# CO2 tank exploded!!1



## Azarakiah (Sep 22, 2011)

nothing should happen, i played paintball for years, co2 is a very cold gas i remember sometimes them fillin my tank up and it would get frost on it, "the lil circle thing" was it coming out of the side of the regulator? im assuming that it was the thing that blows out if the pressure is too great, but considering its a cold gas, and the tank would start warming up after its filled the pressure would expand a lil making too much pressure? not sure, there was a paintball shop that filled my HPA "high pressure air tank" and it felt incredibly warm, normally they warm up a lil but i ask why its like that she said they put them in hot water to fill it more full, i called bullsh*t cuz air expands so they didnt need to fill it all the way cuz the hot water would make it think it was full. a pic would be better idea for me to give me 2 cents of what could have went wrong. and i wopuldnt really worry bout ur hand, could just be a cold burn


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

Sounds like it was overfilled, improperly assembled, or otherwise defective.

A rapidly depressurizing tank gets very cold. You might have mild frostbite.


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## Tenor1 (Jan 15, 2012)

WOW! Glad you were not hurt badly. I've heard tanks could explode, but you're the first one that I know where it happened.

I can't answer your question without guessing so I won't try.


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## endgin28 (Feb 9, 2010)

The tingly red is preliminary frost bite. The get REALLY cold as the decompress. Chances are good they over filled the bottle. Glad your alright- CO2 gas even in low concentrations can cause severe problems (even including lethal) in respiration.


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## darkxrose (May 8, 2011)

It was leaking out of the little hole so taped it to reduce the leaking. CO2 gas just gushed out from the entire thing later.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

So did it really explode or just leak really fast?

Edit... I see it leaked.


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

darkxrose said:


> I brought home a paintball co2 tank after bringing it to a store to fill and I heard leaking in the little circle thing that sits ontop of the tank so I teflon taped it and later it exploded! Co2 gas was leaking everywhere and I brought the tank to another room. scared the cr*p out of me... I dont think i'll try this again but what went wrong?
> ps. what happens if you touched the exploding tank for too long? my hand feels tingly and red


Frostbite... warm your hand up... it should be ok... u can get a cold burn.... but as long as its not numb your fine. 

Sounds like your burst valve was loose and then exploded... 
This is usually the result of overfilling. 

Get the tank inspected back at the place u filled it.
Let them know where it burst, where u heard the noise, and see if its a simple burst valve issue... 

If not they may ask you to replace the entire top section.


WOW im late in responding... lol... basically what everyone above me is stating, i 100% agree.


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## Lucille (Jun 15, 2010)

Naekuh said:


> they may ask you to replace the entire top section.


If THEY overfilled it shouldn't THEY repair it?


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Most likely overfilled. Teflon tape isn't for sealing leaks, particularly in a pressure situation. Take the tank back to who filled it, ask them to replace the burst disk and to fill it properly this time. It should be sitting on scale when they fill it.


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## darkxrose (May 8, 2011)

I just called the place and they said that the sudden temperature change when I was bringing it home made the burst disk explode. I guess that makes sense. when they were filling it they didn't measure anything, it was just connected to a suspended tube. They say that I have to repay for the burst disc and another refill..


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

If they aren't weighing it don't go back there! That crap is dangerous. Filling is done by weight and If they dont measure it is just a guess.


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## darkxrose (May 8, 2011)

I see.. well this was the only place they would fill it in NYC... darn.. 
The place is called stingray ops btw so beware I guess


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## samamorgan (Dec 31, 2011)

No way there's only one place that will fill paintball tanks in a city as large as NY. Look harder.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

darkxrose said:


> I just called the place and they said that the sudden temperature change when I was bringing it home made the burst disk explode.


No. Well, sort of. There was nothing "sudden" about the temperature change. When a cylinder is filled, it becomes very cold. Cold = lower pressure. As it warms, pressure increases. In your case, one of two things is the cause of the blowout:

1) A faulty burst disc
2) The idiots overfilled it, which means the pressure was way too high to begin with, and as it warmed the pressure hit the level at which the burst disc began releasing the contents of the cylinder. My guess is that this is what happened.

Don't go back there. In all likelihood, they screwed up, and then blamed your property for their mistake.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Same thing happened to me in January of 2010, except it was a 5lb cylinder and it depressurized when i was driving on the highway. I got a severe second degree burn on my right thigh that was about 3"x2". Thankfully it was just on my leg, but it took a few months to fully heal and now i'm left with a nice big scar. 

It turns out the tank was left in a hot truck outside in the middle of the Arizona summer before i had purchased it. That in addition to it probably being overfilled was just a disaster waiting to happen.

Not trying to scare anyone but co2 cylinders can be dangerous if basic guidelines aren't followed. Like many people have recommended, make sure they don't overfill it and don't leave it in excessive heat. 

Glad you're alright though. It could have ended a lot worse.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

darkxrose said:


> I see.. well this was the only place they would fill it in NYC... darn..
> The place is called stingray ops btw so beware I guess


I live in a town of 116,000 and I can find at least 10 places that will fill a paintball cylinder. Worst case take it to a paintball field/paintball gun store. They can fill it there, and make sure the next person uses a scale WHILE they are filling it.

When I got my 10lb filled yesterday I was told not to put it in the cab of the truck because of the heater.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

Azarakiah said:


> nothing should happen, i played paintball for years, co2 is a very cold gas i remember sometimes them fillin my tank up and it would get frost on it, "the lil circle thing" was it coming out of the side of the regulator? im assuming that it was the thing that blows out if the pressure is too great, but considering its a cold gas, and the tank would start warming up after its filled the pressure would expand a lil making too much pressure? not sure, there was a paintball shop that filled my HPA "high pressure air tank" and it felt incredibly warm, normally they warm up a lil but i ask why its like that she said they put them in hot water to fill it more full, i called bullsh*t cuz air expands so they didnt need to fill it all the way cuz the hot water would make it think it was full. a pic would be better idea for me to give me 2 cents of what could have went wrong. and i wopuldnt really worry bout ur hand, could just be a cold burn


If I read this correctly HPA tanks aren't CO2 they are compressed air. Air heats as it is compressed. Latent heat of compression. Back in the day they use to put SCUBA tanks in water to cool them. Even with a CO2 tank heating them up actually causes underfill.
CO2 sublimates. It goes from a solid to a gas without going to a liquid like most other things like water, steel, etc. If memory serves that temperature is right around 114 degrees. Below zero. Sure could be frostbite. That's why you handle dry ice with gloves and it's wrapped in paper to keep your food from burn.
Tanks need inspections. The expiration date is stamped on the tank. SCUBA tanks go for a hydro. Not sure about other.


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## wildstick (Nov 26, 2011)

this happens to me several times, so i stocked blow off disk on my paint ball tank. if they dont weigh your tank will filling then weigh it before you leave the store and release the excess pressure. that is what i always do right after they fill the tank.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

dont be so dramatic... a co2 tank exploding is a whole hell of a lot different than it purging like that. you probably wouldnt be here posting if it exploded


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## Dini (Jan 5, 2012)

scapegoat said:


> dont be so dramatic... a co2 tank exploding is a whole hell of a lot different than it purging like that. you probably wouldnt be here posting if it exploded


To the untrained person a Co2 tank degassing from a disk rupture can seem very much like an explosion there Goat....Part of my life was an intern in an ER...So your dramatic maybe my oh hum...it is all relative to preception and experience...so a littel empathy doesn't hurt...

Here is some advise for those getting CO2 tanks filled. The person/company you bring your tank to should first look at your tank for a number. This number has a date in it. This date tells them if the tank is good to fill or if it is out of date and needs to be inspected. If the tank is out of date it will need a hydrostatic inspection....cheaper just to buy a new one at this size. 

If you are in date then the person filling your tank should hook it up and purge it....then weigh it empty. If it is, say, a 20 oz tank...then the weight of your tank should be what it was empty plus 1lb 4oz's when full....there are 16 oz's in a pound...so a 20oz tank holds 1lb 4oz' of co2.

So....say for arguement sake the tank is 3lbs empty...it should therefore be 4lbs 4oz full weight. 

If he doesn't do any of this. Stop and leave....because they are not doing it right. 

Do not leave tanks in sunlight....if moving them from a cool area to a warm area...have them only fill it to say 16oz....this will give room for expansion.

Worked filling co2 tanks in school for a summer job once......back when Automags were state of the art tech...LOL....oh...I feel old.


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

scapegoat said:


> dont be so dramatic... a co2 tank exploding is a whole hell of a lot different than it purging like that. you probably wouldnt be here posting if it exploded


well its very difficult to make a co2 tank explode like the movies explode.

You need a combustible gas, which co2 isnt.


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## mach_six (Sep 12, 2005)

There should be a recent thread in the New York section asking about where to re-fill PB canister. If not, try the large sporting goods, like Sports Authority or Dicks, they're probably a bit more expensive than co2 shops if you can't really find any place else.


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## NyteBlade (Aug 19, 2006)

darkxrose said:


> I just called the place and they said that the sudden temperature change when I was bringing it home made the burst disk explode. I guess that makes sense. when they were filling it they didn't measure anything, it was just connected to a suspended tube. They say that I have to repay for the burst disc and another refill..


I agree with the general consensus that these people didn't do it properly. I would sincerely hope every time someone breaks a CO2 tank inside or outside, the thing doesn't randomly explode.


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## galabar (Oct 19, 2011)

scapegoat said:


> dont be so dramatic... a co2 tank exploding is a whole hell of a lot different than it purging like that. you probably wouldnt be here posting if it exploded


There are some good YouTube videos of paintball CO2 cylinders shot with bullets. Those are actually explosions. However, I can see how some one would get freaked out when a burst disk goes.


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