Onboard CO2?

sandman · **Joined:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:40 am **Posts:** 40

I hope someone can point me in the right direction. If I remember correctly there was a thread about converting fire extinguishers to CO2 but I used the search and came up empty. I think the parts came from the beverage industry. I drive in hte sand alot and would like to be able to air back up. I believe you can even run airtools from a 10lb cylander which would be great for changing a tire if needed.

Any help appreciated.

Gringo Loco · **Posted:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:53 am

Hey sandman, It was scuba tanks not fire extinguishers. Here's the link just scroll down a little.

sandman · **Joined:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:40 am **Posts:** 40

Thanks...Thats exactly the thread I was looking for.

pixeldzn · **Posted:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:20 pm

No, you don't want a scuba tank. They are way too high pressure, and if they blow are loike a missle.

What you want is a CO2 tank, same ones beer hobbyists would use. Old fire extinguishers work as well. CO2 is in liquid form inside the tank, and if the regulator blows, it will vent much more safely than a high pressure scuba tank will.

Check over at rubiconownersforum.com. They have lots of info.

I bought a tank off of some racing guy I found on craigslist (he used it for his intercooler), painted it, got it filled, and bought a powertank regulator.

There are many options from affordable, to not so affordable, depending mostly upon what kind of regulator you want. I wanted to be able to run an ARB locker with it later, so I opted for a quality regulator. If you are just gonna fill tires, you can get a non-adjustable regulator for preety cheap and be up and running.

ChileanKJ · **Posted:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:32 pm

i ask a friend who works for Linde a big gas company, and he told me to forget it, is too dangerous to have it on board, so i just forget it.

Claudio

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:12 pm

Honestly I dont see it being that dangerious. Make sure that your burst disks are in good condition and you have a pressure release valve. Strap it down (Roof rack is a really good place!) where things wont bump up against it and your golden. I used to work with scuba tanks when I played competitive paintball. We would fill those things to 5500 psi and use it all day long. If you think that having that scuba tank is dangerious then think if this, in paintball we use carbon fiber tanks with 4500 psi in them. The tanks actually work as a "stock" to help aim the marker to shoot. They are safe if you use them the right way. Ask your scuba dealer to show you how to work it if your unsure.

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:16 pm

Try this link:

http://www.stu-offroad.com/recovery/co2/co2-1.htm

Actually there are 2 ways to go with a SCUBA tank.

SCUBA tanks are rated for over 3k lbs of pressure. I use one all the time to do my tires.
Most CO2 tank setups use tanks rated at 1800 psi, roughly 1/2 that of a SCUBA tank. Either tank exploding will do some serious damage. That's why they have pop-off valves which burst first. Make alot of noise but don't damage anything. As I understand it the working pressure of a CO2 setup is only around 900 psi, well below the threshold of either type of tank setup.

CO2 is less prone to heat related pressure build up than air is plus it maintains pressure more evenly then air as it is discharged. Sort of the way an alkaline battery works. Keeps constant power till it just quits entirely. Maintains pretty constant air flow over the course of it's fill.

Air tanks slowly lose pressure as they are used meaning as the pressure drops it takes longer to fill each tire. However, 3k of air does ALOT of tires!

So with a SCUBA tank you can:
1. Fill it with air at a dive store, use a diving regulator and a tire filler adaptor. Probl run about 1/3 the cost of a CO2 setup used from ebay or someplace.
2. Fill it with CO2 to 1800 psi, have a huge safety margin as the tank is rated for double and tested at triple that. But you have to buy a pricey valve/regulator suited for CO2 as I don't think a standard SCUBA valve would work (might freeze up).

Most people use fire ext tanks as they are really cheap used.

As reffered to in the link pixel mentioned, you should be able to assemble your own co2 system for around $150 for a 5lb system.

Burchie · **Posted:** Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:13 am

pixeldzn wrote:

What you want is a CO2 tank, same ones beer hobbyists would use.

that's what i did. the only thing that sucks is, now i have to drink bottles.

and i'm not a "hobbyists". it's away of life.

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

CO2 sits in tanks 800-1000 psi as a liquid. They are not pressurized above this because liquids are not very compressible. In liquid state you are able to hold approx 10x time about you would as a gas (at equivalent pressure and temp).

For our case, a tank of liquid CO2 will allow you to fill approximately 3x the amount you could with a 3000psi scuba tank. Plus CO2 is stored at a much lower pressure. That is why CO2 is frequently used for inflation.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:26 am

I recently read an article in the local paper that lots of over the road truckers and auto racers are using Nitrogen instead of air or CO2 as a weight issue and also less change in pressure due to heat change. I don't know how it compresses though for tank use, or price.

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

Air is 78% Nitrogen and there is a whole thread discussing using N2 vs Air. There is really no difference for the average consumer.

The reason CO2 is used for onboard air is because you can keep it at only 800-1000 psi and still fill up 3x as many tires as you could with a 3000psi tank of N2 or air.

Jeger · **Posted:** Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:27 pm

Liquid CO2 is a pretty cool thing for on board air, I would really push anyone considering this to use a roof rack or spare tire mount, anything to keep it out of the cabin. Its not the exploding I would worry about, it is what happens if you develop a leak. If you have the AC on recirc and have a leak you could suffocate everyone in the vehicle fairly quickly. So just remember that if you go this route. Oh and it is very very cold too and can cause frostbite in a hurry.

Myke · **Posted:** Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:55 pm

I worked for a paintball shop for two years and been playing for six. CO2 tanks are very very safe when purchased new. If your gonna get a used one just take it to a place the recharges fire ext and have it pressure tested. The way this works is they sink it in a tank of water and fill it to about 2-3000 psi and if it explodes its bad

. After you get this done they are good for another 3-5 years before they need to be tested. Also CO2 tanks come w/ a burst valve what this does is sit near the regulator. If the pressure in the tank gets to high it will burst and drain all the CO2. So CO2 tanks are very safe!

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:50 pm

Guy in ebay is selling reconditioned, tested, CO2 tanks pretty cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-Pound-CO2-Cylinder-Tank-Paintball-Beer-Homebrew-Tap_W0QQitemZ110033428635QQihZ001QQcategoryZ57074QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Onboard CO2?

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