Newbies guide to HPA/Nitro/Compressed air

Well, I have seen a good number of questions about this subject, so ill sum it up.

HPA stands for High Pressure Air. If you have no idea what the heck that means, it litterally means a high pressure airtank.

Now, HPA/Compressed Air Tanks/"Nitro Tanks" are all filled with compressed air, not CO2 or "stuff that can get you high" as that is a myth. Its filled with, air. What you're breathing right now unless you're a fish. HPA tanks are also called Nitrogen or "Nitro" tanks, because air is mostly nitrogen.

HPA tanks are not like CO2 tanks, they have two bottle pressures, 3000, and 4500 psi (pounds per square inch), and rarely 5000psi. HPA bottles also are not sized by just pressure, but cubic inches as well. They are commonly available in 47 ci, 68 ci (Most common), 72 ci, 88 ci, and 92 ci. There are other sizes as well, for example I have a 50 ci WGP tank.

HPA tanks also have two output pressures. Low, and high. If you have any Tippmann, Spyder, Brass Eagle, Viewloader, US-5 etc. you need a high output tank, unless you have a low pressure kit. Low Pressure guns run off of Low Pressure tanks, not CO2 like high pressure tanks. When a HPR or High pressure reg is used it brings

hybrid sniper wrote: down any tank output pressure (HP or LP) to the operating pressure of the gun. Very few "LP" guns run on straight tank pressure. For example, a DM4 may have an operating pressure of 200 psi, but the tank is outputting 850. The HPR (in this case, a Hyper2 if the DM is stock) will regulate that 850 down to 200. Most HPRs can handle HP input, but post iR3 Angels with stock HPRs need LP to work without any manipulation. Some of the Angel HPRs work ok with HP, but most will not allow the user to chrono under 300 fps or set their LPR correctly. Check the specs of the gun before you buy it and see what the operating pressure is. If it's say 225 (and it's not a stock A4/Fly/Speed/G7/A1) you can run either HP or LP.

What is the advantage of HPA over CO2? HPA is much more regulated, resulting in more consistancy. What the heck is that? Your velocity and shots are more consistant, which makes it a heck of a lot more accurate. Also, your tank just runs out, your shots do not begin to drop down like when you're running out of CO2. The final (and my favorite) benefit of HPA is it is not affected by cold like CO2. Which means your shots are all good, and Response Triggers work well. For those of you with electronic markers, HPA is a must. CO2 will destroy a solenoid if rapid firing, and can destroy all regs execpt for a Palmers Stabilizer. Regular 98 Customs, X7's, and A5's with electronics all will be fine with CO2, but HPA is still reccomended. Also, liquid CO2 can eat O-Rings.

Finally, HPA tanks are made out of a couple different materals. The cheapest is aluminium which is heavy as heck, and fiber wrapped. Fiber wrapped is a thin aluminum shell that is well, fiber wrapped. Fiber wrapped tanks are the lightest tanks, and hold just as much and often more than aluminum tanks. There is also carbon fiber wrapped tanks, which are similar to regular fiber wrapped tanks.

The only downside to HPA tanks is they need to be Hydro-Tested every five years or so. Testing costs about $30 dollars, and if your tank fails, you're out of a tank. Most paintball shops will not fill an out of date tank.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a message or just post below.

RoboCop wrote: HPA means High Pressure Air, not apparatus.

I have no idea why I put that.

I recently was in a proshop and asked about the lower end Autococker markers, the Trilogy SF pro, to be specific.  The sales person indicated that I could use my hpa tanks on the trilogy line, they have a high pressure reg. even thought they are a low pressure marker.  I do not know about the higher end markers.  I had always figured I would have to buy LP tanks if I were to add to my collection, it seems it depends alot on the marker setup

The question that came to mind later this week end was, if the paintball tanks work like other pressure tanks?, in that when they get below the regulator pressure they are still usable on a low pressure marker until completely out or below the marker pressure thresh-hold.

In other words, the tank will still release pressure until empty, 0 psi?

This thread was meant to be a good one, but turned ugly.

SSOK wrote: hybrid-sniper wrote: [ If I'm going to try, I'm going to do it right.   Then go for it, write your own FAQ.

If. If. If I were to do it, I would not waste my time by getting things wrong. What you're trying to do is like what the American Idol contestants try to do to Simon when he tells them they can't sing: "Well I'll bet you can't sing, so what gives you the right to trash on me?"

Well, sweetheart, I'm not the one making the FAQ. You are. I am not forbidden to criticize it if it is wrong. In this case, blatantly wrong.

SSOK wrote: hybrid-sniper wrote: SSOK wrote: hybrid-sniper wrote: [ If I'm going to try, I'm going to do it right.   Then go for it, write your own FAQ. If. If. If I were to do it, I would not waste my time by getting things wrong. What you're trying to do is like what the American Idol contestants try to do to Simon when he tells them they can't sing: "Well I'll bet you can't sing, so what gives you the right to trash on me?" Well, sweetheart, I'm not the one making the FAQ. You are. I am not forbidden to criticize it if it is wrong. In this case, blatantly wrong. Well, honey, I'm not on American Idol, and you're not Simon. See, this is not a contest to get your attention. This entire thread is not about you, nor is it directed tword you. Sure, you have the right to post whatever you may feel like, weather it may be critisizing me, or accually helping new players, (OMG! What a novel idea!) which I am doing. Now, mind you, my original post is not 100% correct, it has errors. But, is anything perfect? Sure, I have a few minor things incorrect, but it is nothing earth shattering. Its aimed at new players, not someone with a brand new CF 4500 and a DM.

You act like I have never helped anyone before. That's all I ever did before I got sick of all the duplicate questions.

Wrong is wrong. your whole deal about LP tanks and LP guns is misleading at best, and is not a minor error. Integrate (or paraphrase; that would be better) what I said in my first post into that segment, and the whole FAQ will begin to hold water.