Scuba Tanks

[FIDI_G]

Recomendations on looking for a used Scuba Tank? I have seen a few on FB Market place. Just curious if and what I should be looking for?

Do you guys use the larger 80 cu.ft. SCUBA Tank or do you go with a smaller one? Do you go to a dive shop to fill it out or do you have your own compressor?

 

[Firewalker]

I bought my tanks off ebay, 65 ft, Luxfer, ex-navy tanks, just expired, fill them at home off of a Yong Heng compressor.

 

[MACTEN]

I don't think most of us still use scuba tanks. I did for years but turned like most to SCBA tanks that firemen use. Instead of 3000 psi the ones rated for it, take 4500 psi which means a lot more fills. You can find used ones on ebay for not much $ and unless you don't have a self owned fill source will need a current hydro (like scuba tanks need as well) to get it filled at a diveshop or fire station/supply.

 

[Keyman62421]

1 way or the other, you're going to need a bottle! If you can afford a compressor, that would be the way to go.
With a compressor you can go with a smaller bottle. More manageable

 

[FIDI_G]

I bought my tanks off ebay, 65 ft, Luxfer, ex-navy tanks, just expired, fill them at home off of a Yong Heng compressor.

Can you use your Yong Heng compressor to just fill your gun cannister? Do you use the tank when you go out somewhere or you want to be mobile? I'm just trying to piece all this together? I'm a total nood so don't really have the big picuture. yet. I guess you need a compressor to fill the tank. I live pretty close to a scuba shop and I think they charge about $15 to fill a tank which should last quite a while so I was on the fence about needing to buy compressor and spending another $300? I"m still looking for my first PCP Rifle.

 

[FIDI_G]

1 way or the other, you're going to need a bottle! If you can afford a compressor, that would be the way to go.
With a compressor you can go with a smaller bottle. More manageable

Yeah that's a great point. Makes total sense. But if I'm mobile my car truck has an inverter so why need a tank. Now I'm questioning if I need a tank at all just pay some extra and get a compressor. I guess the tanks are going to be a lot cheaper than the compressors. I'm assuming we dont want to go much cheaper than Yong Heng compreesor's at around the $300 range. Or are there more affordable options?

 

[Joes41]

Luxfer makes a 4350 psi scuba tank. It starts as a 80cf aluminum tank and gets wrapped with fiberglass to make it 106cf. The fiberglass allows it to take the extra pressure. Cost is 500 bucks. Was the first tank I bought when I started with pcps. At that price your better going with CF tank.

 

[timmah]

Well totally depends on the gun you choose, it's max fill pressure and how much you shoot. If you're going to look for a scuba tank, look for one that has a max pressure rating of over 3000 PSI (~200 BAR). You can then use this fill calculator to see how many fills you can expect on your gun: https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks/FillCalc.html

Now just because a gun can fill to 250 BAR doesn't mean you have to fill it that far. Just means you'll be getting fewer shots before you fall to an unusable/undesireable pressure, and will need to be filling more often.

 

[JimD]

I bought an expired 45 minute SCBA tank for about $100 from ebay. I paid about twice that for a good fill set after trying a cheap one that totally did not work. I bought my YH first and filled my guns with it at first. It is totally doable but you have to stay on top of it with a Prod - it doesn't hold a lot of air. It is more convenient to fill the SCBA tank and then fill the guns from that. Normally I only fill the tank about once a month. The YH is noisy so running it is not a real relaxing experience. Filling from bottle is nearly silent. The bottle is also easily portable and I have taken it with me to a range a few times. With a full tank I probably have over 1000 shots available.

The expired tank is a risk, of course, but others report good experience over extended time periods. I also think the failure mode will be a leak. My whole compressor/tank/fill set cost about what a similar, maybe a little bigger, new DOT bottle would cost. I've also seen an opinion that SCBA tanks are made better than the tanks sold for paint ball or PCPs. If my SCBA tank fails relatively quickly I will have to decide if I buy another expired bottle or get a new one. But it's already lasted a year or more - so it has given me significant service already. If it lasts 5 years or more I'll probably just buy another SCBA bottle.

I can't see buying a SCUBA tank. They are heavy on purpose and don't hold a lot of air. My Prod is the only gun it could fill completely and it wouldn't even fill it for very long. My other 4 guns are rated 250 bar or higher so a SCUBA tank could never fill them completely. It seems like it would be frustrating. SCBA tanks are light.

 

[Firewalker]

Can you use your Yong Heng compressor to just fill your gun cannister? Yes, I fill my Varmint with a .5L tank often. Do you use the tank when you go out somewhere or you want to be mobile? Yes, I throw it on the seat of the side by side and take it over to the other side of our property to hunt. I'm just trying to piece all this together? I'm a total nood so don't really have the big picuture. yet. I guess you need a compressor to fill the tank. I live pretty close to a scuba shop and I think they charge about $15 to fill a tank which should last quite a while so I was on the fence about needing to buy compressor and spending another $300? I"m still looking for my first PCP Rifle. Just wait, you'll be shooting so much that you'll be at the scuba shot twice a week then once you have 20 visits in a month, you'll be asking yourself, "Self, why did I do this?"

 

[Gerry52]

IMHO, BYPASS a SCUBA tank & get an SCBA tank! 4500psi (or thereabouts) will give you way more fills than a 3000 or 3200psi SCUBA tank. Much lighter to lug around (SCBA) than a SCUBA. IF you'll be getting it filled at a shop it has to be within its 5 yr hydrotest cert. and within its 15 yr from manufacture date. If you have your own compressor, no worries. Dive shops will ONLY fill SCUBA to 3,200psi max (if tank is HP SCUBA, 3000psi if not). SCUBA's need 5 yr hydrotest & annual VIP (visual inspection).

 

[FIDI_G]

I don't think most of us still use scuba tanks. I did for years but turned like most to SCBA tanks that firemen use. Instead of 3000 psi the ones rated for it, take 4500 psi which means a lot more fills. You can find used ones on ebay for not much $ and unless you don't have a self owned fill source will need a current hydro (like scuba tanks need as well) to get it filled at a diveshop or fire station/supply.

What are the tanks that fireman use? What do I search for?

 

[FIDI_G]

IMHO, BYPASS a SCUBA tank & get an SCBA tank! 4500psi (or thereabouts) will give you way more fills than a 3000 or 3200psi SCUBA tank. Much lighter to lug around (SCBA) than a SCUBA. IF you'll be getting it filled at a shop it has to be within its 5 yr hydrotest cert. and within its 15 yr from manufacture date. If you have your own compressor, no worries. Dive shops will ONLY fill SCUBA to 3,200psi max (if tank is HP SCUBA, 3000psi if not). SCUBA's need 5 yr hydrotest & annual VIP (visual inspection).

Ok so the SCBA tank is what fireman use? If I dont have a compressor and a dive shop wont fill it where do I get the SCBA tanks filled? What kind of shop ??

 

[FIDI_G]

I bought an expired 45 minute SCBA tank for about $100 from ebay. I paid about twice that for a good fill set after trying a cheap one that totally did not work. I bought my YH first and filled my guns with it at first. It is totally doable but you have to stay on top of it with a Prod - it doesn't hold a lot of air. It is more convenient to fill the SCBA tank and then fill the guns from that. Normally I only fill the tank about once a month. The YH is noisy so running it is not a real relaxing experience. Filling from bottle is nearly silent. The bottle is also easily portable and I have taken it with me to a range a few times. With a full tank I probably have over 1000 shots available.

The expired tank is a risk, of course, but others report good experience over extended time periods. I also think the failure mode will be a leak. My whole compressor/tank/fill set cost about what a similar, maybe a little bigger, new DOT bottle would cost. I've also seen an opinion that SCBA tanks are made better than the tanks sold for paint ball or PCPs. If my SCBA tank fails relatively quickly I will have to decide if I buy another expired bottle or get a new one. But it's already lasted a year or more - so it has given me significant service already. If it lasts 5 years or more I'll probably just buy another SCBA bottle.

I can't see buying a SCUBA tank. They are heavy on purpose and don't hold a lot of air. My Prod is the only gun it could fill completely and it wouldn't even fill it for very long. My other 4 guns are rated 250 bar or higher so a SCUBA tank could never fill them completely. It seems like it would be frustrating. SCBA tanks are light.

Yeah good points. Ill be looking at an SCBA tank instead of a SCUBA tank. Based on everyones feedback. I would suspect that SCBA tanks are built for professional use fireman and such and would be built to a much higher standard or spec than some of the alternatives.

 

[Gerry52]

Ok so the SCBA tank is what fireman use? If I dont have a compressor and a dive shop wont fill it where do I get the SCBA tanks filled? What kind of shop ??

Therein lies the problem that makes many of us buy compressors. For a shop to fill, a tank must be within 15 yrs of manufacture & within hydro cert. Call dive shops & paintball shops near you to find who fills to a TRUE 4500psi. I've NEVER found a fire station in California to fill tanks due to liability. Bite the bullet & get a compressor. It SAVES you money in the long run. Try to connect with local airgunners who might be willing to fill. You're facing the same dilemma most of us faced but most have figured out. My Yong Heng has done me right for 3 years now. I treat it as gently as is possible & have had no problems to speak of YET!

 

[spork]

if mobility isnt too big of an issue...im using a a 2 cilinder tuxing compressor (about 450 bucks) to fill my tank wich is a 50 liter oxygen tank my father in law had laying around, thing never leavetls my car and i get quite some fills out of this on my 480cc bottle, biggest downside id say tank only goes to 250 bar instead of 300
however these tanks you can sometimes fins for way less than scuba's but are heavier

 

[Deltaman]

Rent a hydrogen tank from a welding supply and fill it to 6000 psi. Charlie Freer says that's what he uses.

 

[charlie99]

I have started with pcp's about a year ago almost. I did my research prior to purchasing anything. I have come to the conclusion that you really do need a tank if you enjoy shooting for any length of time. Depending on which pcp you get, you may get as few as roughly 20 usable shots before it needs to be refilled. Ask yourself if you want to shoot for a few minutes and then wait for several more minutes for your airgun to be refilled. With an scba tank filling takes 30 seconds and you're right back to shooting. You can also tether directly to the gun for crazy amount of shots (need to have regulator for this if the pressure in the tank is greater than what your gun can take). In the case of say the avenger or any gun that can safely take 300 bar you're good to go there. There is also the noise associated with running a compressor so in my case i just fill my tanks when they are low on the same day or two. I have 5 tanks, 3-45 min scba with current hydro, one which is new, and two 60 min tanks one new and one just past the 15 year date but in pristine condition. Fill stations you can buy premade or assemble one yourself.

 

[steve-l]

As I have said before on this forum, the most expensive part of this hobby is high pressure air, HPA. Ultimately, everybody ends up with a compressor and several bottles. One very important truth is just because your kit can use 300 bar, the question remains, should you? The only advantage using 300 bar offers is more gun refills. So how important is that really? The downside is equipment stress and greater failure rates. I have a very good Bauer compressor and I use 3 12 liter tanks. Two are aluminum scuba and one is a 12 liter scba cf bottle. I never charge these beyond 235 bar..I can shoot all day with my .25 Crown on one tank at the range and for that, I use the scba cf tank simply because it is lighter. I do most of my shooting at home with no need to tote a bottle anywhere, so I use the scuba bottles. I shoot every day my PP700SA pistol at least 20 rounds a day. One 12 liter bottle will refill that pistol for a month. It takes me only seconds to refill a gun and about 10 to 15 minutes to recharge the 12 liter tank.There is no reason to discount the use of scuba bottles. They are less expensive, more common and just fine at lower pressures. In all cases tank corrosion is your enemy and water is always the cause. So, no matter what bottle type you use, remove the short tube that extends from the tank valve before putting the tank in use. This will allow you to purge any residual water from condensation by simply turning the tank upside down and cracking the bottle valve preventing the depressurization and valve removal for the same thing.

 

[c_m_shooter]

I use an aluminum scuba tank. It was cheaper to buy new than to get a used one that was out of date. My shop can only fill to 3,000 psi, so there is no use going with a carbon bottle. I tune most of my guns for a 2500 psi fill and get plenty of fills from my tank. I still have a hand pump for back up to top off the big bore if I need to. I never bought a compressor because of the stories about the cheaper import reliability when they first came out a few years back.