Low pressure high pressure?

MILKMAN wrote:

HPA/Low Pressure/Regulator
Info

This post was composed by Myself, with some help from KRL15, for those
who need a little guidance on the subject. This post was not meant to be
read all the way through. Just for those who need a little bit of info on a
certain aspect that has been gone over in this post. The broad topics are
printed in a bigger font, bolded, underlined, and italicized. The subtopics
are printed in bold.

HPA

Compressed Air/Nitrogen
These terms are all used interchangeably; the only real difference in them
is the fact that Compressed air is simply what we are breathing right now
(78.1% Nitrogen,19.8% Oxygen, and 2.1% Other Gasses), and Nitrogen is
100% Nitrogen gas.

HPA and Nitrogen are stored in a tank, under pressure, as a gas. HPA and
Nitrogen are both very stable. The pressure of HPA and Nitrogen in a
tank, will change a little bit with temperature. It will not change pressure
as radically as a gas that is liquefied, like CO2.

CO2 is stored in a tank, under pressure, as both a liquid and a gas,
simultaneously. about 34% of the VOLUME of a full CO2 tank will be filled
with liquid. The remaining 66% of the interior volume, will be filled with
saturated gas.

The pressure of CO2 will change drastically with a change in the
temperature of the CO2. Further, if straight liquid CO2 is ingested into
the gun, potentially dangerous velocity spikes can occur. The pressure of
CO2 at 70 degrees (F) will be about 853 PSI.

Why would I consider buying Nitrogen?
Most all serious paintballers will make the switch in there career.
Nitrogen is a much more pure gas, as stated above, it is much of what we
breathe unlike Co2, which is Carbon Dioxide. Many electronic and
mechanical guns require the use of Nitrogen. You will not have any more
nasty velocity spikes that can injure other players, which can happen with
unregulated Co2.

What are all these measurements for?
The first measurement you will see is the “ci”, or cubic inches of the tank,
which is the actual size/internal volume in cubic inches of the tank. This
measurement can be anywhere from 47ci to 114ci. The second
measurement is pressure. Pressure is expressed as “PSI”, which stands for
Pounds per Square Inch. Tanks can be rated to be filled up to 3000psi,
4500psi, or 5000psi.

How many shots can I expect?
The most common way of measuring shots per tank is taking the C.I., or
Cubic Inch specification, and multiplying it by 10 for 3000psi rated tanks,
15 for 4500psi rated tanks, and 17 for 5000psi rated tanks. For
example; you could expect 680 shots from a 68ci 3000psi tanks. 68ci x
10 = 680 shots.

Steel or Fiber Wrapped?
A Nitrogen tank can be made from one of two materials. A steel tank will
be much more durable, and could potentially last longer, while also being
much heavier than a fiber wrapped tank. Fiber wrapped tanks are not
quite as durable, unless a tank cover is used, which is most definitely
recommended with this material. A fiber wrapped tank is much lighter
than a steel tank.

Hydro Testing?
A Nitrogen tank must have a hydro re test every 3 years or every 5 years.
This period is from the date on the tank. Depending on which Nitrogen
tank that you choose, you will need to know if your tank needs to be
tested every 3 years, or every 5 years.

Your proshop will not fill a tank if it is past due for a hydro test. If you
are buying a used tank, make sure you find out when the tank was last
hydrostatically tested, and whether it needs to be tested every 3 or 5
years.

Fiber wrapped tanks have a MAXIMUM life span of 15 years from the date
of the original Hydro Test. Any tank, of any type, that fails a Hydro Test,
will be destroyed by the company that performs the Hydro Test.

Many fiber tanks will need to be Hydro'd every 3 years. Some of the newer
fiber tanks can go 5 years between Hydros.

Steel tanks have NO MAXIMUM life span. So long as a steel tank passes
Hydro, it can still be used. Steel tanks must be Hydro'd every 5 years.

A standard hydro testing is $35 from www.hydrotesters.com">Hydro Testers

How much will I pay for a Nitrogen tank?
The prices on Nitrogen tanks are a little more expensive than what you
will pay for a Co2 tank. Unless you are buying a used Nitrogen tank, you
will be paying anywhere from $80-$600. The $400-$600 range is
probably out of most recreational players league, this being Angel A.I.R.
and the Max-Flo systems. To get your Nitrogen tank filled, it is usually
$1 every 1000psi. For example; it would cost $3 to get a 68ci 3000psi
tank filled. The cubic inch of the tank is not taken into consideration with
the cost of filling a tank. So an 114ci 3000psi tank would only cost $3 to
fill also, in most cases.

Does a tank come with a regulator?
Yes, almost all tanks will come with a regulator. This is the part that
actually screws into your Air Source Adapter, and contains the gauge and
fill nipple. These regulators can be preset to a high pressure output of
800-900psi, a low pressure output of 350-450psi, or they can even be an
adjustable output regulator.

What are some good brands of Nitrogen systems?
Some of the good brands which are in the mid price ranges are Crossfire,
Centerflag, and WorrGas. Unless you are daring, you will want to stay
away from new companies, they usually have some bugs to work out.
Make sure the brand of tank you are getting comes with a good quality
regulator on top. I have heard many negative remarks about the ACI and
PMI tank regulators.

Low Pressure

What is low pressure?
A low operating pressure is considered anywhere from 50-400psi. On
any gun, running at a lower pressure could mean more shots per tank,
less recoil, and better consistency over the chrono.

Why go low pressure?
Low pressure can have numerous benefits such as: more shots per tank,
less ball chopping, less recoil, better consistency, and of course the
bragging rights of knowing your gun has a low operating pressure and
can achieve all of these things.

Can my 98 Custom be a low pressure marker?
Yes it can. With the purchase of Tippmann’s Comp-Air kit, a quality
regulator, and a Nitrogen tank, your 98 Custom can run at 350 psi or
lower.

What about using the RT with the Low Pressure kit?
The RT and Low Pressure kit will work very nicely together. Just use the
RT kit's power tube, and the LP kit's valve. If you do have any problems
with the RT not resetting, you may need a larger external RT hose.
However, owners of newer 98 Customs should have no problems.

What does the Tippmann Comp Air kit accomplish?
The Tippmann Comp Air kit gives you a lighter rear drive spring, lighter
rear bolt, high flow valve, low pressure chamber, and a vertical adapter
with t-fitting. With all of these things installed on your 98 Custom along
with a regulator, your 98 Custom is capable of operating at 350psi or
lower.

Can my Tippmann A-5 be a low pressure marker?
Tippmann claims that it will have a Comp-Air kit out for the A-5 soon.
Until then, the lowest pressure that an A-5 can run at, is about 600-700
PSI, without starving the cyclone feed.

Regulators

What does a Regulator do?
A regulator regulates the air flow to your marker. A regulator will take the
high pressure gas that is in the tank, and will step it down to a lower
pressure, so that it can be safely used in a marker.

Most regulators are adjustable, meaning you can control the operating
pressure, in psi, of your marker. Most regulators are meant to be used
with Nitrogen. Some regulators can be used with Co2. One regulator that
works well with CO2 is the Palmer Stabilizer. The Stabilizer works equally
well with Nitrogen and Co2.

What are all the holes for?
A regulator can have up to three different holes. The first hole or port,
usually located on one side of the regulator, can be for the airline coming
into the regulator. The second hole or port, usually located on the
reverse side from the first hole or port, can be used as an outgoing airline
(in a female regulator setup) or a port for a gauge. And the third hole or
port, usually located on the bottom of the regulator, can be that of an
allen wrench adjustment to tweak the operating pressure of the regulator.

Do I need a gauge?
If you want to know approximately what output pressure your regulator is
set at, all the time, then having a gauge on your reg is for you. If you
really don’t care what pressure you’re at, just as long as it works, then
you really don’t need a gauge. Micro gauges, which you will most
commonly find on regulators, aren’t as accurate as bigger gauges.
Remember that any gauge is most accurate at its mid point. If you are
planning on running at 300psi, buy a 600psi gauge.

Some specs on some commonly known quality regulators.[/
B]

MacDev 03 Gladiator - The Gladiator is a very consistent, very high
flow regulator. It is adjustable from 0-700psi and can be used with
Nitrogen or Co2. Although this is a very nice regulator, it is also very
high maintenance. Any piece of debris that gets into the reg could cause
velocity spikes or drop off. You must keep this regulator very clean.
They cost about $80 and can be found at
MacDev

AKALMP Sidewinder - The Sidewinder already has a great
companies name behind of it. Who else to buy a regulator from then
AKALMP, the low pressure experts? The Sidewinder is very unique, it has
a swiveling end cap that allows the regulator to be setup in many
different configurations. It also comes in 3 different sizes to meet your
needs. This regulator is designed for low pressure operation. They cost
about $95 and can be found at AKALMP[/
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Bob Long Torpedo – The Bob Long Torpedo is a very known
regulator. It is low maintenance, very consistent, and easy on the wallet.
If Bob Long puts his name behind it, then you can be sure its worth the
money you put out. This is the cheapest regulator mentioned here for
about $55, and it can be found at
Shop4Paintball.com

Palmer Stabilizer – The Stabilizer is a great regulator for Co2 or
Nitrogen, and here’s why (copied from Palmers FAQ page): “The major
benefit of the Stabilizer over the UniReg is that the Stabilizer will maintain
consistency just about twice as well as the UniReg can. This is due to the
design and dimensioning of the unit. Through any regulator there is a
certain amount of inverse pressure variation in the output pressure that
results from the variation in supply pressure. (as the supply pressure to
the regulator goes up or down, the output pressure will go up or down,
exactly opposite, and in a ratio that is proportional to the valve and
diaphragm (or plunger) dimensions. (i.e. as the supply pressure goes
down, the regulated pressure will go up slightly and vice-versa) In the
case of a UniReg, that ratio of change is approx. 35:1; meaning that for
every 35 psi of supply pressure change, the output pressure will vary
approx. 1 psi. The Stabilizer will only vary about 1/2 as much. In other
words, the Stabilizer is rated as a 70:1 regulator, in that it takes a 70 psi
change in supply pressure to yield a 1 psi change in output pressure.”
The Stabilizer is also adjustable from 0-900psi. This regulator will cost
anywhere from $65-$95, depending on which setup of the Stabilizer you
choose, and it can be found at
Palmer-Pursuit

Other quality regs are the Air America brand regulators, such as the
Vigilante. Although I don’t have any personal experience with this brand,
a lot of people have told me many positive things about them.

Hope this helps.

MILKMAN