Like many sports activities Paintball has terminology all of its personal. When round your avid paintballer you may hear a large number of phrases and phrases used. CIs, PSI, OZs, C02, Burst Disc, Regulator, Tank, Nitrogen, Compressed Air, Nitro, and the listing goes on. These are all widespread (and complicated!) phrases used to explain the various attributes of a Paintball Marker’s energy supply; the Air System.
To grasp Paintball’s energy sources we’ll first determine the two main sources paintballers use to push a paintball out the barrel of their marker. C02 and Compressed Air are used virtually completely within the Paintball. C02 is identical fuel that we exhale once we breathe. Additionally it is what bushes and vegetation use to supply oxygen. As a result of C02 starves a fireplace of oxygen additionally it is utilized in hearth extinguishers. The opposite fuel used is Compressed Air. Compressed Air is simply what the identify implies; air that’s compressed. Compressed Air is usually used within the scuba trade and is stuffed with a particular multi stage air compressor. To additional distinguish the 2 we’ll examine and distinction the similarities and variations of the 2 gases.
C02 is inherently much less steady than compressed air relating to paintball air systems. When a c02 tank is stuffed it’s truly stuffed with liquid C02. If you buy a 20ozC02 tank, the 20oz refers back to the capability of the tank. The 20ozdoesn’t consult with the burden of the particular tank, however moderately the quantity of liquid c02 the tank can include. So a 20ozc02 tank will maintain 20ozof liquid c02. A portion of the liquid c02 within the tank is ready to increase right into a fuel. This fuel usually has a strain of roughly 1800psi. As you start to empty the tank (by firing your marker) the liquid c02 within the tank continues to transform right into a fuel. If you speedy hearth with C02 it isn’t unusual to see a white cloud come of the barrel of the marker. That is truly liquid c02 that didn’t have time to increase to a fuel earlier than being expelled. The professionals of c02 are that it’s usually cheap to fill and cheap to buy tanks. A median fill is about $5 and can get you a full day’s play. You may also buy 20ozC02 tanks (the most typical dimension) for anyplace from $20 to $30. The large downsides are that c02 is often soiled and inconsistent. C02 doesn’t work nicely within the winter both. It’s delicate to strain variations and doesn’t convert nicely right into a fuel at temperatures approaching freezing. It additionally will usually void a guaranty on costlier markers that include delicate digital solenoids.
Compressed Air is the opposite main kind of air utilized in paintball. Its pseudo names embody Nitrogen and Nitro. Additionally it is usually abbreviated as CA (for Compressed Air). Many gamers suppose there’s a distinction in Nitrogen tanks and Compressed Air tanks. In truth, they’re the identical. What most individuals do not understand is that the air we breathe is over 70% nitrogen. So calling a compressed air tank a “nitrogen” tank is not removed from the reality. Though some fields actually do fill buyer tanks with Nitrogen; you may often discover that the fields are literally utilizing a scuba compressor that’s filling customary compressed air. To determine the capability of the tank you may want to think about 2 phrases. Every compressed air tank is listed by CI or Cubic Inches which refers back to the inside quantity of the cylinder and PSI or Kilos per Sq. Inch which refers to how a lot strain the cylinder can maintain. In paintball widespread tank sizes embody 45ci, 68ci, and 88ci. By comparability a 45ci tank is perhaps just a little bit bigger than a softball and an 88ci tank could be just a little bigger than an NFL soccer. For inside strain 3000psi and 4500psi are the most typical. Usually 3000psi tanks are made out of aluminum (very like a scuba tank) and 4500psi tanks are constituted of a fiber wrapped aluminum bottle. The fiber wrap supplies extra sturdiness and security. When buying a compressed air tank you’ll usually discover it describer first by its CI capability and second by its PSI score.
For instance; a 68 / 45 refers to a tank that has a 68 cubic inch bottle and is rated to 4500psi. Compressed air can be considerably cleaner and extra steady than c02. Due to this it makes for extra constant and dependable operation of your marker and a better option in chilly whether or not. The most important drawback is that though fills are sometimes free at fields, the price of the tanks themselves are anyplace from $80 to $250 for only one tank. This places them at a worth way over that of regular c02. For event play, nevertheless, it’s has develop into the one actual selection and one thing gamers merely should pay for.
When utilizing both energy supply, it is very important do not forget that gamers are actually carrying a small bomb below their arm. 4500 kilos of air is nothing to take evenly and air programs which have come unfastened from their regulators have been identified to develop into rockets. There have been a number of paintball associated fatalities related to this. Thankfully, there are a variety of security gadgets in place that are monitored by the US Division of Transportation. Some widespread security gadgets embody burst discs and grooved regulator threads. A burst disc is often a small piece of metallic that’s designed to interrupt and launch the contents of the bottle in a managed and protected method when the porter cable 20 gallon air compressor strain contained in the tank exceeds the score of the bottle. Tank producers are additionally now beginning to put grooves within the regulators in order that if a participant unintentionally unscrews the bottle from the regulator, it is going to launch the contents of the bottle lengthy earlier than the regulator separates from the bottle and turns into a missile. These 2 key security parts have helped to make sure that Paintball is among the most secure sports activities being performed. In truth, in keeping with insurance coverage statistics, Paintball is safer than Golf or Bowling.