The high pressure side of the regulator system sees about 1000 PSI. Most hoses are not rated for this kind of pressure. If you hooked up a series of fittings so that a hose could screw directly into the tank valve and the other end had a schrader valve fitting (for filling tires) and the hose was of sufficient strength to take 1000+ PSI, then you could probably fill tires without a regulator. Good luck actually holding the thing on the tire with your fingers... you better have a screw-on fitting.
The CO2 inside the tank is actually in liquid form. It's a superheated liquid that at ambient pressure would explosively turn into gas.
This means if liquid gets into the hose... you better be somewhere else.
Does that extra inch of metal housing in the regulator protect the hose from seeing liquid any more or less than it would if it was attached directly to the bottle valve? If that's a real issue you could certainly add another inch of metal tubing to it without getting an additional valve.
Most good quality airhose has a 1100+ burst, but the opperating pressure is much lower of course, so I could see how that might be a concern.
Does that extra inch of metal housing in the regulator protect the hose from seeing liquid any more or less than it would if it was attached directly to the bottle valve? If that's a real issue you could certainly add another inch of metal tubing to it without getting an additional valve.
Most good quality airhose has a 1100+ burst, but the opperating pressure is much lower of course, so I could see how that might be a concern.
No....the Powertank set up in TWO vales....one for tank pressure and one for working pressure.....you can keep the line safe...yet still blow high volumes due to the better(non-freezing) valves.....
The Doc tried every other plan you can think of.....take his word for it...or his nerdness will kill you with type
If the liquid makes it through the second valve before expanding, it's not going to matter if there's a second valve or not? How does the second valve help the liquid to expand faster during high flow? It's not about trust, I'm just trying to understand the explanation.
If the liquid makes it through the second valve before expanding, it's not going to matter if there's a second valve or not? How does the second valve help the liquid to expand faster during high flow? It's not about trust, I'm just trying to understand the explanation.
It continues to allow flow at high rates, indefinately. Tire after tire, there is no decrease in flow rate. It does not freeze clog.
Better?
Better!! (but still no answer)
Like I said, I've filled up 8-12 tires at a time, multiple times, and have experienced no problems. If there was a direct safety reason, I would definitely be looking at it to possibly replace. When I fill my tank this week I will run this buy the owner (Red Comet Safety & Security). If I get any good info I'll pass it on.
Like I said, I've filled up 8-12 tires at a time, multiple times, and have experienced no problems. If there was a direct safety reason, I would definitely be looking at it to possibly replace. When I fill my tank this week I will run this buy the owner (Red Comet Safety & Security). If I get any good info I'll pass it on.
If you've got a regulator that doesn't clog, runs fast, and doesn't freeze open... then great! It might not win a flow-rate race with the powertank regulator, but honestly... who cares? It's still going to be tons faster than a dinky little compressor. I can't really make an argument to go with the powertank regulator over something else that doesn't have a problem. Most other kinds of CO2 regulators have a problem, but not with safety, just with function.
Lots of people have tried to circumvent the cost of a powertank or one of the knock-offs by using welding regulators or other types of CO2 system regulators but they're typically NOT capable of the sustained flow rates necessary to fill tires without suffering the problems mentioned above. Welding CO2 in my heavy duty Miller 252, for example, flows at a rate of only 25 cubic feet per hour. It's a decent Victor brand regulator, but if I used it for tire filling, it would soon freeze open. I know, I've tried it!
All regulators are equipped with a pop-off, for safety's sake. It's just a screw in fitting on the side of the regulator body with a tiny hole in it and a heavy spring holding a valve shut inside. If the pop off failed, the overpressure would blow the hose after a few hundred pounds. That would be a true safety problem. The guage on the low pressure side can blow out too. I've seen an O2 source blow a low pressure guage, but it was probably already "about to go" due to industrial abuse. The high pressure side on an O2 tank is over 2000 pounds. The guage face and bezel scattered shrapnel across the deck with a big pop followed by lots of hissing. For O2, this is a huge safety problem because in an oily industrial setting, it's a major fire hazard. CO2 is obviously not such a fire hazard.
The point isn't safety. The point is buyer remorse. I've seen dozens of people over the years buying and using inexpensive regulators thinking that they're circumventing the cost of a purpose-built onboard CO2 tank, only to end up re-investing a couple months later after they time test their choice.
That's why I said to see a regulator actually DO a series of tire fills without problems before choosing to use it for this purpose. Or else, if one is going to buy something sight unseen, then my strong recommendation is to go with a known rather than an unknown product for the purpose.
Does that extra inch of metal housing in the regulator protect the hose from seeing liquid any more or less than it would if it was attached directly to the bottle valve? If that's a real issue you could certainly add another inch of metal tubing to it without getting an additional valve.
Most good quality airhose has a 1100+ burst, but the opperating pressure is much lower of course, so I could see how that might be a concern.
The safety rating on spiral plastic hose used with onboard tanks is only a few hundred pounds. It's actual burst strength is probably more, but I wouldn't push it. The system in your car isn't given the ideal chance to succeed.
If you up-end a CO2 tank and open it's flow... expect to blow liquid CO2 into the mechanism. Expect the liquid CO2 to generate a LOT of gas really quickly. Expect things to break, surprisingly. A regulator won't stop this from happening, but with some luck, it will jet out of the pop off valve instead of making the broken end of a hose into a rocket powered whip.
(but still no answer)
Linear Mode
