Crossfire tank exploding

[Tron]

Took off my tank cover and was checking out my tank as well as wiping it down. I noticed this at the back. Thing is I never dropped my tank or messed with it. I always have it in a tank cover and it ends up looking like this. I really can't remember if it has always been like this but I don't want to mess with that much pressure any help would be appreciated.

http://www.teampraxis.org/images/crossfire001.jpg
http://www.teampraxis.org/images/crossfire002.jpg


Thanks

[Tron]

Ohh yeah you can't feel anything either it's all underneath I can move my fingers over all of it and it feels fine.

[Steelrat]

Call crossifre IMMEDIATELY and DO NOT use that tank until you talk to them.

[Beemer]

That pile of papers you have on your desk, put the tank on top of it.

[sslecyk03]

That pile of papers you have on your desk, put the tank on top of it.

lol funny

[Halliday]

I'd try to drain the tank and store it somewhere safe till you talk to Crossfire.

[PaintballSmurf13]

drain the tank and call crossfire and you should be good :argh:
-Ryan :headbang:

[CoolHand]

Is that the butt end of the bottle? Or in the middle?

If its the butt, chances are that the bubbles and all have been there since it was built (especially if you can't feel them from the surface).

However, the black towards the bottom worries me. Has it ever been EXTREAMLY hot when you got it back from a fill? I've seen Scuba tanks get so hot when they flash fill them that they will litterally steam (if they are wet). Obviously, this is wrong, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

If it were mine, I'd find someone to hydro it before I filled it again (that's what CF is gonna tell you to do, or do themselves if you send it in). Call them, and see if they will take care of it (for free), as this is not impact damage (IE your fault). They may tell you to take a hike though, if the black is charred resin from filling it too fast.

At any rate, ugly or no, saftey is what you are concerned about, and a hydro test will certify if it is still service worthy. If it fails, they will drill a hole in it (so you can't use it :nono: ), and you are no worse off than if you had thrown it away. If it passes, then it should be fine. If the hydro guy won't even touch it, then you know you got problems. :rofl:

With the power contained in an HPA bottle, its best to exercise caution, lest you end up like this guy -> :argh:

Good luck.

:ninja:

[Tron]

Thanks coolhand I will call them tomorrow considering their site wont let me send an emai out. I get all my fills from the push button stations didn't think that would be a problem.

[Steelrat]

I have yet to see a paintball field fill a tank correctly. When I take mine to the local scuba shop to fill, it takes several minutes. They go very slowly. Mr. Flashfill at the local field does it in 20 seconds.

[Tron]

Ohh ya it's at the butt.

[cheetah256]

I have yet to see a paintball field fill a tank correctly. When I take mine to the local scuba shop to fill, it takes several minutes. They go very slowly. Mr. Flashfill at the local field does it in 20 seconds.

unfortunately it's the same way at my field. they have the push-button setups that fill 3000 psi in about four and a half seconds. of course, the owner doesn't see a problem, he just sees lots of people moving through the fill line quickly.

[Blazestorm]

I've seen guys do it in less then 5...

:tard:

[OysterBoy]

Sorry to hijack but this thread made me check my PE tank. It has a bunch of 'boils' all over (little 'craters' that just extend past the first clear plastic layer, nothing into the actual fiber or anything) and have had it filled in this condition with no ill effects, BUT, do you think I should get it checked out? Cant find my camera at the moment, but Ill post some later. Its a 68/3000 PE tank.

[OysterBoy]

UPDATE: They look like the ones on his tank, in the second pic where the light hits, not the actual bubbling, or char marks.. I think I'm ok, rehydro is just next year anyways..

[Lohman446]

Crossfire has always been extremely good to me about helping with any problems I have ever had with tanks - contact them and I expect they will help you out, assuming there is not a cause of this problem that is your fault.

[gc82000]

See this is why you should get you own scuba tanks and do the fills yourself. That way you could do it safely and and be able to chaeck on you tank out more often.
click psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst boom :eek:

[rkjunior303]

I would also post this to the Crossfire forum over @ PBN. They have a few of the Crossfire techs over there -- they are real good at helping out.

[coolcatpete]

I have yet to see a paintball field fill a tank correctly. When I take mine to the local scuba shop to fill, it takes several minutes. They go very slowly. Mr. Flashfill at the local field does it in 20 seconds.
At the field I attend we always fill the tanks supper slow. Sometime we are foreced to make the fill over 4min becasue we have a booster and so when we barely have any air left in the tank it has to go through a harch recompressing or something like that. We may not always fill 3min fills every time but we try to put it in slow.
Pete

[Spartan X]

Hmm, I nevber knew filling fast was bad.....umm not good.

Wjem my shop fill my tank and wjhen I fill it we just open the tank all the way up ( 6k psi tank) and slow done just before then get it just right.....no wonder it cools down buy 500 psi when I get home....

[joez]

This is why when i ran the air shed at CPX i would a.) fill as slow as i could, and b.) tell people to remove their tank covers before filling. FLash fills are bad enough for the tank, and the tank covers only trap heat further and can potentially cause the carbon fiber to come appart.

[Deep Sixx]

That tank looks fine to me. The bubbles are just in the epoxy. The epoxy just protects the fibres, it doesn't provide any structure to the tank. The butt of the tank is usually a little messy looking... just because of the way the fibres are wrapped.

But, if you're concerned, call Crossfire. If you're REALLY concerned, have it hydro-tested.

sixx

[SlartyBartFast]

An important warning against fast filling paintball cylinders.
http://www.carltech.com/new-composite/pbfastfill.html

[paint magnet]

We have 'flash fill' stations at the field where I play, but I usually try to fill about 1,000 psi at a time, let the tank cool for ~10 seconds, then put in another 1,000 until it's full. Or, if I'm using my 4500 psi tank, I'll 'flash fill' it to 3000 and then take it up to 45 slowly. Does doing any of this make a difference, or do I need to wait longer (or better yet, turn down the output pressure on the fillstation?)

Sorry if I took the thread off topic, but I think others could benefit from this information as well, and I think it's still relavent to the issue at hand.