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Thread: home version of paintball cylinder refill setup

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
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    home version of paintball cylinder refill setup

    I have four brand new unused paintball cylinders that are expired and no one will fill them without having them retested (which costs as much as buying new cylinders). Does anyone have any plans/drawings for a system I could use at home to refill my CO2 paintball cylinders that I use to charge up my QB78 airguns?
    Roger Petrella
    Colorado Springs, CO

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy nelsonted1's Avatar
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    Same problem for me. Can small tanks be filled off scuba tanks?

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    Probably but you risk getting hurt, maimed or killed.
    My scuba tanks have to be hydro tested every 5 years.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Half Dog's Avatar
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    I’m sure the retesting is required for a reason. Saying that, the last time I took kiddo to play paintball I noticed they were using compressed air instead of Co2. Perhaps info is available on how to recharge the bottles using an air compressor.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master

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    you can purchase some large tanks filled with co2 and make an adaptor to refill the smaller tanks. the problem is you will start to get diminished returns as the big tank will not fill the little tank as full because the pressures start to drop. you can get a scavenger pump that will take all the co2 out of the big tank and completely fill the little tank but they are around 5 grand. a scba compressor will also fill the little tanks, just with ambient air, not pure co2, but it is also cost prohibitive.
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by rogerpjr View Post
    I have four brand new unused paintball cylinders that are expired and no one will fill them without having them retested (which costs as much as buying new cylinders). Does anyone have any plans/drawings for a system I could use at home to refill my CO2 paintball cylinders that I use to charge up my QB78 airguns?
    i bought a 'manifold' off ebay decades ago to fill my paintball gun cylinders from a bulk co2 tank.
    the ebay manifold came with 'connection' to the paintball cylinder and had a screw top valve to open/close the cylinder 'stud'.

    i bought a bulk tank from a gas supply place 30 minutes from home (wasn't cheap even back then), the manifold was simply piping with 2 ball valves.
    (1 valve shot to the cylinder, 1 valve vented to open air)

    when the 20lb bulk tank ran dry, i'd drive to the supply place and exchange tanks just like you'd exchange small propane tanks.

    that was 18.00 u.s. back then.

    good luck
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  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    If you have a friend in the Bars or restaurants business maybe they will lend you a co2 tank?

    The liquid is in a saturated state at around 800# room temperature, scuba is a different gas at 3000. Don't try to mix them. The pressure in co2 is constant until the last drop of liquied has evaporated. Then the pressure will fall. Thats why you can't easily transfer from big to little bottles. There has to be a pressure difference from either a fully empty small bottle or by cooling it in a freezer. An empty bottle can be filled about halfway, a frozen one may overfill and release the safety as it warms. Those have to be weighed when filling. Good luck

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    There is a reason pressurized tanks need to be hydrostatically tested, its to make sure they aren't going to explode when filling. That is why all tanks have expiration dates. The testing is expensive also that is why most people just buy new tanks. It is also why tank filling should be done in a cage. I have filled many SCBA, SCUBA & Oxygen bottles off of cascade systems including the compressor to fill the air bottles. Our SCBA bottles were filled to 4,500 psi, the SCUBA to 3,500 PSI & the oxygen bottles to 2.000 PSI. The original system used a metal garbage can filled with water to cool them, the newer system used cylinder chambers to confine each one in case of explosion.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    Not sure what the cost in your area would be but I have my welding co2 tanks tested and filled at the local fire supply place. Last time I had a tank tested I think it was $20. To get a tank filled seems to cost $20 dollars for the trouble of hooking up the tank and the gas is free cause every tank seems to cost $20 plus tax regardless of size.

    From what I understand all the local welding shops take their cylinders to him to be hydro tested and charge a healthy markup.

    You might look and see if their is something like that locally.
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  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I did some research on this a year or 2 ago when I was considering a PCP air rifle. Their are pumps out there for charging the tanks a few hundred dollars for them, but they dont do the job alone or by themselves. They are a 2 stage being the second stage with a normal air compressor pre charging them to get to the tanks pressure level. SO your actually running 2 compressors and the second is usually water cooled

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    I'm surprised you need to have CO2 tanks pressure tested - they only run about 750 PSI at room temp (if I remember correctly).
    Back in the day when my kids and I played paintball, it was cost prohibitive to have 4 tanks fllied at the field multiple times.
    I sprang for a full sized CO2 tank (like 5' tall) at a gas supply house (ya want a "siphon" tank by the way).
    Was maybe $75 for the tank, $25 to refill. (They just swapped tanks with me)
    Pyramid air has all the fittings you need to fill portable tanks from a master tank.
    NO idea what it costs now for a tank or a fill - this was 15+ years ago.
    My lab has lots compressed gas tanks - $8-10 monthly "rent" , I figured better to just buy the tank
    I have been thinking of getting a Discovery and switching it over to CO2 just cause I have the tank.
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  13. #13
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    Being a paintball field and store owner for 21 years please listen to this.
    Co2 is a liquid converting to a gas for use. The cylinders corrode from the inside out. That is the reason for the 5 year rehydro date. You are dealing with a hand grenade if it gets week from corrosion. Its illegal for a store to refill your out of date cylinders for a reason.
    2nd co2 tanks are rated to about 1500 psi max. You need 2000- 3000 psi to shoot your pcp air gun. The Co2 tank CANNOT take that pressure safetly
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  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
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    Dry Ice might work.
    I have a SodaStream and last time I needed to refill it, I took the fitting/plug off the cylinder (after verifying no pressure), went to the store and got some dry ice, Weighed out the correct amount, crushed it and put it in then re assembled. Once it warmed up I was back in business for a fraction of the cost. Seems like the same principal would work for the tanks you're wanting to fill

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy mister gizmo's Avatar
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    I don't shoot CO2 anymore since I sold my Steyr competition pistol, but I did purchase a Walther/Hammerli gun which is compressed-air powered. Since I have to travel some distance for competition, I also bought a small, portable pony tank which I can fill conveniently with 3000 psi air at my nearby scuba shop. The pony tank comes with the correct valving to load my pistol with 3000 psi.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master Dapaki's Avatar
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    I use an out of date ex-NAVY scba tank for my PCP guns. Yes, I understand the risks but am comfortable doing so. I can bring the bottle out to my bench and shoot all day off of that bottle and never refill it while shooting. For even more uninterrupted fun, I just fill the tank to 3k and teather it for the day.

    Also, NOE sells several pellet molds and while you should not expect JSB accuracy, they are good enough for plinking.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Not CO2, but I went through this when I decided to buy a PCP rifle.

    Yes, new tanks are expensive. They have a service life of 15 years and need to be retested every 5 years. That looked expensive. My tank cost $700 delivered. I could have bought a used tank for $150 on eBay. A savings of $550. That works out to less $40/year for the peace of mind I am not dealing with a potential bomb.

    It looked like a stupid way to save a few dollars. And if anyone ever got injured, maimed or killed, how would I feel?

    I do not refill those 1 lb propane tanks for the same reason. Reward is not worth the risk. Part of it is being old.

    WRT to the HP air tank. I am 70...it will last until I am 85. If I am still shooting and I will get another one. I am blessed that $40/year is not that important to me.
    Don Verna


  18. #18
    Boolit Mold johnnyj63's Avatar
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    I shoot big bore air rifles and use an HPA compressor to fill the gun and tanks. Click image for larger version. 

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  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    I have a small compressor to fill my PCP gun. It runs off 12v so I can refill at the range multiple times off a small 12v gel cell battery. I am working on even smaller Li Poly packs or 18650's. Even better if I could use my cordless power tool packs but they are 18V so I would need a DC to DC power controller.

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  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy
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    Paintball guns come in 2 flavors, CO2 and HPA (compressed air). I have tree injection equipment that runs on HPA and I have a scuba tank and fill set up. I will go a year past test date. My paintball shop never sent yaks out for testing until last yet when new tanks could not be found. I shi tanks out and get them tested for about $18 each.

    I also keep a CO2 tire fill system in each of our UTV’s. A flat when you are wheeling for fun is an annoyance, while working in the back corner of a state park it is a serious problem. I have filled these using dry ice in a pinch, but for $6 I get them filled. Have 2 that need testing this year so I will send out or buy new if available.

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