tank fill BS?

[gear]

i went to my usual spot to get my tank filled...the guys there are relatively cool, especially the younger guys because they fill my tank for free. anywho, this time i got an older woman who filled my tank then charged me :rolleyes: then informed me that they were slightly underfilling all tanks during the summer season so as she put it "you dont blow your safety valve". Sounds a little cheesy to me. if the tanks were designed to be set at that PSI, im sure the engineers who made the tanks also took into account the different tempratures paintballers were going to be playing in. sounds like BS to me. would this/can this be true?

[nerdcore]

the heat can cause the gas to expand faster & there is a chance you'd blow a burst disk (safety valve is the fancy term, i guess). she, or whoever told her to do that, is working of the ignorance of the customer. she could simply fill it normally & suggest you keep the tank away from a heat source or direct sunlight when not in use. good place is keeping it in a cooler between games.

[gear]

i always play in the woods, so my tank is always shaded...so overheating/direct sunlight is not an issue...i guess its a general safety thing. but if i have to get out of a game early because im out of air (hasnt happened yet) then im going to be upset! :pissed:

[squanto]

Most places you go will do the same thing. We had one burst disk go this weekend at my field, and the tank was underfilled by 1oz.

If its warm out, underfilling by an oz or so is the safest idea.

[sain]

Ill say this in the nicest way i can

dont ****ing argue that you have to pay for a co2 fill.

On the other note.

I think the old lady was right underfilling, how the heck does she know that you only play woods.

[gear]

i was only commenting because im used to getting free air. Sombody who drives a car with AC on hot days who has to ride in a car with no ac probably thinks to themselves "damn its hot,kinda sucks i dont have AC." And the way you said it wasnt nice...I didnt argue...

the old lady didnt know i was going to be playing in the woods, so im saying if she did fill it to its capacity that it would have been most likely okay. Go do something besides be a forum troll.

[Coenen]

I depends how much she under filled and how hot it is where you are. You shouldn't need to leave more than a couple ounces out to compensate for heat expansion. But then again there are lots of guys who have stories of burst disks going even on half filled tanks that have been left in the sun for only a matter of minutes. Think of it as taking a chance every time you fill the tank full in hot weather, you might get away with it FOREVER, but then again...you might not.

[Mamba2sfg]

Read this quote from Catalina's safety sheets:

We at Catalina Cylinders have heard many times that it is not fair that a CO2 cylinder is deemed full at only 68% of its water capacity, that there appears to be 32% of its water capacity that is not being used, or wasted, and that this capacity not being used could be used for extended service life of one CO2 charge. This 32% is not spare, or wasted, capacity. Following are three situations that identify why this 32% of the total water capacity of a CO2 cylinder is not spare, or wasted, capacity.

1. A 20-ounce CO2 paintball cylinder with a full charge (68% of its water capacity) When a fully charged, 68% full by water capacity, 20-ounce CO2 cylinder warms up to room temperature (70 oF), the pressure inside the cylinder is 837 psi. When the cylinder reaches 87.9 oF the entire charge becomes a gas no matter what the pressure. A fully charged CO2 cylinder at 87.9 oF will have an internal pressure of approximately 1100 psi. At 120 oF a fully charged CO2 cylinder will have an internal pressure of nearly 2000 psi, this is greater than the designed service pressure of 1800 psi of the cylinder. Remember that this cylinder at 120 oF has an internal pressure greater than the marked service pressure of the cylinder and is properly filled, not overfilled. Also, note that 120 o F is not an excessive temperature and can quite easily be reached in a shed or a vehicle on a hot day and in a kitchen.

2. A 20-ounce CO2 paintball cylinder with a 5-ounce overfill (85% of its water capacity) The following would occur if a 20-ounce CO2 cylinder were slightly overfilled with 25 ounces of CO2 charge to increase its service life between fills. When the cylinder and charge warm to room temperature the internal pressure of the cylinder would be 1430 psi. If the cylinder were warmed to 103 oF the cylinder would vent through the safety device of the valve. This venting would most likely be unexpected since it would not be known when the cylinder would warm to 103 oF. Unexpected venting through the safety device of a valve has caused property damage and personal injury.

3. A 20-ounce CO2 paintball cylinder greatly overfilled (95% of its water capacity) A 20-ounce CO2 cylinder filled to 95% of it's capacity, not quite liquid full would vent through its safety prior to the cylinder reaching room temperature, 70 oF. If the safety disc has been altered and reinforced and would not actuate, the cylinder would rupture between 85 o - 95 oF. Rupturing cylinders have caused severe property damage, serious personal injury and even loss of life.

[paintballer8807]

my burst disk went out on me cuz of the heat. but i have n2 and so the tank was just siting their and went shcccccccccccccccccccshhhhhoo