Air tank question

[Hold Center]

I recently purchased a compressed air bottle from Champions Choice in Nashville. It’s the yellow one on their website and rated at 3000 PSI. It says in their ad that it is 200 bar. I’m using it to fill my Walther LP300 air pistol, and use the fill adapter that came with the pistol. It screws right into the valve on the air tank so I can just screw my cylinders directly to it for filling. I have two cylinders for this pistol and each is rated for 300bar. When I try to refill a cylinder, it only fills to a little over 100 bar on the cylinder gauge, leaving a whole lot of unused air space. How can I get more air into my cylinders? Thanks for any ideas! Bill

[marky-d]

Sounds like either your tank isn't at full pressure (most likely) or your gauges are off. If you don't have a gauge to check the tank, take it to wherever you got it filled and ensure it was filled all the way to 3000psi.

marky-d

[Hold Center]

I just had the tank filled at a scuba shop. There must be a “governor” In the valve on the tank, as it obviously stops transferring
air after just a very short time, ie; 15 seconds or so.

[BEA]

I would be surprised if there is a regulator in the valve. My scuba tank does not have one. I do not like to open the valve too quickly so that the air seeps in a little at first to more gradually pressurize the cylinder. I do not know if it is possible to burst a cylinder, but the thought of it causes me to be cautious. However, once I hear the air transferring, the tank and cylinder equalize very quickly, within 5 seconds or less.

[deadeyedick]

Sounds like either your tank isn't at full pressure (most likely) or your gauges are off. If you don't have a gauge to check the tank, take it to wherever you got it filled and ensure it was filled all the way to 3000psi.

marky-d

It is one of these options for sure.

[David M]

If both of your pistol tanks read nearly the same then your main tank is down.
200 bar = 2900 psi
3000 psi = 206 bar
I compressor fill my tank to 215-220 bar and as the tank cools it is a 200 bar.
Dive shops with water cooling tanks will fill direct to 200 bar.
The dive bottles have a over pressure relief valve in the head but no pressure regulator.
Try a different dive shop.

[spektr]

Greetings ...
I have the same tank and I fill my FWB P44 tanks with it. I am puzzled at taking 15 seconds to fill your tank. It shouldnt take that long. Assuming the tank is full, you could very well not be opening tbe tank valve far enough. At a complete scuba tank fill of 200 BAR, you can wind the valve open and closed as far as you want as fast as you want without any ill effects. The minor compression heating of tbe pistol tank is not harmfull since the volume is so small and I've never had it too warm to hold when filling it really fast. I'm starting to think that you need to open your valve farther, I turn mine at least 3/4 of a revolution.... Try that after you know the tank is full

[Gwhite]

Some fill adapters do have a small orifice to slow down filling. The K-valve to DIN adapters from "Best Fittings" in England now come that way, but you can remove it if you want to.

We also recently discovered that older steel SCUBA tanks aren't rated for 200 BAR. The school where I help coach pistol has SCUBA classes & a compressor, but the compressor cuts out at 160 BAR because they mostly have the older tanks. We end up having to take the air gun tanks to the dive shop to get them filled to 200 BAR.