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pugwash

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is their any reason why it wouldn't be a good idea to use a 15l dive tank as a compressed air source? these things run at 3000psi but you can buy bolt in regulators (and i don't mean first stage scuba regs) to bring the pressure down to 200 psi.

obviously the tanks should be tested (but that only happens every 5 years and it's not that espensive) but is their any reason not to use one?

whole setup would cost about £50 and a tank fill is usually only £5.

is their anyway of working out how much air a 15l tank filled to 3000psi contains? for example how many tyres of 250l volume filled to 30psi fill? how many minutes of air do you have for an air tool that needs 280l/min at 100psi?

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is their anyway of working out how much air a 15l tank filled to 3000psi contains? for example how many tyres of 250l volume filled to 30psi fill? how many minutes of air do you have for an air tool that needs 280l/min at 100psi?

Jim

Surely someone of your education can work it out. There must be a formula somewhere on the net to show you. Or you could just guestimate and say LOTS of tyres ;) . Seriously though it must be a known quantity that air can be compressed to a certain volume. Just don't ask me I'm just a thick squaddy :D :D

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is their any reason why it wouldn't be a good idea to use a 15l dive tank as a compressed air source? these things run at 3000psi but you can buy bolt in regulators (and i don't mean first stage scuba regs) to bring the pressure down to 200 psi.

obviously the tanks should be tested (but that only happens every 5 years and it's not that espensive) but is their any reason not to use one?

whole setup would cost about £50 and a tank fill is usually only £5.

is their anyway of working out how much air a 15l tank filled to 3000psi contains? for example how many tyres of 250l volume filled to 30psi fill? how many minutes of air do you have for an air tool that needs 280l/min at 100psi?

I calculated the following:

Using:

(P1 X V1)/T1 = (P2 X T2)/T2

Assuming that the temperature stays the same as the air expands (it will actually cool, giving less air than calc shows, but will give a ball park figure).

So in the tank:

P1 = 3000 psi

V1 = 15 ltr

For filling tyres:

P2 = 30 psi, hence

3000 x 15 = 30 x V2

V2 = 1500 ltr. As your tyres are 250 ltr ecah, the tank will fill 6 tyres from empty.

For Air gun

P2 = 100 psi, hence:

3000 x 15 = 100 x V2

V2 = 450 ltrs. As your tool uses 280 ltr/min you will be able to run it for 1.6 minutes.

Hope this helps,

Adrian

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Hi

We have for 3 years beeen using two, I really do not know the korrekt word, but firemen usese them when they go into burning buildnings, it is two smaller bottles with 250bar and then the presure reg that they use is adjusted to 7bar wich gives us air for tyres and foremost our Airlockers.

They are smaller than divers ones so they are easier to place.

Kind regards

Ole.

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well i've worked out that a 15l dive tank filled with normal air would fill 8 38.5x16 boggers and would supply 6 minutes of air for air tools that run at 10cfm and 100psi

doesn't sound like very much does it?

Compressed air is not the most effective. A small disposable CO2 bottle will hold more 'air' but I had trouble trying to find a regulator to bring it down to usable pressures. The welding ones take it too low, and are very restrictive. I decided it was not sensible to modify the safety regulator on them after I blew the top off one in the garage.

With the right regulator I still beliwve CO2 is the way to go though.

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is their any reason why it wouldn't be a good idea to use a 15l dive tank as a compressed air source? these things run at 3000psi but you can buy bolt in regulators (and i don't mean first stage scuba regs) to bring the pressure down to 200 psi.

obviously the tanks should be tested (but that only happens every 5 years and it's not that espensive) but is their any reason not to use one?

whole setup would cost about £50 and a tank fill is usually only £5.

is their anyway of working out how much air a 15l tank filled to 3000psi contains? for example how many tyres of 250l volume filled to 30psi fill? how many minutes of air do you have for an air tool that needs 280l/min at 100psi?

I have used one of these tanks in the nas for about 8 years. Yes about £5 to refill and I have a filling station on our factory estate so very easy. The diving bottles have their own type of connection, you can buy a converter to use a single or dual stage regulator with 10 bar outlet and at least 200 bar inlet. Screw a pcl socket on your regulator outlet hey presto! I can even make you a cradle if interested, cnc code written 8 years ago. I have inflated a tyre coming off the bead whilst offroading by removing the tyre valve and the flow rate is good enough to overcome the losses whilst the bead re-seats. I can re-inflate about 20 tyres from 10psi back to 30 psi after off-roading with a full tank. I also have a connection for the axle lockers in the event that the compressor fails I can still keep going! :D

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Compressed air is not the most effective. A small disposable CO2 bottle will hold more 'air' but I had trouble trying to find a regulator to bring it down to usable pressures. The welding ones take it too low, and are very restrictive. I decided it was not sensible to modify the safety regulator on them after I blew the top off one in the garage.

With the right regulator I still beliwve CO2 is the way to go though.

the "powertank" guys in the US supply regs just for offroading use.

might have a think about CO2- how hard is it to get re-filled though?

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I have an aluminium CO2 tank for tyre inflation bought from the US with a 150 psi static regulator fitted.

Excellent for inflating tyres.Quicker than just about any workshop compressor,never mind pathetic portable ones.

Will re-inflate about 36 235/85/16 s from 12psi to 30psi.

The down side is filling the tank.I take mine to a local fire extinguisher shop - they charge £20 - so I don't use it much any more.

If anyone knows a cheap source of CO2 let me know.

If anyone is interested in buying mine I could post some pics.

Also doubles as an effective fire extinguisher if you remove the regulator- -I have had to use it for real when a house I was working on nearly burnt down!

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I have an aluminium CO2 tank for tyre inflation bought from the US with a 150 psi static regulator fitted.

Excellent for inflating tyres.Quicker than just about any workshop compressor,never mind pathetic portable ones.

Will re-inflate about 36 235/85/16 s from 12psi to 30psi.

The down side is filling the tank.I take mine to a local fire extinguisher shop - they charge £20 - so I don't use it much any more.

If anyone knows a cheap source of CO2 let me know.

If anyone is interested in buying mine I could post some pics.

Also doubles as an effective fire extinguisher if you remove the regulator- -I have had to use it for real when a house I was working on nearly burnt down!

TBH, that sounds pretty good. What I've been told about CO2 is that there are less people who'll fill them and that its more expensive to fill. However, if you can fill locally and its only £20 that's pretty comparable to a dive tank.

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well i've worked out that a 15l dive tank filled with normal air would fill 8 38.5x16 boggers and would supply 6 minutes of air for air tools that run at 10cfm and 100psi

doesn't sound like very much does it?

Better than nothing and pretty good all for just £2 :D

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I have a tank here in Aus which lives in the Camper trailer but also can come out and go in the back of the car. Got it from the Aussie version of Asda. But you just fill it up from the local garage or your compressor before you go out. Will pump up tyres and use air tools but not as much as the power tank. But this did cost me $35 about £15 to you lot.

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the "powertank" guys in the US supply regs just for offroading use.

might have a think about CO2- how hard is it to get re-filled though?

In the States they use CO2 tanks and plenty of web sites selling parts. CO2 is more efficient than air, but I chose compressed air because so local for a re-fill and I could not locate a CO2 re-fill station. In fact re-fill was £2 a time and recently went up to a fiver. BTW I remember Paul Wightman scoffing at my bling tank when I first installed it in the nas and that was before 'bling'. However, about 2 hours after the severe telling-off, Paul needed some help pumping a tyre on his 101 and since my tank was the only alternative to a footpump, I guess it was 1:nil to the bling tank :D

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My local Dive shop makes a kit for a Ferrari race team to use for air tools etc for pit changes.

Though they seem a bit more costly than the prices that you have quoted - tested s/h tank @ £100

Must be the red paint and silly horse logo :D

What are the options if you don't go for full preasure just enough for tyres?

How and where to fill etc. or is this no go?

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thanks for the replies chaps.

would like to go with CO2 but i can't find much info on tanks or suppliers- will speak to fire extinguisher people to see if they can help.

Surprised that the ferrari boys can get away with coloured tanks- you used to be able to paint your tanks anything you wanted (tanks that looko like guiness bottles or HP bottles) but recent "regs" have meant that you can only put certain info on the tanks- ie if it's a nitrox tank then it has to be labelled as such etc etc.

full pressure tested tanks aren't alot of money second hand and the don't cost a lot to fill!

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