Shops and fields have only a few viable options for refilling paintball air systems. The first option one has is scuba fill stations. This method consists of buying a few scuba cylinders and a scuba fill station, then refilling the paintball air systems from the scuba tank. This method is generally the cheapest way to go, but also the most limiting. With standard scuba cylinders, the maximum pressure is 3,500 psi, so you will never be able to fill over 3,500 psi. In addition, with scuba cylinders being so small you will only be getting a few fills before you drop below 3,000 psi and get only marginal fills after that point. Then it is back to the local dive shop to pay for more fills.

The second option for refilling paintball air systems incorporates the use of a booster. What is done in this situation is you purchase a booster (approx. $2,000) typically made by Teledyne, coupled with air or nitrogen purchased at a local welding or gas supply house. You connect your rented (or purchased) storage cylinders to a your booster, then connect to the paintball air system. Some gas supply houses carry nitrogen while others carry compressed air (this is where the two gasses become interchangeable). If you are able to get 4,500 psi gas from your supplier, you can start filling paintball air systems. Once the air in your rented storage bottle gets below your desired pressure, you then turn on the booster and boost the air to your desired pressure. This option is good for low volume refilling and is cheaper (in the short term) than compressing your own air. Negative aspects of boosting air are that (1) you will always need to rent or purchase gas from a supply house which can get extremely costly over the long run, (2) booster systems are not intended for high volume and (3) boosters consume a large amount of gas (boosters use low pressure air to drive themselves).

The final option that I will discuss is our preferred method, and that is utilizing a compressor. Most newer compressors from manufacturers such as Bauer are rated at 5000 psi, so the need for a booster is eliminated. Typical installations with an air compressor include the compressor, some storage cylinders, and a fill station. The compressor takes the ambient air and compresses it through multi-stages to your desired pressure. From the compressor, the compressed air is usually stored in a few storage cylinders (also known as a 'Cascade System') and then into your fill station. While the biggest deterrence for people from an air compressor is the startup cost, the long term costs of a compressor are lower because you do not need to continuously buy or rent gas cylinders as you would with a booster. With a compressor based system, you are completely self sufficient.

While this summary is by no means comprehensive, I hope that it cleared up some of the more basic questions. If you still have questions or would like to discuss an air system, feel free to drop us a line at info@paintballcompressor.com or give us a call at (714) 991-8800

Definitions of Terms

Atmosphere: Pressure unit equal to 14.7

Bar: Barometric pressure unit equal to 14.7

Booster: Does just what the name states, boosts air. Typically used in conjunction with storage cylinders allowing you to boost the gas from one high pressure (ie. 3000 psi) to a higher pressure (ie. 4500 psi).

CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute): A measurement of air flowing through a given point in one minute.

Displacement: The volume of air displaced by a full stroke of the first stage piston, multiplied by the rated RPM of the compressor. This is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM)

FAD (Free Air Delivery): The volume of air which is drawn in from the atmosphere by the compressor, then compressed and delivered at a specific rate of pressure.

Filtration: The purification of air by passing it through a porous material for the removal of solid particles and liquid droplets. Filtration is an essential step in the process of air purification.

PSI (Pounds per Square Inch): An expression used in the measurement of air pressure.

PSIG (Pounds per Square Inch - Gauge): This measurement of air pressure does not include atmospheric pressure and starts at 14.7 psi.

SCFM (Standard Cubic Feet per Minute): A measurement of airflow corrected to standard conditions used by all compressor manufacturers except one. The world standard refers to filling an 80 cubic foot cylinder from 0-2800 psig. The other system refers to SCFM in the filling of that same cylinder from 500-3000 psig. This assumes that all cylinders have 500-psig residual pressure.

Storage cylinders: Helpful in allowing you to utilize your compressor during your 'down' times. When your storage is full, you can transfill from your storage immediately, then refill your storage when you have time.

Paintball Cylinder Specifications:

114 cu. inch @ 4500 psi = 20.20 cu. feet
0.06606 cu. feet free air

88 cu. inch @ 4500 psi = 15.59 cu. feet
0.050952 cu. feet free air

68 cu. inch @ 4500 psi = 12.05 cu. feet
0.039372 cu. feet free air

PaintBallCompressor.com
1340 Simpson Circle, Anaheim, California 92806
info@paintballcompressor.com
Phone: (714) 991-8800
Fax: (714) 991-1120