Tank rehydro'd now what to do..

[jenious]

Just got my 68/3000 tank re hydrod... I recieved it back with the regulator no longer attached. So when I put this reg back on Im obviously going to want to make sure its placed on there so as to not kill me. I beleive I should lock tight the threads, but which would be more apropriate red or blue locktight? And is there anything else I need to do with re assembleing the tank before I get it aired up?

[jrmiller]

there is really no reason to lock-tight it. the pressure that is in the tank will keep it tight and from leaking

[Slimpikins976]

personally 10 or 20 bucks to an Air smith by trade is more then worth your life find one send it in and play hard ....

[jenious]

Yea I agree with the above, I thought when they finished hydroing it they were going to re-atach the reg. But they didnt so I'm going to go ahead and blue lock tite it in.

[lopez17]

That's actually pretty common for tanks. I've seen several shipped back with the regs off. Your local store likely has a tool that will torque down the reg onto the body. You can put loctite on the threads but the pressure of the air will keep it down. If you're going to use loctite, use red. Blue won't last/hold anywhere near as well.

[Gee Tee]

Red loctite is too strong - I've seen bottles trashed trying to remove regs when that's been used. Most bottle/reg manufacturers will have specs for torque settings on tank valves, so call or email them for info. If it's not done up tight you can unscrew tank from reg when you remove it from ASA!

My Smart parts micro isn't loctited or torqued up, with the bottle just done up hand tight. However the reg & reg stays attached to Timmy, so there's no need for it to be undone for fills.

[Squirlly]

I know for a FACT that if you travel by airplane you will be required to take the reg off your tank since this is the ONLY way the airline can be assured it's depresurized. Also guys with Max Flow Reg/Rail combos have their reg perminatally (ok semi perm but you get the idea) attached to their marker and just uncsrew the tank for storage saying all that I'd say this....

.... from my fairly uninformed opinion but looking at the facts above I'd say get it on there tight but if your concerned about messing it up take it to an air smith.

-Tim

[jenious]

So.. do locktite.. dont locktite

Use blue... use red....

have an airsmith do it.

So far im inclined to listen to lopez17 but I think I might call sanderson safety supply where i got it hydro'd and ask them to see if they might put it back on for free.

[lopez17]

If you do use loctite (I don't), a few dabs and that's it. A little goes a VERY long way.

[fprandy]

I just got my tanks hydro'd at Crossfire.

They indicated they would use blue loctite, if I never needed to get the regs off for airline travel.

Since we do travel often with the tanks, they greased the threads to make removal easier. Surprised me too.

I should point out, that we use the bleeder style of on-offs on the markers, so we never really torque on the regs getting them off the gun.

With or without pressure on the tank, the regs should never unscrew themselves. So, you should be in good shape.

When first filling a tank after I've had the reg off, I'm real careful. I give the tank a short blast, maybe 100 psi or so, then let it sit for a few seconds and listen for leaks, or any other problems. If it appears to be good, I'll take it up to 500 psi and do the same. Then up to 1000 psi. If there is a problem, you should know it before then. If all is ok, I slowly and carefully fill it to capacity.

If your reg has an o-ring where the tank meets the bottle, inspect that carefully, have an airsmith replace it if in doubt.

[fugitive387]

i also have a question along this line and want to see if i can get it answered here also. I have 2 tanks Both needing hydro and possibly new regs. One is a Aci Bulldog and one is a Pure Energy. The question is should i send the pe one back to them and the aci to another company because i know that they are out of bussiness. thanks nate

[Squirlly]

i also have a question along this line and want to see if i can get it answered here also. I have 2 tanks Both needing hydro and possibly new regs. One is a Aci Bulldog and one is a Pure Energy. The question is should i send the pe one back to them and the aci to another company because i know that they are out of bussiness. thanks nate

Since you asked for my opinion send them BOTH to crossfire. They have a reg swap program so you can replace the reg cheap and they are a frist rate company even tho they are in Michigan. (Yeah I'm a Buckeye)

-Tim

[jenious]

I went ahead and just put a dab of blue locktight and put it on fairly tight with a wrench. Got it filled. no leaks/explosions or anything. Thanks for the input people.

[fprandy]

I'm still waiting for the two tanks I sent in to Crossfire on February 2, 2008. Today is February 20th. And yes, I called Crossfire about the tanks. Draw your own conclusions.

I love Crossfire regs, and think their tanks are great. The Hydro program did not make me smile. So, I would not recommend Crossfire for Hydrotesting. Everything else, yes.

For hydrotesting, I am going to try this company for my next tank due in June:
http://www.hydrotester.com/index.htm They advertise 24 hour turnaround and are cheaper than the company in Michigan. Like Crossfire, they advertise regulator rebuilding. Sorry, but waiting almost three weeks now is not acceptable from Crossfire.

Squirlly, I hope your experience was a lot better than mine. Those were my neighbors tanks I sent in to Crossfire.

[Squirlly]

Yeah that company looks like to be a great deal, I just LOVE the fact that they also give a $3 discount on crossfire tanks. It took Crossfire about 2 weeks for my tank but my bottle would be in a UPS truck 2 weeks if I sent it to the west coast and back. But Crossfire also replaced my cracked gauge lens free of charge and I had a very small leak when I sent it in but now not a single leak. The tank I have is a Luxfer but it was a crossfire reg this is why I chose crossfire. I did send my tank in in April and now might just be a busire time as everyone who's tank expired over the winter is just realizing it's almost spring and almost time to start shooting people again.

-Tim

[Slimpikins976]

I sent a Stako tank I had to Hydro tester and had them swap out the busted Black Flag reg it had on it with a luck reg, cheap and nice turn around time. They also informed me that the " BomB" I was using for a tank was never DoT approved and I should not even play with it. Oh well.... Still have the tank and its good till 2010 it says, crappy thing is the lucky reg went crap with in two months and is just junk now. I am wondering if I should just put this bad boy up for auction on E-Bay and say it has a bum reg, or get the reg swapped out and just play with it. It still has two years on the hydro and is So so so light.... Whats you guys opinion on tanks? the main tank I use is a 45/45 Pure energy but now I am shooting my Mummy I have noticed it's a little bit more of an Airhog then my Alias. At 2500 Psi I get a full hopper and three pods almost.... any suggestions? I like the 45/45 size but mabey a 68/45 would be better for me....

[jenious]

Hmmm stako.. I like my face attached to my head so I've so far been all for avoiding those things. Maybe the rumors about the problems are overblown and its not a big deal but I'd rather stay with the tried and true tanks that are proved reliable.

[Slimpikins976]

ehhehehe yeah, I had a buddy from over sea's get me one about a year and a half ago, I just make sure I don't fill it past 4000 PSI ( max for a stako is 4350 I read) and I have had no issues with it at all, mabey someone else has had a different experience with these tanks but They look to be fine in my book....

[vwjimmy]

For hydrotesting, I am going to try this company for my next tank due in June:
http://www.hydrotester.com/index.htm They advertise 24 hour turnaround and are cheaper than the company in Michigan. Like Crossfire, they advertise regulator rebuilding. Sorry, but waiting almost three weeks now is not acceptable from Crossfire.



Geoff at HydroLab is the BEST!
I recommend them very highly!