Ridiculous Store Rules? Or not?

[OPBN]

^^^ Might want to add it was also a CO2 tank that had an anti-siphon mod on it done by a fifteen year old.

[John Dresser]

I don't think that they are in the wrong on this one.

Yes overkill on the safety but they can't sidestep their insurance.

I used to run the customer service center for the largest paintball tank manufacturer in the world and sorry but the store is 100% right. It might be inconvenient for you, but he's smart not to put a $40 sale above his own best interest.

I admit he should have explained it better, but I don't blame any store for not selling you just a valve or wanting to put a valve on properly.

You have to realize, the few deaths we've had in paintball that I can think of off the top of my head have been from improperly installed valves on tanks.

[Shane-O-Mac]

I've never heard of this. I do know that even Ninja cannot sell you a reg on a tank without thread locker. If they screw the two together for you, they have to use thread locker. I bet they either made that up so they could charge you to install it or the don't understand what they are actually liable for.

Actually YES they will. I just sent in my tank to be hydroed and have a new reg installed. On the webpage it says to add inn the comment line of ordering if you dont want Loc-tite put on. But you do have to ask for it not to be put on, makes perfect sense.

Beemer, I agree with the 4500 screw in tanks, and even 3000 screwins, I wish the industry would have stayed with direct mounts for safety. But if you follow my guidleines for using RED loc-tite (just search AO, I have posted it many times) you will find it works perfectly well and will not destroy any threads or the tank. I learned the method from Air America, but if your not sure about doing it properly, then have someone else install the reg. If your using a screw in tank, watch the reg/tank as you unscrew it, or dont take it off unless you have 2000psi in it, that will help keep the reg from unscrewing from the tank. AND another biggie that people dont realize, very lightly oil your asa threads before putting the tank on, since the standard is using aluminum asa's and bonnets on the tanks, the 2 similar metals can easily gall together (especially with different tolerances of parts) and lock the reg into the asa, and the tank will unsrew before the reg will. One thing Guerilla Air did right is making their newest reg with a brass bonnet to combat that problem.

[RehKal]

Just about all the stores in my local area are reuquired to do the installs themselves as well, by their insurance carrier. And yes they do locktite the threads on the reg as well.

I've looked at other companies that sell regs (older companies that no longer really exsist now) and they all did the same thing. They required the tank to be sent to them for reg replacement and I would imagine the threads on them are locktighted. Again, for insurance purposes.

Insurance companies deal with what CAN happen and take steps to prevent it for coverage. Hence some of the rules they require people to follow for continued coverage. Just because something bad hasn't happened to your tank yet doesn't mean it -can't- happen. It just means you've beaten the odds for now.

I'm actually kind of surprised ninja doesn't require tanks to be sent in for reg replacement, they must have some kind of loophole in their insurance that doesn't make them require it.

[DevilMan]

I'm actually kind of surprised ninja doesn't require tanks to be sent in for reg replacement, they must have some kind of loophole in their insurance that doesn't make them require it.

Maybe because it's a mail order thing, and there is no requirement stating that you have to be an air smith to do it. I mean just because it's law don't really make it the manufacturers responsibility. Cars have to have seat belts, but Ford don't foot the bill for you getting a ticket for not wearing it.

A brick and mortar is a bit diff, because they become directly liable. Though I don't really see why, when if you buy the car from the lot, you become responsible for it when you sign off on it.

meh... Just my .02.

[halB]

I am 99% certain that I learned two things about paintball in the past 12 or so years: Don't put oil in your fill nipple, and don't put loctite on tank threads. I have no clue how it became acceptable to put loctite on threads. Probably after people started baking their markers...

[Skeeter]

Not sure which insurance company they have a policy with, but I have NEVER seen a single paintball policy (and I have reviewed / purchased many) that had more than passing knowledge of the sport... I have NEVER read anything from an insurance company that references requirements for reg installs. I would call BS on that shop / tech.

On a side note, the manufacturer of both the tank and the reg probably "request" that a "certified" and / or "properly trained" technician do the work.

If someone can present documention to prove the shops claim, I would like to see it. Sincerely. Not trying to be a smart ***, but I would like to know what insurance company thinks they understand the sport enough to attempt to micro-manage it. The policies are written by "bean counters" with a minimal amount (at best) of knowledge of the sport. I would be amazed if they even understood that a HPA tank would have a regulator. About the only exception would be Bob McGuire (sp?) from the APL, and he has retired from the insurance industry.


.