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Paintball Co2 Injection DIY Setup with Tons of Photos

607K views 2K replies 371 participants last post by  Jmcdaniel0 
#1 · (Edited)
Updated Re-write. 2/4/2011

I found a cheap way to use Paintball Co2 Tank for injecting Co2 into planted aquariums. Prices varies depending on different Brands of products that you purchase. I preferred to get parts brand new to avoid any problem down the line. This setup can cost from $30 dollars to $80 dollars + for a working unit. It all depends on what you want to do and add on to it. But it's easily obtainable with $30 dollars to rig up.


In order to have this setup rig up and working. You will need the following items.


- 3.5 oz to 24 oz Paintball Co2 Tank filled $25 and under.

- Paintball Co2 ASA On/Off Valve 2 Threads (Gauge, Needle Valve inputs) $10 - $60 depending on brand.

- Paintball Co2 Gauge - $5 - $10 depending on brand.

- Needle Valves (You have several options to choose from) $10 - $20
* Watts A-41 LF 1/8'' x 1/4'' Compression (Homedepot or Lowes)
* Watts A-40 LF 1/8'' x 1/4'' Compression (Homedepot or Lowes)
* Swagelok Needle Valve 1/8'' x 1/8'' Compression (Ebay)
* My Needle Valve1/8'' x 1/4'' (Ask me if interested) (PM Me)

- Co2 Tubing (Part Number SVEB10 sold at Homedepot 10 feet is $2.14)

- Teflon Tape (Homedepot or Lowes/Craft Stores .50 cent - $1.00)

- Check Valve (Aquarium store $1)

- Bubble Counter Optional (Online store prices varies)

- Drop Checker Optional (Online store prices varies)

- A way to diffuse Co2 into your tank whether through a ceramic glass diffuser, hang on filter, canister filter, chop stick, power head, reactor. Prices varies from Free to whatever


Your parts will be similar to the photos below.

It's basically pretty simple. A basic guide.


- Make sure Paintball Co2 is Filled
- Teflon Tape Gauge Thread and screw it into any side of the ASA On/Off Valve. Use a wrench to further tighten it.
- Prepare your Needle Valve's both side threads with Telfon Tape.
- Slide Co2 tubing through the Needle Valve's output Nut, then do the same to through the Compression Sleeve.
- Tighten Needle Valve's output Nut onto the Needle Valve. Use a wrench to further tighten it.
- Screw on Needle Valve into the ASA On/Off Valve. Use a wrench to further tighten it.
- Twist the Top Knob on the ASA On/Off Valve counter clockwise to open the Pin.
- Screw ASA On/Off Valve onto the Paintball Co2 Tank. Hand tighten only.
- Make sure your Needle Valve is Closed fully.
- Twist the Top Knob on the ASA On/Off Valve clockwise to close the Pin.
- If Gauge reads 800-850 PSI, Co2 Gas has entered the ASA On/Off Valve Chamber.
- SLIGHTLY open the Needle Valve "T" Arm.
- Dump the entire Paintball Co2 Tank with the ASA On/Off Valve into a 10gallon fish tank or 5 gallon bucket. Check for leaks. Any bubble forms will result in leakage. Trace your installation steps again.
- If no leak is present, hook the end of the Co2 Tubing to desire way to diffusing the Co2 gas and you're good to go!


There are option parts such as Bubble Counter and Check Valves to be hooked up along the Co2 Tubing line. That should be common sense.

Basic Step for Installing Co2 Tubing onto Needle Valve.



Overall Setup Installation once said and done.



Paintball Co2 Tank


Paintball Co2 On and Off Valve 2 threaded inputs


Paintball Co2 Gauge (Wrap thread with Teflon tape to prevent leaks)


Homedepot Needle Valve (Wrap therad with Teftlon tape to prevent leaks)


One the Needle Valve, one thread goes into the On and Off Valve, and the other one has a coupler that will crimp onto a Co2 tubing hose. Which will be the path of your Co2 line going straight to your tank. Make sure you have this Co2 tubing connected as well.



Once everything is thread tight, making sure the upper needle valve of the On and Off Valve is fully counter clockwise opened, attach it onto the Co2 tank of your choice. Closed the upper needle valve by turning it clockwise to release Co2 from the Paintball Tank. Make sure your Needle Valve is closed all the way. Your gauge should bounce straight up to 800PSI at most.

Upper Valve Closed. 0 PSI


Upper Valve Opened. 800 PSI


Test the On and Off Valve for leaks by aiming the Paintball tank with everything attached up side down into a bucket of water. If there's any bubbles coming from the threaded slots, recheck your teflon tape and tightness.

Once there's no leak, everything should be a straight forward from there. Attach the end of the Co2 tubing to a Diffuser and your good to go. Adjust bubbles from 2bps to 4bps.


A regular 24oz Paintball Co2 Tank at about 2bps will last a good 4-6 months. When refilling Co2 tank, just close your Needle Valve, Open up the upper valve on the On and Off Valve with will block off the Co2 Tank's outlet pressure. Then go ahead and twist off the On and Off Valve itself and just bring the Co2 Tank to your local Co2 Paintball store and have it refill. It only cost $4.00 to refill a 24oz Paintball tank.


Been using 3 of these units on 3 different tanks and have had no problems. You can also get away without using a Gauge, Save yourself the extra few bucks. Fully filled Co2 Tank is about 1.4 lbs. I used one without a Gauge and it works the same. Just keep the Hex bolt in the Gauge slot closed so that way a Gauge is not needed. All the parts can be bought locally at your local Paintball sport stores and Homedepot or Lowes.

Hope that helps!

Additional informations for easy lookup.

The O rings are easily replacecable. It's like .58 cents per 3-6 O rings. Part number at Lowes is BrassCraft # 0533. The size is 1/4"ID x 3/8"OD x 1/16" Wall Thickness.

At 1bps on a 24 oz PB tank. You can get 5-6 months.
At 2bps on a 24 oz PB tank. You can get 4-5 months.
At 3bps on a 24 oz PB tank. You can get 2-3 months.
At 4-5 bps on a 24 oz PB tank, You can get 1.5-2 months
At 6-8 bps on a 24 oz PB tank, You're looking at 1 month before refill.

With g33tar permissions, the Option #3 setup attached to a Super Diffuser/Atomic Diffuser in great working results!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KYQDDBjX5s
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#131 ·
Barristan: The needle valve I got is a Watts A-41. I got it at Lowe's. Not sure what Home Depot has, but maybe that info will help.
 
#134 ·
Need some help on this project. I found out I made a mistake when I ordered the needle valve (it arrived today and the threading was much too small). What a waste! I was trying to buy a beefier needle valve and ordered a swagelok 3000 PSI unit. Could anyone confirm the appropriate thread size and or part # for one of the better needle valves? Msnikkistar I believe recommended one but I was not able to find that same model after extensive googling and ebaying!

Thanks for your help.
 
#135 ·
Alright you guys...I just bought all the stuff needed to do this on ebay, so im looking forward to all of that stuff coming in...

BUT...im sitting at work today (liquor store) and we just got these Miller Light/Coors light home draft things in that have a mini beer-tap kind of thing with co2. Now, I know almost nothing about how air pressurized things work, but I was wondering...whos going to be the first to turn this into a co2 system for an aquarium? :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gka2fuofO2E&feature=related
 
#138 ·
Alright you guys...I just bought all the stuff needed to do this on ebay, so im looking forward to all of that stuff coming in...

BUT...im sitting at work today (liquor store) and we just got these Miller Light/Coors light home draft things in that have a mini beer-tap kind of thing with co2. Now, I know almost nothing about how air pressurized things work, but I was wondering...whos going to be the first to turn this into a co2 system for an aquarium? :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gka2fuofO2E&feature=related
Those are the 16g nonthreaded cartridge I presume.
There is a threaded 16g cartridge used commonly in bike inflators and other beer taps.:icon_bigg
It is possible with a similar build as jaggedfury did as there are "on-off valves" for this type of cartridge.
http://www.schwinnbike.com/CMS/tnt/bike-maintenance/inflator_bg.jpg
a hose barb and a needle valve that fits are the other parts you'll need.
However it wouldn't be economical to be changing so often the cartridges as it will add up to be more costly than the 20-24 oz tanks.

Need some help on this project. I found out I made a mistake when I ordered the needle valve (it arrived today and the threading was much too small). What a waste! I was trying to buy a beefier needle valve and ordered a swagelok 3000 PSI unit. Could anyone confirm the appropriate thread size and or part # for one of the better needle valves? Msnikkistar I believe recommended one but I was not able to find that same model after extensive googling and ebaying!



Thanks for your help.
Try to search on ebay PARKER NEEDLE VALVE 1/8" SPN200B
This one is rated at 2000psi
You'll need to get fittings and barbs for it too as this is just the needle valve itself.
I got this off at around $14 each.

Or just get the usual valve at home depot or lowes which is half the price. It just sucks that most home depots in my area doesn't carry 1/8 fitting/valves so I had to get all my stuff on ebay. It was only the needle valve that ended up costing more but with the other parts being way cheaper has just offset my build cost.
I'll post the rigs I made as soon as my hose barbs get here.:D
 
#137 ·
Homedepot and Lowe's carry the same brand and model number. I'm using 3 of these when I rigged these units up. No problem at all. Able to turn to 1bps easily.

I tried to make it simple for everyone. lol. Can't get any simplier than that.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

It's made from brass instead of copper. Co2 won't chemically eat it up too fast, but I would recommend replacing it every 12-18 months. It's only $5.49 for the unit. Can't get any cheaper than that.

Mines been running for a few weeks now, still reads 830 ish PSI at 2bps.
 
#139 ·
This is a very interesting alternative to other options and I sure wished I knew about it about 5 years ago when I started with a Redsea Paintball regulator that cost me much more than this option. I did want to point out other lower cost options as well. The first link shows something that is indeed cga320 compatible. You might see something similar on ebay that probably has threads compatible with asia and europe so, keep that in mind on your searches.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/4530/product.web

Below is what I wound up doing. I have been running Dual Stages for about a year. Prior to that I used a regulator from a beer brewers sight. Below is a dual stage regulator which keeps pressure constant when the bottle gets near empty. No tweaking as the pressure goes down. I still use paintball tanks because space is an issue for me. It cost more to build than the paintball asa shutoff valve setup in this thread but, it's still cheaper than buying a Milwaukee or Azoo setup.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h_bosman/4379697140/in/set-72157622829944660/

I just wanted to share some other options for you diyers.
 
#140 ·
Re: Paintball Co2 Injection DIY Setup

Ok I'm going to ask a really dumb question, but I bet someone out there is wondering this as well. My
Paintball tank has an on/off valve, then the needle valve, why would I need a regulator. I know it is a dumb question, but I'm new here so forgive me.
sent from my phone, because I can't get the internet out in the boonies.
 
#142 ·
Ok I'm going to ask a really dumb question, but I bet someone out there is wondering this as well. My
Paintball tank has an on/off valve, then the needle valve, why would I need a regulator. I know it is a dumb question, but I'm new here so forgive me.
sent from my phone, because I can't get the internet out in the boonies.
A regulator steps down the usual CO2 pressure of 800 to 1000 PSI down to 10, 20 or 100 psi for instance. This is usually adjustable. Lower pressures are much easier to adjust the bubble rate. In the case of a dual stage regulator, it will also compensate for changes in cylinder pressure from temperature change or when the paintball bottle starts to get empty.

The ASA or shut off valve and needle valve combination is still holding back 800 to 1000 PSI (depending on temperature) and that is alittle harder to adjust to the desired bubble rate.
 
#145 ·
Barristan, is the nut tight on the adjustment knob?
 
#150 · (Edited)
Definitely use a wrench!:D
The bare hand is no match for the 800+psi trying to come out of that valve.
I also thought that my new needle valves were defective as there are bubbles coming out when I closed the valve using my hand.
So i had the CO2 tank removed, closed the valve with my hands and alas, no bubbles coming out. So I opened the valve and bubbles came out. When I tried to close it again using my hands, it never fully closes and 1 bubble/ 2-3sec comes out of the valve.
Then it came to that I just needed to use a wrench/pliers to really tighten it as the pressure pushing through the needle valve is too high for my bare hand to be able to close it fully.:D

Here is the rig I set up.


Thanks Jaggedfury for this really useful and cheap DIY CO2 rig.:thumbsup:
 
#148 ·
Ok...holy crap.

I got my gauge and the on/off adapter in the mail today (Thanks llamabob for the ebay link) and I threw it all together just like was explained on here...and it works. I dont even believe it. I dont know what to say. One second I had yeast co2 going, 10 minutes later I now have pressurized. Crazy.

I even made the mistake of twisting the needle valve too far and it let out a hurricane style wind....I looked at the gauge on the tank expecting all my co2 to be gone...and the needle didnt even budge. This aught to be interesting to see how long this lasts.

Thankyou thankyou a million times thankyou to you Jagged and everyone else who has supplied useful information on this thread. I LOVE this kind of homemade / affordable stuff.

-Alex
 
#152 ·
Yea it was probably a 1 on a difficulty scale. When in doubt, I just used twice as much teflon tape as I thought was appropriate. :D

On / off and gauge - 20 dollars shipped
WATTS A-41 needle valve - 5 dollars
Filled 20oz co2 tank - 15 dollars
12ft of tube - 1.80

I cant believe this worked for about 40 dollars. I was expecting it to turn into a missile while I was at work, but its still where I left it.
 
#153 ·
Check out Ebay # 290482260893
 
#154 ·
Hello everyone. Great thread,fantastic, well done everyone.

OK here's the deal, I want a co2 unit so badly but i have no clue and need an idiots( Blond)guide to putting one of these great units together.

Can i get everything i need besides the co2 tank at the Home Depot.
Can someone smarter than me (not difficult) write down in just one message a list of parts that i should get as the more i read this great thread the more confused i'm getting and it 's giving me a headache lol. Is it possible for me to get everything i need on feebay ?

Help help help i need my plants to grow...:D
 
#155 ·
You can get the Needle Valve, Co2 Tubing and Teflon Tape at Homedepot.

Co2 Paintball tank, On and Off Valve, and Gauge needs to be bought at Paintball store or Internet.

You will need a way to diffuse the Co2, either through a ceramic diffuser, or a reactor or through a inline canister filter. That can be made, rigged, or bought online.

Parts you need.

- Standard Paintball Co2 Tank with Pin Valve - $20 - $28 depending on tank size. $28 refer to 24oz.

- Any Paintball Co2 On and Off Valve (Make sure it has 2 threaded input slots for Gauge and Needle Valve) $20 -$60 depending on brand.

- Any Paintball Co2 Gauge $5-$10 depending on brand. (Optional to have, only tells you when your Co2 tank is full or not)

- Needle Valve from HomeDepot - $5.99

- Co2 Tubing - $2-4

- Teflon Tape $1.49
 
#156 ·
Thank you JaggedFury for quick reply. What PSI does the needle valve have to be, which valve should i get? Everytime i go to the depot i somehow always manage to come home with the wrong stuff. lol

Anyone know of any reasonably priced complete units available anywhere online, plug and play?
 
#157 ·
We'll, The ones I'm using from Homedepot (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053), is listed at 400psi, some of the people here suggest getting higher rated psi needle valve since your Co2 Paintball tank will be at around filled to 850psi. I've have been using the Homedepot needle valve and had no problems, been running a few months now over 9 months. The brand and part number is Watts A-41.

There won't be no complete unit assemble for you, as to this is a something I rigged up. There might be one for sale, but high chance. A member here got the entire thing made for about $40 dollars. Worth a shot, it's very simple to rig up and find parts.
 
#160 ·
g33tar, I had the same problem. But I handled it by running the hose under hot water for a minute and then it slid through just fine.
 
#161 ·
Ive got a question for you guys who are experienced with pressurized co2....What is the pattern for the co2 pressure loss? ....like...does the gauge slowly go down to 0 at a steady pace, or does it stay at ~800 then drop off to 0 in the matter of a few days? Im so pumped about this I cant even explain it. :icon_bigg
 
#162 ·
Ive got a question for you guys who are experienced with pressurized co2....What is the pattern for the co2 pressure loss? ....like...does the gauge slowly go down to 0 at a steady pace, or does it stay at ~800 then drop off to 0 in the matter of a few days? Im so pumped about this I cant even explain it. :icon_bigg
Mines been running for a couple months and still reads 840-850psi. You will notice it going down but it's going to slowly drop. Like super slow base on your output co2 bubble per second. These setup could easily last you well over 4-6 months, maybe even more. I will let you know when mines hit the 800 psi mark. Give me a few more weeks lol.
 
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