Non UK Standard Bottles

[digitalman]

Not sure if this belongs here, so please move if required.

Most of us know that its a big "no no" to fill your non UK standard bottle at a fill station at a game for various reasons.

In a previous life as an aircraft engineer handling high pressure gas (nitrogen or oxygen) systems, they had the same restriction as we do with bottle life and bottle checks, however, we were allowed to fill non UK systems with no restriction.

So if you can fill a non UK high pressure system on an aircraft, can anyone give a reason why we can't refill a non UK standard bottle at a fill station?

I don't own any non UK standard bottles, I'm just curious from an engineering point of view why they deemed as sub standard to what we say is required in the UK.

 

[NitroBall]

Not 100% sure, but i assume, site owners/managers/game organisers would not risk due to insurance cover if anything did happen.
Thinking about it, i dont think sites insurance covers customers if an accident did arise from customers gear/bottle failure ?

Bottles that are non UK/European standard are by no means ' sub-standard ', they are tested different.
Yes, the different standards are all bullcrap to me, but we have to live with it.

Why would you fill a non european standard bottle here in the UK, if you cannot use it here

 

[Tom]

Back in the day there was a form of tolerance of non UK cylinders in some places. It was possible to turn up and play with any cylinder and fairly common for people to self fill from their own scuba cylinders, this us paintball cylinders were used

This has ceased

In the aircraft industry this may relate to international travel
It's the transportation regulations that relate to cylinder standards. It's not normal to fill a paintball cylinder in the UK to use it abroad
It would proabably be normal for an aircraft to carry cylinders to their own countries (or European) standard

 

[Tom]

Insurance wise, site insurance will cover their liabilty, hence things such as ukpsf air training that was introduced on a voluntary basis over the last few years. It highlights that you are responsible for your own equipment, and in many cases site staff will not fill private bottles - you do it yourself