Suppose you are a Paintball player and play this shooting game a lot. Then you must know about paintball tank refills. Paintball guns use air, gas, or CO2; compressed air tanks to function.
These tanks have lots of pressure in them. So in this post, I will guide you on refilling the paintball gun tank. And also that different types of paintball guns require other tanks.
Refilling paintball air tanks is a regular thing for paintballers. However, you will need special heavy-duty air compressors and equipment to fill the tank.
You can refill CO2 at home to play paintball, but it is also risky. So do it only if you are professional, or take your paintball tanks to the store to refill.
I have covered everything you need to know about refilling and all the precautions regarding a paintball air tank.
Get your Paintball Tank Refilling Equipment Ready
You will need special tools, such as:
- Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
- Air Compressor
- Adapter Kit
- Hose to connect the equipment
- Electric paintball CO2 regulator
- Paintball tank refill kit
You can try HPDMC 110v 300bar Portable Air Compressor Paintball Fill Station.
How to fill the Paintball Tank
Before refilling, you must know how paintball guns work. Once you have all the equipment, follow these steps:
Connect the paintball tank refill kit to your air compressor. Then, connect a high-pressure hose from your air compressor to the digital tire pressure gauge.
Turn on the switch and check how much PSI/bar is in your cylinder using an accurate tire gauge (do not trust the values displayed on your air compressor).
Do not exceed the designated value of psi of your paintball gun. And fill the paintball tank with compressed air; oh yes, be careful, please 🙂
Fill HPA Tanks With Air Compressor
HPA stands for High-Pressure Air. There are two types of paintball tanks that paintballers use to fill up their guns – A carbon Dioxide (CO2) tank and an HPA/Compressed Air Tank filled with high-pressure compressed air.
So whatever filling you are doing, you must be careful and slowly fill the tank. Also, keep in mind to avoid putting paintball tanks in sunlight or hot cars.
All paintball tanks can have a burst disc when they get too much pressure. The HPA tank is unlikely to over-pressurize, but the regulator seals could be damaged if it gets too hot.
Add the desired amount of CO2 to the Paintball tank
It is time to refill the paintball tank with a few amounts of CO2. Once the above has been done, turn off the air compressor and switch it to paintball fill mode by rotating its knob until “CO2” or “Air” appears.
Connect the paintball CO2 regulator to your air compressor and turn on its switch.
Let it run for a minute or two until you see how much PSI/bar is in your cylinder using an accurate tire gauge (do not trust the values displayed on your compressor). Do not exceed that value!
What will happen to Overfill Air Tank?
If you are filling your tank with air, it can explode. Also, if there is too much CO2 in the cylinder, the paintball gun will not shoot even or adequately get damaged (it may also be dangerous to handle).
CO2 is very cold; if mixed with oil inside the marker, it could cause damage.
Get ready for the Paintball Battle.
Check that there are no leaks in the gas line or valve after refilling your HPA tank or other tanks. And then you are good to take your paintball gun onto the playing field.
Put on your gear, take a deep breath, and get back into paintball battle!
Refill your paintballs if needed – they should be stored in a cool, dark place when not used so they do not dry out prematurely.
Find a Paintball Gun Store that provides Compressed Air Tanks that Fill.
Paintball stores that provide air tank refilling should be relatively easy to find, as there are a lot of paintball players around.
You can also check with your local sports store whether they have any special equipment for CO2 refills.
Purchase a new CO2 tank and fill the adapter.
You can always purchase new CO2 tanks, but get the filling adapter if you already have one in good condition.
It will save up a lot for other paintball equipment if you have a budget. It is also possible to refill paintball tanks with CO2 gas easily.
Remove the old CO2 tank from your paintball gun.
Getting the old tank of CO2 out of your paintball gun is a little tricky. Before you do, it slowly releases air, if any is left inside the paintball air tank.
You can either unscrew it from the marker or use some locking pliers to secure the regulator and carefully turn off all remaining pressure inside by facing down on a flat surface (preferably covered with an oilcloth)
Once you have successfully removed your paintball gun CO2 tank, it is time to clean and dry your marker.
Attach the new CO2 tank to your paintball gun.
Do not overfill the new CO2 tank with your paintball marker (you may need to screw it in). Instead, check how much pressure is inside using an accurate tire gauge.
Screw on the fill adapter and tighten it tightly so that no air escapes while filling up your paintball tanks.
Is it refilling Paintball tanks with Carbon Dioxide Gas at Home?
It is not recommended to refill paintballs with CO2 gas at home alone if you don’t have any prior knowledge or experience, BUT you still can.
To avoid issues like stalling or the gun firing rate slowing down, you must fill the paintball tank with the air compressor.
Fill the paintball tank with air outdoors, such as in front of a sporting goods store or gas station.
Conclusion
I have guided you on how to refill your paintball gun tank with an air compressor and safely fill it, so now you know a lot about it.
Take good care and fill the paintball tank with proper precautions to help you with your paintball matches. Then, you can play the game more and clean it up afterwards. Finally, put the gun away nicely so it does not wear out.
We always double-check the value of the recommended psi for the paintball tank from the manufacturer and suggest you do the same before filling your HPA tanks or tanks with compressed carbon dioxide.
The proper air filling is essential to avoid any misfire and damage to the paintball marker.
You need to keep the air tanks away from sunlight and in a dry place to keep the compressed air inside from expanding. One of the worst things you can do is put anything on fire near your refilling station.