Noob questions re compressor use, tank pressure management, etc.....

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KS_Paperpuncher

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Sep 26, 2024
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Cripes... apologies. I didn't realize I had so many questions until I finished this post.

I'm spooling up on my first PCP, which will likely be the m60b. If inventory doesn't happen soon, I will be shifting over to the Zelos. So... same sort of frame, but Zelos has a degas screw.

I'm considering the GX C3 pump, if that is of benefit to know.

I've been trying to self educate, and have not found some basic answers to things I am curious about. Being overly OCD, I just want to avoid doing anything which might expose myself or others to bodily harm, or expose the gear to failure due to misuse.

OK... here goes. What are the correct steps for charging tanks in the following conditions?

1) Fully discharged tank on gun (I'm guessing at the process):

Open bleed screw on compressor. (I read that I should never start a compressor with pressure on the pump)
Attach hose to compressor and tank foster fittings
Close bleed screw
Start compressor
Stop compressor at desired fill
Open bleed screw
Remove hose

2) Partially filled tank on gun:

Same as condition 1 above?
Or does attaching the hose to a pressurized tank foster fitting then cause the mounted air rifle tank to back pressure the hose? (It seems to me that an integrated check valve on the tank would be a good thing, but I don't know what I don't know)

3) Filling a tank of any charge condition while tank is off of the rifle :

Same as condition 1 above?
Is there a valve on both ends of the tank such that the tank maintains pressure while off of the rifle? I have this horror scenario in my mind that I go to unscrew a charged cylinder and it goes shooting across the room.

4) To degas the m60b, I think folks just back the cylinder pressure gauge out a couple of turns to let it leak down. For the Zelos, the degas screw is used. Is this correct? Better way?

5) I see that the GX C3 pump has an integrated water and oil separator.
Is this the same as a "dryer" to keep water out of the gun?
Does that required draining / cleaning / media exchange? How often?
If the above is NOT for the compressed air, what is recommended to keep water / oil out of the air rifle tank?

Thanks

Frank
 
KS,
Can help with general compressor procedures and M60B, but GX-CS3 guys will need to chime in. I keep pressure release screws open, when not filling, in my Yong Heng. Filling a gun with empty, or partially filled tank (one-way valve holds pressure in tank,) is as follows; Attach fill whip (hose) with appropriate fill probe (or to male foster fitting) to gun. Start compressor, close pressure release screws, at desired pressure open pressure release screws, few seconds later shut off compressor. Remove hose. In this manner compressor starts and stops free from pressure. WM
 
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M60B could come with an old "remove-tank-to-fill" system or the new pre-installed male foster fitting. Snowpeak changed over last fall, but some old-style ones are still around. My .35 came in March as old-style, bought $37 collar, with installed male foster, from airgunarcheryfun in Canada. Old-style "remove-to-fill" worked by unscrewing tank, one-way valve held air in tank, but air in gun vented. Screw special adapter to tank and fill, some air from tank refilled gun when re-attached. Installed foster fitting fills like normal PCP. Loosening gauge is common method to vent air in any PCP without installed venting system. Zelos has degas system, IIRC. I'd never attempt to remove a pressurized tank from a PCP without a special valve installed to allow for such a procedure. These valves can be purchased but not a common item found on PCPs. WM
 
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Always have fill lines connected & secure before starting compressor with bleed valves OPEN. Some of us use a one way check valve male foster on our tank fill adapter which allows for opening tank valve without losing what air is inside the tank. Once compressor is started & pressure equalizes it opens check valve. The only time one should have to fill a tank from EMPTY is the 1st time you fill. After that you should only have to top off.
 
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rc4fun said:
ALMOST (as WM said)
Attach hose to compressor and tank foster fittings
Start compressor
Close bleed screw
At desired fill open bleed screw rapidly to avoid pressure loss in the tank, this allows the one way valve to close fast and make a good seal.
Stop compressor
Remove hose
Click to expand...
Should have used "bottle, not "tank" in my narrative. Never filled a SCBA or SCUBA tank so I'll leave that up to others for best practices. Thanks RC and Gerry, for clarifying. WM
 
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rc4fun said:
Off topic... All the shooting you do and you don't have a 60 min or even a 30 min :unsure: SCBA? How did that happen?
Click to expand...
Have a 66-yard range in back with backstops @ 50 and 66. Angles off porch so move furniture aside to set up shooting bench under umbrella and have at it. Couple days shooting, when 3-5 are down to reg, fire up Yong Heng for evening fill session, rinse and repeat. Spoiled, for sure, don't have away missions since pesting action is available in surrounding woods. Gerry had me looking at those two eBay SCBA tanks, only because struggling Airacuda MAX runs out of air quickly during testing, so it sits for a while till fill session. WM.
 
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I agree with all the "close the vent AFTER starting the compresser comments. You should check the filter on the compressed you get but most inexpensive compressors (hundreds, not thousands of dollars) use an absorber element sometimes described as cotton but mine are foam. Some hand pumps even have little ones. They are not reliable, especially for high humidity weather and longer runs so many of us add a second dryer filled with dessicant. I change the absorbent filter on my Yong Heng after each refill of my SCBA tank. I change the dessicant after it changes color which takes 6 or more refills. I bought a big bag of the absorbant filters from Alli Express. Some people let them dry out and reuse them.
 
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JimD said:
I agree with all the "close the vent AFTER starting the compresser comments. You should check the filter on the compressed you get but most inexpensive compressors (hundreds, not thousands of dollars) use an absorber element sometimes described as cotton but mine are foam. Some hand pumps even have little ones. They are not reliable, especially for high humidity weather and longer runs so many of us add a second dryer filled with dessicant. I change the absorbent filter on my Yong Heng after each refill of my SCBA tank. I change the dessicant after it changes color which takes 6 or more refills. I bought a big bag of the absorbant filters from Alli Express. Some people let them dry out and reuse them.
Click to expand...
Thanks.. can you expand on this? So you use a desiccant for H2O. I'm guessing that you have a particle filter first (closest to the bottle), then the desiccant such that the water is removed, then any stray particles from the desiccant are captured? Any means of trapping oil?
 
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I have the stock YH filter first with it's absorber element. I don't reuse these because the YH is splash lubricated and the element always catches some oil. Then I have a little bigger cylindrical filter housing that has a plastic cartridge inside. The cartridges came with charcoal in addition to desicant but I dumped that out and replaced it with color changing desicant. I replace the beads when they have absorbed moisture. I have a one way valve on the outlet of the second filter. That prevents me pressurizing the YH with the bottle and prevents me loosing the air already in the bottle if an O-ring on a filter goes bad. But you have to be careful dead heading the YH to be sure you don't trap air you can't vent if you put in a one way.
 
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