I need 4500psi AIR!

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GunNutz89

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Hey Guys, I am located in The east end of the GTA by 401 and Port Union. I need to find someone or somewhere that will fill my 124ci air tank to 4500psi that is convenient to meet if a person or a convenient location to drive to if a business. Im fine going between Oshawa and the 404 along the 401.
The local paintball store that used to fill my tank is closed for walk in traffic for good apparently.

Ive been thinking of buying a compressor but dont want made in china garbage like my first hand pump and they all seem to be made like garbage unless you spend a couple thousand or more.

Apparently the archery store on Warden can fill it on Thursday but they said they lent the tank out until then so I'm not really wanting to rely on them moving forward.

Any machine shops or specialized trade stores that can fill a 4500psi tank around? Theres gotta be someone or a business within 10mins but im having no luck finding any.

Sorry for the rant, any guidance would be appreciated!
 
I am up North in L4G7X4, not sure if convenient to you, but I can fill your tanks.
4500 psi is a stretch, but some dive shops may do it if your tank is certified.
Back in time I got myself couple 14L scba tanks from a fire station auction for cheap. Those were out of certification date, so I invested into Yong Heng compressor.
So far about 67 hours running time total, I think since 2018. I am mostly filling to 300 bars, but when the tank cools down the pressure of course drops to about 280 ish bars.
With all compressors you put your hands on the biggest enemy is a heat. The first and second stage pistons the most vulnerable and these goes first, you notice on output pressure.
I am usually replacing ones a year the entire piston assembly, always have couple spares in my crate, I just got two pistons this week so probably I will be on the run for a next year ++++. These are the easiest and least expensive way for maintenance. About $60 CAD shipped from aliexpress and the DIY work is done in an hour.
I don't think in last 5-6 years my YH costed me a $1000 total for all these years.
Btw, I am a large volume shooter, 8-10K shots in average year, I am using a lot of air and my compressor is a real workhorse.
Just my story, you know your own preferences.

Edit:
I forgot to comment regards to your "...dont want made in china garbage..."
-good luck with that idea. Unless you willing to burn 5-6 grand and up. The dive shop machines were North of $15K long time ago.
In USA there are some Chinese but rebranded models - for some elevated cost - and the service and parts supply is so-so established. If that compressor stops for any reason, the service or parts for DIY is "local".
I don't know if any will ship across the border, or how would you send the compressor across the border for service.
In Canada these things are pretty much a DIY.
 
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bigHUN said:
4500 psi is a stretch, but some dive shops may do it if your tank is certified.
Back in time I got myself couple 14L scba tanks from a fire station auction for cheap. Those were out of certification date, so I invested into Yong Heng compressor.
So far about 67 hours running time total, I think since 2018. I am mostly filling to 300 bars, but when the tank cools down the pressure of course drops to about 280 ish bars.
With all compressors you put your hands on the biggest enemy is a heat. The first and second stage pistons the most vulnerable and these goes first, you notice on output pressure.
I am usually replacing ones a year the entire piston assembly, always have couple spares in my crate, I just got two pistons this week. These are the easiest and least expensive way for maintenance. About $60 CAD shipped from aliexpress and the DIY work is done in an hour.
I don't think in last 5-6 years my YH costed me a $1000 total for all these years.
Btw, I am a large volume shooter, 8-10K shots in average year, I am using a lot of air and my compressor is a real workhorse.
Just my story, you know your own preferences.
Click to expand...
Yeah i dont think its a certified tank its just a First Strike Paintball/ HPA carbon fibre tank. I just dont need another thing to fiddle with like a cheaper compressor, and with some guys getting bad units i just dont want to risk having something like that taking up my time. I have way too many hobbies and im already behind on maintenance on some expensive toys.
Anyways, I Already paid alot for the bottle and it suits my shooting needs just fine for occasional basement shooting and stinky backyard critter control, as long as i can get it filled every couple months.
You wouldnt know of any shops in the area mentioned aside from scuba shops would you?
There has to be some sort of industry that uses HPA around here!
 
Grizzlypeg said:
Most scuba tanks are filled to 3000 psi, give or take. 4500 psi at a scuba shop would be rare. I'm thinking paintball.
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Yeah paintball is a PITA now that my local shop closed. I guess I hope for the best with Archery source and get used to calling ahead to make sure they've got the compressor there.
 
Scuba are metal tanks fillable usually up to 3000 psi, scba tanks are CF wrapped and these can be filled mucvh higher like 4500 to 5000 psi if the compressor can deliver.
Based on my experience along these my years, for occasional plinking use, it is much cheaper getting a 30 mpa CF tank that is certified in US/Canada. I have not look that way for long but you can expect the total ticket price will be $700 and up.
Don't start anything small volume but better 9L. With smaller volume tanks you not saving ... these will empty the operational pressure faster.

a 2L walk around tank, this one is good only if you have your own compressor.
https://www.airgunsource.ca/sa-private-bundle.html

A minimum size that I would recommend you, if you will be visiting a dive shop.
https://www.airgunsource.ca/air-venturi-mini-wingman-100-cu-in-pcp-tank.html
https://www.airgunsource.ca/air-venturi-wingman-74-cuft-pcp-tank.html

Next I can advise you ask the dive shop for a yearly membership refill with unlimited visits. In my early days this what I was doing.
 
Lots of scuba shops can fill hp tanks nowadays. Lots of people dive with steel hp tanks and some go up to almost 4500psi (300bar). Most will be 3442psi though. Their compressors can do up to 4000 and up usually. Only thing is that the shops won't fill a tank that hasn't been certified (hydro tested). Here in bc, all scuba shops do hp fills. It's cold water diving with drysuit, it's mostly steel tank diving out here. I would assume the same for Ontario (great lakes diving)
 
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Few scuba shots fill tanks to 4500 psi. Why? They don't need to. Most aluminum tanks are 3000 psi and steel tanks are up to about 3500 psi.

If using a scuba tank for filling a 200 bar (about 3000 psi) PCP, get the largest volume steel tank available (about 133 cubic feet). With an efficient PCP it can last for a while. But a scuba tank won't fill a 300 bar tank.

SCBA tanks are lighter in weight than either aluminum or steel scuba tanks and can hold air at much higher pressures.

For a 300 bar PCP (4500 psi) a paint ball shop may be able to fill a SCBA tank, but few dive shops can do it. Dive shops may require proof of diving certification.

It is often for reasons of filling access that many shooters of 300 bar PCPs opt for the convenience of a 4500 psi compressor at home.
 
If the paintball store no longer fills walk-ins, then perhaps a paintball field is your ticket.
You can always get your tank re-hydroed at a shop that does that. In Ottawa here it's a fire extinguisher safety check shop.
Other option is to get a used scuba tank and then use that to refill your paintball tank. It'll only be to 3000psi but it's better than nothing and should last you the year.
 
Hydro-testing is destroying testing. They fill the pressure to a level where the metal start stretching, I didn't check lately but if I remember well we talking 6-7000 psi. With steel tanks is OK but with CF wraps I would stay away.
This was a reason I didn't send in my expired scba tanks for re-hydro, but I am filling at home to my 300 bars and taking well care of these my old tanks.
Again, 4500 psi is a lot of pressure - but low volume - for a smaller paintball tank you better go with a larger volume.
These my tanks each about 7-800 shots between 300 bar drops to 200. I am usually using only one tank on daily basis and keeping two fully charged for "case of emergency" ;)

20210712_193017.jpg

Old picture (2021), over the time I replaced these valves to DIN.
 
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bigHUN said:
Hydro-testing is destroying testing. They fill the pressure to a level where the metal start stretching, I didn't check lately but if I remember well we talking 6-7000 psi.

Old picture (2021), over the time I replaced these valves to DIN.
Click to expand...
For aluminum tanks, they are hydro tested every five years. They do not damage the tanks in testing them. Mine have been hydro tested every five years for decades. I seriously doubt they destroy a carbon fibre tank to "test" it. What would be the point? "Here's your destroyed tank back, it tested fine."
 
Grizzlypeg said:
For aluminum tanks, they are hydro tested every five years. They do not damage the tanks in testing them. Mine have been hydro tested every five years for decades. I seriously doubt they destroy a carbon fibre tank to "test" it. What would be the point? "Here's your destroyed tank back, it tested fine."
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I am not saying they destroy the tanks.
But they (the hydro testing ppl) will fill thaat thank to anonymous pressure - 6-7000 psi - the metal start morphing. The material will either survive or not, what you got back dimensionally not the same. OK yes, both the aluminum and the steel tank wall (thickness) has some "give" but will it "spring back" ?
The CF+epoxy compound coating/wrap over the metal tank (aluminum or steel walls) for sure don't like stretching to those stresses. What it takes to get micro-cracks in the epoxy wall?
Just my engineering opinion about these, not interested into debating.
 
No reputable shop will fill a carbon fiber tank beyond it's 15 year service life, so thinking you are extending its life beyond that point by avoiding required hydro testing, you will achieve nothing you can benefit from, unless you intend to fill the tank yourself. I'd far rather my tank fail during hydro testing, than fail filling it with air.
 
Hydro testing is not destructive testing. They fill to a specific value of what the working pressure is (usually 5/3 i believe) and test the elasticity of the cylinder. If it deforms and does not recover past a certain value determined from the manufacturer, then the tank is deemed to have failed the test. On steel and aluminum tanks this value is known as REE (rejection elastic expansion).
 
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