no one will fill my tank!!!???
i live in virginia, virginia beach area. and all of the dive shops around me will not fill paintball style tanks?????? and the only paintball shop in the area has a tank that is filled to 4500 psi its self so he does not really have the capability to fill to 4500 psi just for example i went in just after he opened and he told me he only had about 4000 psi left he could only fill my tank to about 3800-3900.
where the heck can i get a full 4500 psi fill????????
also after about 2 hours my tanks gauge dropped to 3100 from 3850 psi. it dropped i would say like 700-800 psi. is this normal ?
i am guessing the dive shops wont fill my tank because there are just so many people that want to do this. or maybe i should be telling them that i have a carbonfiber tank not a paintball tank? i dont know do you guys have any ideas?
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Don’t give up. Here is a fool proof plan for getting a dive shop to fill your CF tank.
How to get a dive shop to fill your CF tank
Step 1 – Never Call a Dive Shop
The words “airgun” or “carbon fiber” or “4500psi” spoken over the phone will kill any chance of getting your CF tank filled at their dive shop, You need to physically go and first establish yourself as a customer in need of help.
Step 2 – Leave the tank in the car
This is VERY IMPORTANT as bringing the CF tank in now would ruin everything. Patience is a virtue. It’s worth it trust me.
Step 3 – Break the Ice
You need to soften them up a bit so enter the shop, say hello and just casually look around for a bit. When approached, tell them you are in a bind and have been looking for an o-ring for your tank. DON’T MENTION THE TYPE OF TANK. They will ask you which o-ring or where the o-ring is located. Tell them you have the tank in your car and that it would be easier if you just showed them. Now is the time to go get your tank from the car.
Step 4 – Act cool like Fonzie
Once they lay eyes on your CF tank, they may appear dazed or befuddled. Just act calm and casually show them female foster fitting at the end of the hose and point out the o-ring. Once they see it’s a common o-ring, they will feel more comfortable.
Step 5 – Show you are Responsible
If asked, explain you have recently gotten into airguns for competition shooting and the tank is used to fill a gun exactly like the ones they may have seen in the Olympics. NOTE: Do not mention anything about hunting or plinking. Your want to establish yourself as a responsible sportsman and not some chuckle-head paintball rube or half cocked trouble maker with a BB gun.
Step 5 – Casually Ask them to top off your tank
Once they find an o-ring that appears to fit, tell them you would like to buy a dozen. Now the icing on the cake, tell them you would also like a small container of silicone grease. Now you are in like Flynn. While you are about to be rung up at the register, casually ask if they would mind topping of the tank since you are there. More than likely, they will say sure or at least try. Voila!
its a male foster.
What kind of tank/valve do you have? If your valve is not DIN type they may just not have the correct adapters to attach your valve.
where do you live!? :whistle:
Chad, when I first bought my Great White tank I had to drive 25 miles to a fill shop. They could only fill to around 3000psi because tank got to hot. Had to leave it all night and go back next day so they could finish the fill to 4500. That was 100 miles of driving. Only did that once then bought my Shoebox Freedom 8 compressor and never have regretted it. Now I go out into barn and fill when I want. :biggrinn:
Your pressure dropped because of one of two possible reasons:
1) You got a “hot” fill. That’s when the pressure is brought up in your tank quickly and heat is a by-product. Most honest fill stations will let the tank cool down, or have it filled while in a tub of very cold water to dissipate that heat. A hot fill will drop several hundred psi as it cools and the cooler air becomes denser in the tank.
2) You might have a slow leak. Watch your gauge. If it stabilizes, then you got a hot fill and need to go back and request the shop fill it to the pressure you paid for.
Hint: Feel the tank after it is filled and handed to you. If it is hot…don’t leave. Shop around for awhile, or if there is an indoor pool take your tank there and immerse it for several minutes, or simply wait until the tank is room temperature, then ask them to put a pressure gauge on the tank. The pressure will have dropped, and you can ask them to kindly fill it more slowly.
a 4500 psi fill is harder to find than a virgin in Toad Suck, Arkansas. That’s why Joe B. states on his web site that you need to find a dealer who will fill to 4500 BEFORE you buy one of his tanks.
Best solution is to buy your own compressor. The newer Shoebox units will fill to that level.
Hoot:
thanks hoot it was deffinantly a hot fill. thank you for your help.
You inquire at local firehouses? Some will fill, provided they or you have proper adapters. My unionized assholes wouldn’t touch.
yeah i am going to check out the fire stations around here.
:hoot:
Your pressure dropped because of one of two possible reasons:
1) You got a “hot” fill. That’s when the pressure is brought up in your tank quickly and heat is a by-product. Most honest fill stations will let the tank cool down, or have it filled while in a tub of very cold water to dissipate that heat. A hot fill will drop several hundred psi as it cools and the cooler air becomes denser in the tank.
2) You might have a slow leak. Watch your gauge. If it stabilizes, then you got a hot fill and need to go back and request the shop fill it to the pressure you paid for.
Hint: Feel the tank after it is filled and handed to you. If it is hot…don’t leave. Shop around for awhile, or if there is an indoor pool take your tank there and immerse it for several minutes, or simply wait until the tank is room temperature, then ask them to put a pressure gauge on the tank. The pressure will have dropped, and you can ask them to kindly fill it more slowly.
a 4500 psi fill is harder to find than a virgin in Toad Suck, Arkansas. That’s why Joe B. states on his web site that you need to find a dealer who will fill to 4500 BEFORE you buy one of his tanks.
Best solution is to buy your own compressor. The newer Shoebox units will fill to that level.
Hoot:
I got bit in the ass by that. Living in the middle of scuba land, you figure one could fill to 4500. Nope. All do up to 3500 only. Sold my CF tank and bought a steel 3500 tank, no issues no more. But I only fill small cc guns, so no problem other toting a 50lb tank.
You inquire at local firehouses? Some will fill, provided they or you have proper adapters. My unionized assholes wouldn’t touch.
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That is exactly how I am going to do it! Well thought out thankyou