Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Threads about how water guns work and other miscellaneous water gun technology threads.
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adronl
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Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by adronl » Sun Aug 02, 2009 7:02 pm

I may be using fire extinguisher tanks in the near future. Well I didn't even know until today that one of my coworkers is married to a man that owns a fire extinguisher supply and service company. So what that means to me is there are a lot of tanks that are to be had for free or a small payment. The price is nothing compared to building it from scratch with comparably inferior PVC. I am not necessarily saying that PVC is inferior but a metal tank lighter cheaper more capable of high PSI is just awesome :D

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Silence
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by Silence » Sun Aug 02, 2009 8:40 pm

Indeed, I'd imagine that when suitable, cheap metal tanks are way better than PVC. It won't work when you want to add a piston inside though.

What are these tanks made of? Hopefully aluminum, and I'm sure aluminum could take any pressures that are thrown at it in fire extinguisher use, but you never know.

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SSCBen
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by SSCBen » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:21 am

Metal's definitely nice. I've considered using some aluminum LPA tanks for a backpack water gun. These tanks are very light. Some water fire extinguishers use the same style tank. The heavier duty ones are thicker and heavier but still definitely usable. I'd be interested in what you come up with adronl.
Last edited by SSCBen on Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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adronl
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by adronl » Wed Aug 05, 2009 8:03 pm

So I am going to meet this guy tonight and pick up some free tanks SWEET!!!!. I am just thinking of all the great applications like co2 tanks with regulators for a compact CAP gun. This will save me big bucks on building tanks and they are far superior and lighter. Dammit this makes me giddy :D

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adronl
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by adronl » Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:25 am

Ok well I got to get some parts together for these new backpacks. I would like to use CO2 tanks for pressure any one got any suggestions on what parts to use? I am not sure if I am going to want to use a larger tank for paint ball guns that screw on or if I will be able to use the small puncture charges that are more standard for pellet and bb guns. I really can't wait :D I want to get one of these built and on e-bay quickly. I think it will be a hot seller and I will be able to make a greater profit due to the fact I have a free supply on the tanks. So to all the experts here fire away with whatever advice you can offer.

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Specter
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by Specter » Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:47 am

the small cartridges are only 12 grams of CO2 so I don't think that would be anywhere near enough for a water gun. you would have to use several cartridges for one
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Silence
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by Silence » Sat Aug 22, 2009 7:51 pm

Liquid carbon dioxide has a density of about about 2 grams per liter of 15-PSI CO2. A 12 gram canister would give you only 6 liters. That's the same as 2 liters of 45-PSI CO2...not much.

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C-A_99
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by C-A_99 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:36 pm

I'd like to try those out as well for WBL's. I'm not that sure on the possibilities with just home pumps, but I'd like to have a rechargable canister for launchers that can quickly re-pressurize a WBL via regulator. After the fire ext. tank is used, it can be recharged via pump/air compressor as opposed to buying CO2. However, the main concern is that one may not be able to produce many shots and that you will need very good compressors to bring it up to anything more than 260ish PSI. Maybe I could get more shots simply by having a larger air tank, as I don't need that much power for launching the balloon anyway. Of course, it'd be nice to have a self-loading system as well, but that's still very difficult to build and it seems to take some of the air that could be used for the shot.

Bradisfun
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by Bradisfun » Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:44 am

adronl wrote:I may be using fire extinguisher tanks in the near future. Well I didn't even know until today that one of my coworkers is married to a man that owns a fire extinguisher supply and service company. So what that means to me is there are a lot of tanks that are to be had for free or a small payment. The price is nothing compared to building it from scratch with comparably inferior PVC. I am not necessarily saying that PVC is inferior but a metal tank lighter cheaper more capable of high PSI is just awesome :D
umm a fire extinguisher is much more heavy than a pvc tank just look at how there meshured (for exp' 1kg,2kg,3kg,3.5kg and so on ). so a pvc tank is defantley much much lighter

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adronl
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by adronl » Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:04 am

I have to disagree I have made pretty much every size tank and type of home made gun using pvc. I have 2 types of fire extinguisher tanks steel a with fairly thin walls and aluminum also quite thin walls for the volume they hold and for their size they have less mass and physical volume to there construction.

Another advantage you don't need space for compressed air because you can use CO2 for compression metal unlike PVC does not become dangerously brittle under cold and pressure. I suggest if you don't believe me you could ask an administrator here to verify. I could weigh some Empty PVC tanks and Empty fire extinguisher tanks take some pictures and post them but the weight difference is blatantly obvious and don't really feel like taking the time.

Also you could do some tests yourself remember you have to find a fire extinguisher take it apart empty it out calculate the volume make a PVC tank with the same volume then weigh the 2. I believe the PVC tank will weigh at least 50- 100% more depending on if it is a steel or aluminum tank.

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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by Bradisfun » Fri Dec 18, 2009 8:50 am

adronl wrote:I have to disagree I have made pretty much every size tank and type of home made gun using pvc. I have 2 types of fire extinguisher tanks steel a with fairly thin walls and aluminum also quite thin walls for the volume they hold and for their size they have less mass and physical volume to there construction.

Another advantage you don't need space for compressed air because you can use CO2 for compression metal unlike PVC does not become dangerously brittle under cold and pressure. I suggest if you don't believe me you could ask an administrator here to verify. I could weigh some Empty PVC tanks and Empty fire extinguisher tanks take some pictures and post them but the weight difference is blatantly obvious and don't really feel like taking the time.

Also you could do some tests yourself remember you have to find a fire extinguisher take it apart empty it out calculate the volume make a PVC tank with the same volume then weigh the 2. I believe the PVC tank will weigh at least 50- 100% more depending on if it is a steel or aluminum tank.
yes for their size they are better but the smallest is 1kg and thats a fair bit of weight to be carring around during a water war and thats just the co2 tanks u will probally have another 3,4 or 5kg tank with water and when thats filled with water it's gonna be pritty heavy (like 20-30kg :eek: ) all my pneumatic spud gun pvc tanks are lighter than the CO2 or HPA tanks for the same amount of air it's just that 1 is smaller :cool:

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JuchTurtles
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by JuchTurtles » Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:50 pm

I think that extinguisher tanks are lighter because of what they are made of. They can also take more pressure than PVC (on average).

Good to see you again, adronl! How is the 6" cannon going and how is this gun working?
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Bradisfun
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by Bradisfun » Fri Dec 18, 2009 10:45 pm

JuchTurtles wrote:I think that extinguisher tanks are lighter because of what they are made of. They can also take more pressure than PVC (on average).

Good to see you again, adronl! How is the 6" cannon going and how is this gun working?
just go down to some place that sells fire ext's and feel how heavy and then think your going to need 1 smaller 1 (a 1-2kg ) and a biger 1 (3, or 5kg) so it going to be ppritty heavy and then u have to fill them with water and then u have to mount them and then u have to put other meatal fittings so it going to be heavy.
i'm not saying that they ar bad (as i was going to use 1 ) but they are heavyer.

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JuchTurtles
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by JuchTurtles » Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:37 pm

I'm not going to argue, but I still think they're lighter; but maybe not filled. I don't know the weight filled, but empty, with no attached things, it's lighter. With metal fittings and CO2 tanks, it is probably heavier.

This still is a good choice for Water Guns, just maybe not as good as other solutions.
The name's Juch, just Juch.
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Bradisfun
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Re: Fire extinguisher tanks!!!

Post by Bradisfun » Sun Dec 20, 2009 11:09 pm

JuchTurtles wrote:I'm not going to argue, but I still think they're lighter; but maybe not filled. I don't know the weight filled, but empty, with no attached things, it's lighter. With metal fittings and CO2 tanks, it is probably heavier.

This still is a good choice for Water Guns, just maybe not as good as other solutions.
OK! OK! i think there heaver and u think there lighter well leave it at that.

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