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gas bottle

avituk

UK Angel Owner
re-tested and some used ones with a few years left average at about £80ish so if you don't mind a used one they are always on here for sale.

its worth reading up on bottle dates as if you buy away from here there are some bargains however not always gems, try to keep it cheap and cheerful as you will swap and change most of your kit in the next 12 months
 

joeslewis

New Member
Aug 24, 2015
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OK that's trur will have a look on here and do some research, but thought it would be a good idea to buy a new bottle becuase it would last me longer
 

joeslewis

New Member
Aug 24, 2015
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Buying new has the added benefit of you know it hasn't been damaged of mishandled in any way and will often have a few more years life on them then many of the second hand bottles available for £70/80.
That's what I was thinking becuase then I now that I would have a working bottle with no damage on it and wouldn't have to replace it for a long time
 

Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
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Salisbury
www.TaskForceDelta.co.uk
Have a read of the ukpsf hpa1 air safety information:

http://www.ukpsf.com/index.php/paintball-players/high-pressure-air-safety-guide/

Specifics may vary by the actual type / standard of cylinder and legislation over time, but currently you would expect the following:

Fibre cylinder:
15 year maximum lifetime with 5 years between tests

Ultra lite fibre cylinders previously were disposable and could only be used for 5 years. This is no longer true for current designs and you should be able to expect 15 years maximum with 5 year tests, but there may be cylinder designs in use with a different schedule.

Steel (you're unlikely to find one)
Unlimited maximum lifetime with 5 years between tests

Aluminium
Unlimited maximum lifetime with 5 years between tests. In fact legislation allows for 10 years but not all sites will recognise this, some will

Compact aluminium
Unlimited maximum lifetime and exempt from tests

With all cylinders check the label

When you buy new unless you are lucky and pick up the cylinder the day it arrives in the shop, straight from the factory you won't get a new born cylinder
It will have been manufactured, shipped around, stocked in warehouses etc. so it will be normal to lose a few months

Everytime you use it you are responsible for checking it's condition, the same as driving a car, the driver is responbsible for the tyres, wipers etc
If there's anything visually wrong with a fibre such as a scratch then don't fill it. Have it looked at
If there's a scratch on an aluminium then happily ignore it, it's only paint. But you're still responsible, if it's something that could affect integrity then don't use it

If in doubt a 'competent person' can look it over for condition

Testing can happen at anytime, you don't have to wait for the 5 year mark.
Testing starts with a visual, and can fail on this. If the fibre wrap is gouged then testers won't bother continuing and will fail it
The next stage is overpressurising in water and checking the expansion. The cylinders markings specify the test standards, if it explodes or expands out of the tolerance it fails
If it's within specifications it passes
The cylinder gets a new label and you get a matching certificate

Secondhand aluminium sales are rare, you can happily buy new for little £
Equaly people don't tend to retest them as they are cheap enough to replace

Fibre wraps typically go for about £80 for various ages

If you assess a fibre at £150 new, plus 2 tests across its life, eg £25 per test (prices vary) then it has a life cost of about £200

Divide £200 by 15, multiply by the number of years left and deduct £25 for any future tests
That gives you its 'value'
 

Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
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Salisbury
www.TaskForceDelta.co.uk
Eg just over £13 per year

A cylinder just tested with 5 years left is then worth £66

A cylinder with 6 years left would be £80 less £25 for a test, so £55.
It's worth less because it comes with a future cost

In real life it's worth more or less depending on what people are willing to pay
It may be a better brand, have a specific regulator
You may find retesting hard and have to post it to a centre making it more costly and inconvenient
You may have a test centre nearby and be able to get it done cheaper at say £15
 

joeslewis

New Member
Aug 24, 2015
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OK that's actually really helpful and will take that into consideration before I buy any tanks