I would like to have a portable air tank for pcp refills.I see lots of used scuba tanks on ebay. I am totally ignorant. Help me out men. THANKS!
TANK PROS & CONS
- Thread starter UDABEGGER
- Start date
Forget SCUBA, max fill pressures low for effective PCP charging, think SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) carbon-fiber tanks used by firefighters. Max fill of 4500psi, perfect for PCPs. WM
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+1 to what WorriedMan says. A scuba tank is made to have negative bouyancy for a diver to sink. Why would you want to carry around a heavy tank which can hold much fewer refills than a light weight SCBA tank? Carbon fiber tanks are the way to go for portability and maximum refill capacity.
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If utilizing commercial filling establishments, SCBA tanks have a 15-year expiration and 5-year re-certification requirement, need both to be good for filling. Own a 4500psi compressor, approved to fill size tank you desire, doesn't matter. Visual defects in carbon-fiber wrap would be cause for concern but many use "expired" tanks safely. (Same SCBA tanks in Europe have a 30-year expiration.) China offers new carbon-fiber tanks for PCP use @ low prices. Of course, not inspected, nor approved, by any US agency, so roll the dice and take your chances, commercial fill places won't touch these. WM
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I use an expired Scott tank that came with a valve. I took the spring out of it so it is easier to use and it works fine. But to connect to my guns I needed a fill set. I tried an inexpensive one from Amazon and it leaked badly. So I bought a good one from Joe Brancatto. The "stickman" is another design I think should work fine. Some inexpensive ones may work but the one I tried did not. I've been using this setup for a couple years now with no issues. The fill set connects to the valve off the bottle and adds a gauge and a bleed valve and a hose with a female foster on the end to connect to your gun. Mine has a small diameter hose to slow down the fill which seems to be necessary to accurately decide when to stop the fill. Even with it I throttle a bit near the end.
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I did the same as a lot of people here. Bought a used SCBA tank on ebay and stuck a cheap fill station on it. The tank was in surprisingly good condition, but the fill station was a dog. After giving me a glycerine bath, I ditched the fill station and bought a Stikman. The Stikman is superior in all aspects, and it doesn't squirt things at me. Oh, and if you screw in (or is it out) the nut on the SCBA tanks' valve knob you don't have to awkwardly push it in to turn it.
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With couple friends we bought an outdated full scba rack from a firestation auction sale, I think it was back about 2018 maybe. My share was four tanks , the stickers on the tanks the oldest is 2005-07.
Two valves I replaced right there first weeks to DIN, and the last two tank valves I replaced since last summer... with aliexpress valves.
Just saying that I leaned what it is inside the scba/DIN valves that can make it hiss or no hiss at all. A same orings combination as in our PCP's.
For a 1$ worth of orings anything can be fixed with some patience.
Two valves I replaced right there first weeks to DIN, and the last two tank valves I replaced since last summer... with aliexpress valves.
Just saying that I leaned what it is inside the scba/DIN valves that can make it hiss or no hiss at all. A same orings combination as in our PCP's.
For a 1$ worth of orings anything can be fixed with some patience.
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Getting a SCBA tank was the best thing and logical evolution...
I started out with a Caden and a hand pump.. worked fine, but I wanted to shoot more and pump less.
Bit the bullet and bought a New SCBA tank. I could get it refilled at two local Dive shops for $10 a pop
Did that for well over a year to 2 years, while I saved for my Coltri Compressor. Now I'm totally air independent.
I started out with a Caden and a hand pump.. worked fine, but I wanted to shoot more and pump less.
Bit the bullet and bought a New SCBA tank. I could get it refilled at two local Dive shops for $10 a pop
Did that for well over a year to 2 years, while I saved for my Coltri Compressor. Now I'm totally air independent.
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Great info and thanks. Question- how many 3000 psi fills can be had from say a 30 min-4500 psi tank.
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What the pressure left in the bottle? What's the bottle capacity? What's the size of the tank you're filling from? (you say 30 mins - do you mean a 1.47L, a 1.63L, or a 1.7/1.9L tank?)
Assuming a 114 cu in tank, filling a gun's 500cc bottle from 2k to 3k, you'll get approximately 20 fills, assuming zero loss (which is impossible). So call it 18 or 19 perhaps? Fill that same bottle to from 2175 psi (FX M3 for example) to 250 bar (3625 psi), and you'll only get about 7 or 8 fills.
Fill Calculator: https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks/FillCalc.html
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My advice is to purchase a high quality filling valve for your SCBA tank.
Some valves have a knob to SLOWLY release pressure.
Other valves have a push button knob that releases pressure too fast.
I have a push button and I do not like it, as it releases the pressure much too fast, and as a result, the gauge needle slams into the 0 stop. This has caused the needle to bend. Still functional, but not ideal.
I like the looks of the Saber tactical valve, although Ive never seen or used one in person.
Some valves have a knob to SLOWLY release pressure.
Other valves have a push button knob that releases pressure too fast.
I have a push button and I do not like it, as it releases the pressure much too fast, and as a result, the gauge needle slams into the 0 stop. This has caused the needle to bend. Still functional, but not ideal.
I like the looks of the Saber tactical valve, although Ive never seen or used one in person.
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LOVE the Saber Tactical valve. I opted for it over the one from topairguns. Smooth, and easy to operate. The bleed knob is bigger too, making it easy to bleed. Filled the gauge with silicone oil. Very nice valve for PCP.
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Was filling the gauge with oil as easy as simply removing rubber plug, filling with common silicone oil, and then re-inserting the rubber plug?
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Oil filled gauges are only necessary if the gauge is going to be undergoing tons of vibration...a fill tank shouldn't need to be oil filled.
I run a dry gauge on my fill station and all pcp mini gauges are dry/non oil filled fwiw.
-Matt
I run a dry gauge on my fill station and all pcp mini gauges are dry/non oil filled fwiw.
-Matt
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You're wrong, but entitled to your opinion, as we all are.
Ever see what happens to a non-filled gauge that is subject to high humidity after a few years of use? I have.
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And who knows.....
(Photo below is a dry gauge)
Oil might actually help prevent this type of hazing/cracking/deterioration in a dry gauge:
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