]

Here's another idea:

http://www.deep-six.com/page100.htm

Should run around $100.

Hooks up to a much larger Alum 80cf tank. With this adapter, you can have fills for you and your friends wherever you go. Should be pretty safe too... you're just equalizing pressure between the two tanks, no chance for an overfill. Your pressure will be less and less on every fill, but that'll just result in every consecutive fill having less shots available. According to their numbers, even after 22 fills, you're still getting 600+ shots / fill.

Fill whip : $100
AL 80: $150
Fills: $5

You should be able to fill your paintball tank somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 dozen times from one air fill.

Might look into that as an option.

Otherwise, here's your compressor -> paintball tank adapter. About $150 bucks.

http://www.southernindianascuba.com/store/index.html?loadfile=catalog71_1.html

-Brandon.

 

[tank189]

thanks alot fairbanks they had exactly what i needed

 

[RonFrank]

You just have an adapter that goes over the Yolk valve, and screws into the paintball tank. The paintball tanks are like mini scuba tanks. Mine is made from Alum. I'm too cheap to buy the MUCH MUCH more expensive carbon fiber tank. A carbon fiber paintball tank can cost more then a Steel E8 100.

The problem is that one can only get the pressure in the paintball tank that is in the scuba tank. So when my tank is at 750psi, I can only do a 750psi fill. You can get a whip that will allow one to fill to close to 3000psi on a tank with less than 3000psi. Not sure what whips cost, I'm guessing more than I'd be willing to spend.

Fortunately you get a lot of bang for your buck filling paintball tanks from scuba. For example to fill a C02 tank at the local hardware store they charge $.25 per oz. So for $5.00 I can fill a 20oz tank. That's a bit expensive even if you get maybe 1000 shots out of a tank. With scuba one can get dozens of fill off one tank even if each fill is progressively lower.

I have no clue how ballers get air fills if they are not certified, as I am certified. The tanks they use are standard AL80's in general. To have them filled by an LDS they must have current hydro and vis. There is nothing wrong with using a tank for both scuba, and paintball. The interesting thing is that ballers will pay $125 for a beat up tank, and think they are getting a deal as that is likely less than they paid for their gun tank. So scuba shops have found a new market for selling tanks, and air.

Scubatoys is an example of IMO a solid business model that adapts to changing markets... and guess what.... they are selling paintball equipment, tanks, and air fills to this emerging market.

 

[Brandon]

Ron-

In my experience, most dive shops don't care, as long as they understand that the tank is being used to fill paintball tanks and the hydro is current.

It's not like the scuba police are going to take away anyone's birthday.

A scuba tank at 3000 psi will, as you say, fill a smaller paintball tank dozens of times. That first fill will be just about at 3000 psi, the next at 2900, 2800, and so on down the line. I don't feel like doing the exact math, heheh.

Without a compressor, there shouldn't be any way to get a 750 psi source tank to end up with 3000 psi in the paintball cylinder... as far as I've ever known, a whip is just an adapter with a length of hose on it to make filling tanks easier.

-Brandon.