Crossfire tank reg

[Watcher]

Yesterday my Crossfire tank blew the LP (1800psi) burst disc.

I replaced it and it works fine, but I can't help worrying that it will happen again so I wanted to open up the reg and service the seals

Has anyone else opened up a Crossfire reg? How did you go about doing it?
Can you just use a strap wrench and a crescent wrench? Did you vice it?

Anything I need to know about them before I go in there?

Should I not even worry about it and just claim a bad burst disc?


I know all the safety precautions and I know I need to torque it and I know I need to use very little loctite if at all, just want some info on Crossfire regs specifically.

Thanks.

[secretweaponevan]

It was probably just metal fatigue if the tank and burst disk are old.

Never hurts to call them though:269-383-1111

Did it blow during or right after a fill?

[Newt]

Yep. Steel and brass both crystalize and become brittle over time. Changing the amount of stress (pressure) on it accelerates the process. There's a reason that thin metal film is the first thing to go.

if you're worried about it, get a T-fitting and throw a gauge in your line somewhere. Consider taking it apart if your readings are inconsistent or outside acceptable ranges.

[maniacmechanic]

Last time I talked to them they were charging 25$ to rebuild them & they would set it up with a custom output PSI ( if you want 1K instead of 850 )

[Watcher]

Tank was born in '07. Blew sitting on a table, I had filled it about 15 minutes prior after shooting a PMR with it. Totally unexpected and it nocked my hat off my head.

As soon as it got quiet a customer walked in, good timing.


I've never had an inline guage on it, but it put out strong and consistant enough to let me sweetspot my RT at 20+ bps. I don't think it ever spiked as I would have noticed it shooting my 'Mag at LL2, if anywhere.

I will try putting a guage in my line just to see.

[Watcher]

Installed a guage at the valve of my automag (only good spot) and found the Crossfire to be outputting about 750PSI.

Then I decided to try my PMI Pure Energy tank and it is also outputting 750. I have heard that PE tanks may output lower than 800, so eithe they are right and my Crossfire reg is outputting low or my guage is off.

Either way, I decided to maybe pick up a Ninja reg so I took the reg off my Crossfire and the threads are all dusty!

I think it was probably loctite at one time, but I don't remember my friend's Crossfire reg being this full of crud when we got him a Ninja reg.


I want to try to rebuild it anyway, and maybe throw it on my PE tank and keep the PE reg as a backup.

[GRimm]

I guess if you get a ninja reg its just one more paintball item we will have in common when we hit the field.

[secretweaponevan]

Installed a guage at the valve of my automag...

I did that with my friend's mag. The gauge burned out after a couple days of play from the shock.
Your gauge probably isn't that accurate if both tanks are reading that low.

[Ando]

Installed a guage at the valve of my automag (only good spot) and found the Crossfire to be outputting about 750PSI.

Then I decided to try my PMI Pure Energy tank and it is also outputting 750. I have heard that PE tanks may output lower than 800, so eithe they are right and my Crossfire reg is outputting low or my guage is off.

Either way, I decided to maybe pick up a Ninja reg so I took the reg off my Crossfire and the threads are all dusty!

I think it was probably loctite at one time, but I don't remember my friend's Crossfire reg being this full of crud when we got him a Ninja reg.


I want to try to rebuild it anyway, and maybe throw it on my PE tank and keep the PE reg as a backup.

Was it a white dust? When aluminum corrodes (aka...oxidizes) it look like a white powder not the red/brown rust that most people are use to seeing with steal. Remove ALL the corrosion using a SS wire brush and soapy water. Inspect the threads and the inside your tank before using it again. If the pitting isn't that bad then your good to go but if your missing half your threads or if the threads look really pitted, you might not want to use it anymore. If you have access to a chromate primer, apply a very thin layer to the threads and let it completely dry (2-3 hrs or what ever the container says) and you should be good. The primer stops the oxidation of the metal.

I'm a helicopter mech by trade and this is one of the things we look out for all the time. Our aircraft are 30+ years old and pretty much made of aluminum so we have to seriously look closely at everything.

[Ando]

But really, your tank is a '07, so the likely hood of it oxidizing already is 1 in a bunch (I don't really know). I do know pressure affect a lot of thing, and oxygen is defiantly not your friend when it comes to aluminum so again, you never know.

And with all the crud in your tank. More then likely you been getting bad air from your local field. Their fill tanks might be f'ed up on the inside and sending the crud to yours and all your PB buddies. That means your tank is just the tip of the iceberg if it truly is oxidizing already

[Watcher]

But really, your tank is a '07, so the likely hood of it oxidizing already is 1 in a bunch (I don't really know). I do know pressure affect a lot of thing, and oxygen is defiantly not your friend when it comes to aluminum so again, you never know.

And with all the crud in your tank. More then likely you been getting bad air from your local field. Their fill tanks might be f'ed up on the inside and sending the crud to yours and all your PB buddies. That means your tank is just the tip of the iceberg if it truly is oxidizing already

No, it is not oxidising, and the threads are in immaculate shape. And nothing is IN the tank, it is just a LOT of loctite or whatever thread sealer they used that started to dry up and crumble. It may have gotten into the reg,that is why I want to open it up.


It can't be from local fields, my PE tank is clean as a whistle. Whatever that means.
But I did get the tank used from some place in Nevada, I believe. That may be the culprit.


I would rather not send the reg to Crossfire, I am more of a do-it-yourself kind of guy.

[Ando]

Should I not even worry about it and just claim a bad burst disc?

Don't worry about it. There's no way that locktite got into the reg unless you reinstalled and pressurized it without cleaning the tank. Locktite doesn't just flake off. That crap is hard as hell to remove. What was in your tank was what came off the threads when you removed the reg.

The only o-ring you might have to worry about is the one for your fill nipple. All the rest are pretty much static o-rings. ROFL...we have parts on our aircraft that are original to the frame and the o-rings have never been replaced.

You'll defiantly be breaking rule #1...If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

[maniacmechanic]

No, it is not oxidising, and the threads are in immaculate shape. And nothing is IN the tank, it is just a LOT of loctite or whatever thread sealer they used that started to dry up and crumble. It may have gotten into the reg,that is why I want to open it up.


It can't be from local fields, my PE tank is clean as a whistle. Whatever that means.
But I did get the tank used from some place in Nevada, I believe. That may be the culprit.


I would rather not send the reg to Crossfire, I am more of a do-it-yourself kind of guy.

I'll second that motion , on the do it myself , but you also have a vessel & a reg that if it flies apart could kill you or the guy 20 feet away from you , i'd rather blame that on Crossfire than on me

[Watcher]

Ok, well I found a good deal on a Ninja reg and picked it up. $45 at the local shop and they are about $40 shipped from Ninja...

I installed that one on my Crossfire tank. On the guage that was reading 750 for the other tanks the Ninja one read 800.

I got a different guage and tried it, and it read 850 for the Ninja tank.

It then read 825 for the PE tank.


So I guess the Crossfire reg is fine how it is, just getting a little tired is all.


But now I have an extra reg. Not fearing losing it, I think I might open it up anyway. The worst that happens was I lost a $40 reg, the best is I grease it up and use it as the reg on my PE tank instead of the PE reg.

PE regs are better as back-ups anyway



But thanks for the input everyone. It was a good help.