uh, hold the pressure.

[cphilip]

Fiber Wrapped tanks and Steel tanks are equally safe if there both in perfect condition as they both must pass rigorous testing to the same standard. Fiber wraps are a bit more prone to damage so therefore there Hydrostatic requirement is a bit more frequent.

Webby already gave a good layman explanation of molecules compressing and therefore producing heat so no need to get into that. It's normal and so therefore getting a "good fill" requires slow filling, Water immersing etc.

But now let's talk about safety. I know of no incident where a Paintball tank has exploded. Might be one out there and I would sure like to know. Does that mean it's not going to happen? Absolutely not! At the present rate of use it will happen. I am not a Sage or Clairvoyant. It's just the odds.

Do we fill safely enough? Not according to OSHA, Dive Safety and the Fire Safety guys. A fill chamber of specific density and size is supposed to be used. Most of us do not use or even have one. In fact most of us even fill our tanks on gun. I am guilty of all this too. This containment device is designed to contain the shrapnel if a rupture occurs. I am concerned that eventually this will become and issue and a reality only after accident has seriously maimed or killed someone. If only one single serious injury occurs (even though OSHA is aimed at employee's it's a standard of reasonable measure of safety) Paintball will be reeling from the effect. Remember an accident that is preventable is not an accident at all. It's a deliberate safety violation. And we have a standard that could be applied that we do not use. So it will be no accident. And it is preventable to a 98 or more percent confidence level.

[martlet1]

Ive never seen a containment unit anywhere where i fill. The local field here uses a scuba tank to drain fills off of. They have a $10,000 air compressor which fills the tank to pressure, then bleeds off to a scuba fill tank. The paintball field also runs a company that fills and repairs tanks.
They just had a gasoline fill station explode and kill two of thier employees. They dropped a wrench and fumes ignited. The containment unit sounds good, where can you find one??

[cphilip]

SCUBA shop suppliers and Fire Safety stores can get em. You can build them out of 3/8 thick steel pipe and slot it for the fill hose to fit through. Then manufacture the cover and lock down bolts. But you really should get one that is manufactured to the standard so it will be ASTM Certified. But even a well made home job is better than nothing. Go to your local Fire Dept and look at theirs. They should have one. It will be overkill for these tanks but you will get the idea.

I do not know if anyone out there actually manufactures one small and specific for PB tanks. They need the demand first. Maybe it already has been done. Anyone know? I think I will build one this fall for PB tanks.

Even though compliance will be voluntary, as these club members are not "Employee's" according to the OSHA definition, I don't want to be associated with a group that doesn't take at least some minimal safety precautions. After all...I am a Safety Officer here at the university...Would look bad for me not to have at least attempted to steer them in the right direction. Besides...it might save *MY* life...

[DRAGONSLAYER]

The tanks will heat up when you fill them fast. I fill my own scuba tanks and all of my friends CAtanks, just fill them slow and they will stay cool. Also, if you fill your bottle fast it gets hot, then when it cools, you have a lot less press. Fill slow and have your tanks hydro'd when needed.

[Hasty8]

Originally posted by brett:
fiberwrapped tanks are as dangerous as any other tank the scuba class i went to ( to fill up my 68 ci) had pictures of blown up fiberwrapped tanks and every guy got killed that had it blown up on him,

I don't know who told u this or how u came to that conclusion but you couldn't be further rom the truth.

I've worked many summers in my local gas shop. That's the place that most field buy their CO2 from and I have seen my share or blown bottles. All things being equal, fiber wrapped are substantially more safe then plain steel or alum bottle. With steel or alum, a single scratch could possibly weaken the intergrity of the bottle and lead to catastrophic failure[read: BOOM!].

While a scratch in the fiber wrapping may possibly lead to integrity failure the fiber wrapping does a great job of preventing shrapnel. Not the minor cuts shrapnel but it definately stops the severing arms and fingers shrapnel.

Fiber wrapped is definately the way to go but remember. No cleaning solvents. I don't even use soap. I just use a mildly damp towel to clean off the bottle and then immediately wipe it dry.

Last thing, I would also stress that you take preventive care while at the field. After you are tagged or after the round is over check over your bottle and clean up any wipes.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[cphilip]

Hasy8,

All these tanks meet the same DOT spec. And the only reason for fiber wrapping is to allow a lot less aluminum/steel be used to make them lighter and get away with it. So you both are partly right but yet partly wrong. They are equal in some ways. Different in others. The Tuff skin fiber wrapped actually harder to damage than the plain fiber wrapped. And the steel/cro-molly even more difficult to damage to the point of losing integrity respectively. But all across the board there is no real difference in likely hood if they are managed properly for their individual properties. They are equally prone to dropping them on the valve and separation. So there is no real right or wrong answer as it depends on the circumstances of each incident.