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Are CO2 Tanks Dangerous to Operate?

3K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  AdrienDeLaChicago 
#1 ·
About two or three weeks ago I saw on the news how one of those paint ball CO2 tanks exploded in the home where a couple of teenagers were hanging out. They claimed that it just exploded right next to them and acted like a missile and went through the wall of their room. No one was hurt but that was fortunate.

I am thinking of upgrading from DIY to CO2 tanks but am scared about possibly dealing with a bomb. Am I just being paranoid?

Thanks in advance for any feedback,

Adrien
 
#2 ·
you shouldnt be to worried as long as you handle the tank well. paintball tanks are not as regulated as commercial tanks. that and paintbal tanks go through alot of stress especially at the joint when playing a game of paintball that joint could have been stressed a lot leading to it blowing off and acting like a projectile if it was a cracked it would have just spun around.
 
#3 ·
CO2 tanks have a safety valve that releases the gas safely if the tank over heats (which is about the only way the valve will release gas). The tanks must also be inspected every 5 years when refilled. Every building you enter has CO2 tanks all over the place for fire extingwishers.
 
#4 ·
They claimed that it just exploded right next to them and acted like a missile and went through the wall of their room.
hmm teenagers horsing around. I would be disinclined to believe it just randomly blew. mayhap they hit the neck with something, though freak accidents do happen, its an unlikley scenario.

a bic lighter is dangerous in the hands of a fool, but for the most part very safe otherwise.
 
#12 ·
Sounds to me like one of those kids did something stupid. Things don't just happen on their own.

Keep in mind that the commercial tanks we use for CO2 are build MUCH stronger & heavier then those paintball bottles. Some paintball bottles aren't even made of metal- they can be made of a fiberglass / carbon composite. (Composites would be plenty strong enough to contain the pressure but it's been my experience that composites can be particularly weak at junctions with metal parts- such as a valve.)
 
#14 ·
You made the assumption that the hole was through drywall. You should ask first before making assumptions. But I could have detailed my post better to explain the fact that it went through both layers of a plaster and lath wall. Well, it lodged itself halfway through the second outer layer of plaster and lath. I personally think that if an object can do this type of damage that it can kill a person if it were to hit a person in the face or temple region of the head.

There are parts of the body that are more vulnerable than others. To not take into account and the possibility of a worst case scenario is foolishly false.
 
#18 ·
It's gonna take more then a hammer to break the brass valve off the top of a commercial style CO2 cylinder. (5lb+) You guy see that mythbuster's episode where they actually did this to a 150lb tank? It took the equivalent of something like four or five sledge hammers at once to break that valve off. It was a huge chunk of steel with a big piece of lead attached. Even then it didn't work the first time.

The reality is that the valves just don't break off of these small (<20lb) tanks. It just doesn't happen under anything we'd consider normal or even very rough-handling circumstances. The way it can become an issue is on large tanks (150lb of CO2 + the steel tank) when they aren't chained to a wall they can tip over & fall. If that big heavy tank falls in such a way that the valve hits a curb or a cinder block or something like that then you could have a real problem. This is exactly why those large tanks have a steel valve cap to protect the valve and this is also why those tanks must always be secured upright with a chain or strap.

Foolish huh? I bet you walk out the house every single day in a bubble-wrap outfit with one of those helmets made for the "special" kids. :icon_roll

Paintball tank killing anyone is a long-shot at best. But if you really wanna think your way, you can fall out of bed & bump your head the wrong way and die. Anything is possible. It's just not worth being concerned about.
 
#15 ·
You had me on the wrong track by saying "teenagers." Very unlikely that it just "happened." There is alot of liability on the manufacturer of these tanks for something to just happen. I dont recommend a piantball tank because theyre small and need refilled to the point of it being a hassle. Commercial tanks are safe if handled properly. AKA dont go beating on the valve with a hammer. Keep them in a spot where they wont get knocked around and youll be fine. Dang, my BB gun just went off. Sorry about your eye kid, but it just goes off like that sometimes.
 
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