Beginner to HPA, filling tank up at home.

[maxey]

Just got a Wolverine Billet, looking to get a diving tank so I can fill up at home. 

 

What diving tank should I get? Any recommendations?

 

Will I need an adapter to fill up my HPA bottle from the diving tank?

 

Looking to get the best I can get

[Guest SoupyXo]

get yourself a high pressure compressor and fill your tanks yourself... you'll pay a pretty amount up front, but you'll save more in the long run and you'll be the one people ask for refills on the cheap if your friends have HPA systems too.

a regular compressor wont do the job, so look for something that can do upwards of 3,000 PSI ( kinda like this one - https://www.amazon.co.uk/HOOMYA-Pressure-Compressor-Inflation-Pneumatic/dp/B07MYZRKDQ/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B07MYZRKDQ&psc=1 )

[Tommikka]

It depends on how much / how often you will use air

 

If air is available at the site that you play then that’s the best option.

 

If you need to source your own air then a compressor would be the easiest option, as it will give you the defined pressure.  But they do vary in capability.

Workshop compressors don’t give enough pressure (and aren’t clean which can be dangerous)

 

There is a very slow option that piggy backs a workshop compressor with a boosting compressor (generally called the shoebox compressor)

 

 

Professional compressors cost thousands, others have got cheaper (as linked above)

Ensure that you are within its operating capacity, that it is maintained and that the air is filtered

 

A cheap & ‘easy’ but requiring physical effort is a stirrup pump.  Again it needs to be filtered.

This is a fair option for occasional use 

 

In between is a dive cylinder. With one of these you are equalizing the pressure between cylinders each time, which slowly drops the source pressure.

If you have 3000psi/206bar cylinder then that’s your typical aluminum cylinders maximum. Which means you need to only fill to the minimum that will

allow you to play long enough in game and then refill.  (eg aim for 2500psi fills to keep it going longer)

The larger the dive cylinder is the longer it will take to gradually drop in pressure.

If you have a 4500psi/300bar dive cylinder then the initial purchase costs more, but you have 50% more source pressure making. You can then decide to go for 3000psi fills for a while, but if you limit your fills then it will last much longer

 

 

To fill your playing cylinder you need the appropriate hose fitting for the fill nipple.

A compressor or stirrup pump will most likely have the right fitting

For a dive cylinder you will need to get a fill clamp adaptor 

 

A few of the options are discussed in the following 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JimFromHorsham]

For at home 7 , 9 or 12 litre surface valved 300bar dive bottle and whip with a quick detach adaptor to your mini HPA bottle is all you need . if you want to travel around and take it to games go for a 3ltr or 5ltr , don’t bother with anything less than a 300bar / 4500 psi bottle as you’ll be forever getting it refilled . Refill costs at most dive shops or gun shops are around £5-15 depending where you go and how low you run it. 

[Floperator]

I'd avoid getting into air tanks for the hassle factor and instead look at the compressors which are being made specifically to directly fill PCP airguns.

There's a lot that goes into owning a dive cylinder; there are safety and storage issues (it's essentially a bomb), and you have to get the tank tested periodically without which no reputable shop will refill your tank. Testing and refilling places may not be nearby, or friendly.

 

Airgun specific compressors on the other hand have matured a bit over the last year or two and there are some good options available, there's even a compact one that runs off makita batteries.

My local gunshop has got rid of their tank in favour of a compressor, and many other ranges and shops are doing the same.

 

That's also your other option, how often are you going to need to refill? If its like once a month you could just take it to a local gunshop and get them to fill it for a couple of quid, and not have the financial and physical burden of a cylinder or a compressor.

[JimFromHorsham]

@Floperator“Essentially a bomb” 🤪 lol .

It’s a 5yr test , I don’t know many airsofters that hold onto stuff longer than 5months lol , if your bottle is out of date or looks damaged then they won’t fill it , but I’d of hoped you’d of noticed this before getting to the shop . 

 

saftey and storage of a certificated dive cylinder isnt really a concern . the little Chinese HPA bottles with valves of dubious quality that a lot of folk have strapped to a belt or in a back pack on a game day should be more of a worry  
 

Gun shops have onsite compressors to fill dive bottles , mostly dive bottles that they sell but most bigger stores will also have a small selection of home compressors , not many will be retailing the £200 Amazon specials though , for good reason .
 

compressors are convenient if you are doing a lot of filling but I’d suggest doing some proper reading up on high pressure air compressors and the maintenance required that goes alongside doing a lot of filling .

 

 

 

 

Here’s a good read on cylinders, 

 

https://www.airgunforum.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/the-cloverleaf-guide-to-air-cylinders-bottles.181349/

[RostokMcSpoons]

I'm going to jump into this thread cos I'm slightly stuck at the next stage of "filling up at home"... 

I've attached the small cylinder to the tank successfully, gently filled it up to 2.5k psi (rated at 3k) and so that went fine.

The main tanks' valve is now definitely closed.
But I'm getting some resistance from trying to disconnect the line from the small tank.  I obviously am aware that high pressures aren't to be messed with and neither do I want to damage anything so I thought I'd best double-check:

 

I am supposed to be pulling back on the knurled silver collar nearest to the black tank to release the line. There should only be a little residual pressure inside the line now, as the valve on the small tank will be closed too (due to the higher pressure within). 
That silver collar doesn't want to budge (presumably due to the residual pressure) so I'm going to have to lever it (as gently as possible) to make it disconnect.

Correct?   I'm not heading towards a "kinetic reduction in finger counting ability" am I?

Edited February 13 by RostokMcSpoons

[sjhirst]

It looks like you dont have a bleed valve on your fill hose so there will be some residual air still in  the hose itself. Should be fine to undo as your scuba tank is off. Just be careful

 

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by sjhirst

[JimFromHorsham]

 

that’s the bleed screw , close the main valve and undoing that lets the pressure out of the whip line . 
 

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

7 minutes ago, JimFromHorsham said:

that’s the bleed screw , close the main valve and undoing that lets the pressure out of the whip line . 
 

 

Thank you so much, that did the trick, and so of course the line came straight off the small tank without any effort!

[sjhirst]

well, first time ive seen that!  Nice one.

I'll stick to me compressor! lol.

[maxey]

took the hit and got a compressor from Amazon, (GX CS3 PCP Air Compressor, Auto-Stop,Oil-Free, Built-in Water-Oil Separator Filter, Powered by Car 12V DC or Home 220V-240V AC (Included), 4500Psi/30Mpa,Paintball/Scuba Tank Compressor Pump) to be exact lol.

 

Lovely bit of kit. Fills my 48 Ci 3000 Psi tanks up in 15 minutes. 

 

Also comes with the nozzle to fill it up straight away hassle free.

Edited May 6, 2022 by maxey

[sjhirst]

13 hours ago, maxey said:

took the hit and got a compressor from Amazon, (GX CS3 PCP Air Compressor, Auto-Stop,Oil-Free, Built-in Water-Oil Separator Filter, Powered by Car 12V DC or Home 220V-240V AC (Included), 4500Psi/30Mpa,Paintball/Scuba Tank Compressor Pump) to be exact lol.

 

Lovely bit of kit. Fills my 48 Ci 3000 Psi tanks up in 15 minutes. 

 

Also comes with the nozzle to fill it up straight away hassle free.

They are very good compressors. The customer service was good as well after a mis hap with mine. Worth every penny.

[Impulse]

Hand pump is all you'll need!

 

Being serious for a second though, I have a hand pump and it's all I need. My little 10ci midget bottle only takes about 15 mins to pump from empty to full and my larger 48ci tank takes just over an hour. However, I've only had to do that pump once and now just keep it topped up after each game day as there's no way in hell I'll go through the whole bottle in an entire weekend event. At a full weekend event I might run out with the 10ci bottle in my VSR, but I'll just pack my hand pump and top it up in the evening or at respawn if I really need to (must remember to bring my hand pump to the Vietnam weekend next month...) I only use HPA for sniping though, so I'm not exactly sending thousands of BBs down range.

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

On 14/05/2022 at 12:01, Impulse said:

(must remember to bring my hand pump to the Vietnam weekend next month...) 

You not at Diggers on Saturday?

[Impulse]

6 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

You not at Diggers on Saturday?

 

Nah, next one I'll be at is Boogaloo on June 11 - 12th. And this time I will actually be using my VSR (unlike last time when the hop rubber was torn!)