Scuba tank for co2

**jcalisi** · 01-20-2009, 08:20 PM

I have a nice 100cf aluminum tank and was wondering if anyone here has used them for their co2 tank. I know I will need to change out the valve but not so sure if it needs a dip tube or anything else added. I think its rated to 3000 psi.

**IrregularPulse** · 01-20-2009, 08:25 PM

There are a few threads about this and some people sear it cannot be done, Some say it can be done but nobody will fill them and others say they have done it their local place fills it no problem. Best bet would be take it to your local welding/Gas supply shop and ask because in the end, it would be their decision to if they would fill it or not.
Hope I helped and saved you a lot of reading leading to the same result.

eschatz · 01-20-2009, 08:29 PM

I think the consensus is that it would be cheaper to just sell the tank and get a regular C02 tank.

**jcalisi** · 01-20-2009, 08:33 PM

thanks for the info. That's kind of what I figured. I was just there this morning while buying a 15lb co2 tank. For what I can tell on the internet you will need a divers cert to get it filled (which I have) and then its still up to the discretion of the filling company.

In the end it sounds like I should just sell it. Seems the more complex things get the more dust they seem to collect.

**budbo** · 01-20-2009, 09:41 PM

Once you put a CO2 valve on it the diver's cert is irrelevant, and with a SCUBA regulator valve on it, no business would consider filling it with CO2, that would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

You can take it to a shop that does bottle swaps and see what they will trade for it.

**IrregularPulse** · 01-21-2009, 02:25 PM

[QUOTE=budbo;1078325]and with a SCUBA regulator valve on it, no business would consider filling it with CO2.
QUOTE]
Nor would that be possible with their setups configured for CO2 valves.

mjcoussens · 01-21-2009, 09:28 PM

If you are bent on using it, it shouldn't be very difficult to source out the correct valve to replace the current valve if it's a yoke valve. If it's a DIN valve it might be even easier.

From what I know it is fairly common for paintballers to convert SCUBA cylinders so that they can fill up their own tanks. If you are going to just use it for dispensing you will not need a dip tube. A dip tube is used to move liquid CO2 from one tank to another, without it you would only be able to move gaseous CO2 from tank to tank.

Hope this helps,

Matt

keithd · 01-23-2009, 03:01 PM

Paintballers use them to fill their tanks with compressed air since SCUBA tanks are pressurized to 3000 psi or so. Then paintballers use a fill station to fill a 9-20 oz 3000 psi-rated paintball tank since it's considerably cheaper to fill 1 SCUBA tank than multiple paintball tanks. No CO2 is involved at all other than what's in ambient air.

Paintballers also use fill stations to fill CO2 tanks, but then they use a regular main CO2 tank to do the filling.

I found this out when I did research into making my own paintball tank fill station after being inspired by BierMuncher's trashcan setup - he uses a Lowe's portable airtool regulator that uses paintball CO2 as an air source.

mjcoussens · 01-23-2009, 03:18 PM

After looking into it more, that is correct. Although it may be possible to source a 3/4 NPS CO2 valve to replace the SCUBA valve with.

Matt

**jcalisi** · 01-24-2009, 04:18 AM

after doing my research and everyone's advice I let it go on cl and a paintballer picked it up quickly. the easiest I could find is to use a scuba first stage reg and tap the 100 psi out then use a secondary reg to get to the normal pressure.

now I just need to find the time to finish my keezer... maybe some this weekend.