Air vs. CO2??

I was wondering if you can use air instead of CO2. CO2 is only about .800 of an ounce heavier than air. Is that legal to do?

 

Um... let's see... if you don't want to use CO2, you can use either HPA or compressed air. HPA is basically 3000PSI compressed air, stored in a bottle similar (although stronger than) CO2 bottles. It is readily available from most paintball shops, and a refill station is a SCUBA tank plus adapter. HPA stores less gas per unit volume, so you get fewer shots than a similar-sized CO2 bottle. On the plus side, there is less difference between empty and full weight, so you don't have to worry about your ship's waterline changing as much when you run low. NAMBA and some Big Gun clubs have added HPA to their allowed gasses and implemented safety rules, although many other clubs have not.

The other option is compressed air. Compressed air is low-pressure compressed air provided by a stripped-down electric bicycle compressor. On the plus side, air compressors do not require fill stations; as long as you have batteries, you'll have air to fight with. The downsides include high power requirements, possible electrical noise, vibration issues, and lots of audible noise. Historically, compressors were used after Freon gas had been banned, but before CO2 became popular. It is also the origin of Big Gun rate-of-fire restrictions.

 

Would it be possible to put Air in the 10.2 ounce bottle I have for CO2. I can fit more Air in the bottle than CO2. My only concern is that the PSI might be too much for that bottle and explode. I may have to try it. Any thoughts?

 

What kind of pressure are you talking about for the air? And what do you mean you can fit more Air in a bottle than CO2? Weight? Volume?
Most of the CO2 bottles we use generally hold the CO2 at roughly 800psi (the room temp vapor pressure of CO2) and have burst disks to prevent over-pressureizing the bottle (i think those are rated around 3000psi) Doing anything that could cause a compressed gas bottle to explode is akin to building a bomb, please dont.
Unless you're running an onboard compressor (which has its own set of problems) HPA or CO2 are your real two choices. HPA isn't very common in a lot of clubs so youd have to have your own fill stations or HP Compressor ($$$). And there really isnt much to gain by using it over CO2. CO2 is more common is most (maybe all) clubs. Either HPA or CO2 will shoot a BB just fine, CO2 is currently the standard and until there is a valid reason to change it will probably stay that way, thats how this stuff works. If you want to use HPA as long as your club allows it and you do it safely it shouldnt be a big deal. Youll probably have to be a little more self sustaining in terms of filling your HPA tank but its doable.

 

Im not talking about making a bomb at all. All I wanted to know was if I could used compressed air instead of CO2. I dont mind using CO2 I have been using it for the past 8 years. I was just looking for a better alternative. If compressed air works and the working pressure doesnt blow the burst disk then that is the answer I am looking for.

 

In short: no, you cannot put High Pressure Air in a CO2 bottle. Yes, you can use a HPA tank and regulator to power the guns.

HPA is a much higher pressure than CO2, so it will blow the burst disk of the CO2 bottle. CO2 bottles are rated for around 800PSi working pressure, with the burst disk a little higher at around 1800PSI. Aluminum HPA bottles are rated for around 3000 PSI and a burst disk set at 5000PSI (carbon-fiber bottles are different and have not been tested in a ship yet). A CO2 bottle does not have the correct fill port to take HPA, so you can't even try to till it. If you found a way to fill a CO2 bottle with HPA, you will blow the burst disk as well as run a safety risk. You cannot fill a HPA bottle with CO2 because of the way the valve and regulator are designed. You cannot use one bottle with the other gas.

However, if you have a CO2 bottle and similar-size HPA bottle, you can use either one with the proper medium. I use both a 20oz bottle and a 48cu aluminum HPA bottle in my VU. All I need to do is unscrew one bottle and screw in the other. CO2 comes at around 800 PSI, so any equipment designed for CO2 is made to work with any gas at that pressure. HPA bottles come with a built-in regulator that reduces the gas from 3000PSI to 800PSI, so I can use either bottle (with the correct gas) with no changes to the boat.

 

I did not know they were that easily swappable. That is good to know.

 

Keep in mind that direct mass comparisons aren't always perfectly accurate comparisons. They're great for optimal conditions, but CO2 loses efficiency if you use it quickly because of the cooling effect. for a rough guess-timate...
Given my VU, and general fighting tactics, and sufficient targets, I can consume about 1/3 to 1/2 of a 20-oz CO2 bottle in a 15-minute sortie. With a 48cu HPA bottle, I drop from 3000 PSI to about 600 to1000 PSI. So while the total mass comparison says CO2 should last three times longer than equivalent HPA, in my ship CO2 only lasts twice as long as HPA. Of course, my ship also drains its 18 cubic inches of accumulator volume (at about 120 PSI) every six seconds, which makes the Viribus one of the biggest gas hogs in the club.