scuba tank

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shud_b_rite
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:18 am

This is kinda a weird question but do you think that a paint ball tank would be suitable to use as a mini scuba tank?

Of course I would empty the high pressure CO2 out first and fill it with air and I would attach regulators to reduce around 150psi to breathing pressure. It is just for a small experiment, i wont dive deeper than 4m (i know the dangers of using normal air down deep) and I don't expect it to last longer than 3-4 minutes.

The only thing i am not sure about is rust. The tanks are made of aluminum so they should be good, but I'm not sure about the valves. Do you think this could work?
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noname
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:08 am

Try it. First just dunking your head in and taking a couple breaths, then timing to see how long it lasts, then using the information you get to use it for shallow diving or whatever.
I don't think the tanks rust, mine have got wet several times with no consequences, and I've had them for over 4 years.
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shud_b_rite
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:35 pm

Cool. I haven't actually got a tank yet, I was looking at buying one online but I am not quite sure which size will be best. I want one no bigger than a 1.5litre coke bottle either 9oz or 12oz.

Does anyone know how to safely empty a CO2 paint ball tank that has a pin valve without turning the tank into a sonic jet?
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boilingleadbath
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:38 pm

...deep?
You don't know what we mean by "deep", do you?

(nitrogen narcosis - essentialy getting drunk on air - doesn't begin until like 100 feet or so with normal air (I forget the exact number - but I'm only cleared for 60', so I shouldn't be going that deep anyways)...
Furthermore, us recreational divers generaly limit our dive times so that we don't require decompression cycles... and our [big] air tanks barely provide enough air for us to stay down that long. (again, without checking the literature))

That said, I figure a 20 oz container at 1000 psi would give you about 1 cubic foot of air - which should be good for a minute and a half. (plus-minus 30 seconds)

...if I remember the size of a 20 oz container correctly. Which I might not.
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Scope
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:43 pm

If you are looking to buy a tank it will come empty, so you wont need to empty it. I would get a 20oz tank... It is not that big.... If you are looking to get serious just spend the 50$ on ebay and get a 68ci 3000 psi tank. That will provide you with MUCH more air, also the insides of co2 tanks are kinda nasty... i wouldnt breath it.
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shud_b_rite
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:06 pm

boilingleadbath I should of mentioned this before but the air tank will have a trigger on it so that I can only get air when I press it down, it is not continuous like a scuba tank, it involves me holding my breath a little so that is why I don't want to dive too deep. I am not really planning on using it as a scuba tank, more of a snorkeling aid.

I used a 5 liter weed sprayer as a tank before and that lasted me 2minutes at 30psi so having a paint ball tank at 150 psi will last me about the same or more. The only downside of using a weed sprayer is that it is too big and too buoyant.
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trae08
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:15 pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/Spare-Air-2-Scuba-T ... dZViewItem


just get somthin like that off ebay. ive seen them cheaper then that i was just looking for one to use as an example...

i THINK you can refill them to
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shud_b_rite
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:20 pm

No thanks, I'm the kind of guy that would rather build something than buy it. But that is basically what I am trying to build. I usually go snorkeling off a kayak so when it runs out, i will just refill it using a hand pump. Thanks for everyones info.
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paaiyan
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:47 pm

Well the air might have a metallic taste. As for rust, the tanks tend to get cold when you play paintball and water condenses on it and Mine has never rusted. I can't imagine why it wouldn't work for what you're talking about.
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shud_b_rite
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Sun Feb 25, 2007 3:57 am

Final question.

How big is a 9oz, 12oz and 20oz paint ball tank? I have searched all over the internet and can only find pictures but not dimensions. Or if someone could compare its size to a common object?
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c19o
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Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:00 am

look for co2 tanks on eBay, the sellers will have the dimensions of the tank they are selling.
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noname
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Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:01 pm

A 20 oz tank is about a foot tall, and about 4 inches wide. I'm just pulling these numbers out of my ass, but I can usually estimate things pretty well. A 9 oz tank is about 9-10 inches tall, and 2 or 2.5" wide. I only have those 2 sizes, so I can't give you a great estimate on the dimensions of a 12 oz.
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