Scuba tank to power air tools

I recently got an old scuba tank and regulators. The tank has ~3000 psi and the regulators can take it down 125. Do you think this would work for small projects or the track. I thought it might work well for airing up tires or small repairs.

Thanks, Chris

Do it.

It has to be like using CO2.... I was thinking CO2 because no outlets and security to have a compressor outside here...

That's a fairly normal thing to do in the offroad world.

Keith Tanner wrote: That's a fairly normal thing to do in the offroad world.

Nothing in the offroad world is "normal".

I have a friend who powers an impact with CO2 for auto-x

We have air tools powered by SCBA bottles in the fire service.

Power Tank FAQ said: Q: ?Can I run air tools off of a Power TankTM? Is CO2 safe for my tools?? A2: Yes and yes. A Power Tank can run any air tool that a shop compressor can run up to a 1/2" drive impact wrench. It's perfect for impact wrenches and nail guns. CO2 vapor is dry, so dry that you can spray paints and varnishes with it straight out of the tank. You?ll want a good quality QR coupler for your hose like our Air Lock Autos or our Tomco Super Couplers. And don?t skimp on the quality of your air tools. Cheap air tools use up more air and do less work. Top Q: Why do Power Tank's SuperFlow regulators work better than other regulators in tire inflation speed and air tool performance? A2: The key to regulator performance is its flow rate. The COMP Series HPx regulator has a maximum flow rate of 40 CFM (cubic feet per minute). The PRO Series XP300 regulator flows at an amazing 45 CFM and is a dual gas regulator. Superflow regulators have the highest flow rate of any other regulators on the market. Top Q: ?Isn?t this just a Scuba tank? Can I use my Scuba tank with your Reg Kit?? A2: We get this question a lot. Unfortaunately the answer is no. We use only top-of-the-line CO2 certified equipment. Scuba tanks are completely different in cylinder and valve design and scuba tanks cannot be used in place of a CO2 tank. Our SuperFlow Regulator Kits will not work on scuba tanks.

The off road crew calls them power tanks, they have speciality ones made for that purpose. Not sure what the difference is between a standard scuba and the purpose made ones.

http://powertank.com/

Thanks for all the replys. I have the stuff (tank, regulator, and tools). So now i have a project for new years day. I have to put snows on my dad's TL. I will let you know how it goes.

Chris

In reply to Woody:

Woody, does the moisture in the air cause any problems with the airtools?

Chris

how much air flow can you actually get off a scuba regulator? I've never messed with them, but based off what they are designed for I'm wondering if it would flow enough to run an impact well. Are you going to just fill them with compressor air or what?

In reply to andrave:

I don't know the amount of flow. I will check that before i hack the regulator. My plan was to fully lube the tools with oil before starting.

Chris

Chris, the scuba air will likely be considerably drier than most compressors will be. I have seen Dave's air tools spray a mist of water.

In reply to pilotbraden: It seems as though you buying a race car has me doing all kinds of research. I guess we should call the team owner and just have them drop off a new compressor. I still think this would work for small projects.

Chris

In reply to cdowd:

Keep up the good work, I am counting on you

I thought it was a great idea when I saw it

Nascar.com said: Jason Keller's pit crew pulled a fast one on Aug. 25, 1995, at Bristol that could have changed the face of pit stops as we know them today. There happened to be only one small problem. The grand idea had not been approved by NASCAR, and it was not about to be. As Keller prepared to make an upcoming pit stop, his crew busily prepared their impact wrenches and hoses just like hundreds of teams had done during hundreds of races. This time, however, they suddenly strapped on portable SCUBA-like backpacks that contained the air supply for their impact wrenches. That allowed them to go hose-free during the stop. "It was kind of one of these don't-ask-permission-ask-forgiveness type of scenarios the way we went about it," Keller admitted. "The crew loved it. They were tickled to death. Anything you could try to get an advantage on, they were all for it." Before the stop was over, KEL Racing had plenty of company in its pit stall. Keller, however, at least had some plausible deniability in the caper. He was just the driver. Steve Addington was Keller's crew chief at the time, and former Sprint Cup crew chief Lee McCall helped oversee the pit stops. In effect, Keller says ... they did it. "I wasn't in the pits at the time they used it," he said. "When they got back over the wall, we were kind of laughing about it on the radio. There were a lot of NASCAR officials in the pits when I left the stall."

In reply to Wally:

That's what I thought when I saw the thread title, having the tank on your back so you could be hoseless. ( I realize I said 'hoseless', and I fully expect a plethora of penile lulz)

As someone who wears an SCBA on a regular basis, I can't imagine this being quicker and easier than dealing with hoses.

we used SCUBA tanks for fill stations in paintball...

potential issues to look at... the tanks have to be recertified every few years... if you are buying make sure it's in hydro or figure that into the cost...

other issue... SCUBA shops don't like to fill tanks unless you are certified in SCUBA... some will but it takes some talking to get it to work...

the higher PSI tank the more air it holds... I wouldn't bother with less than 3000psi...

Wally wrote: I thought it was a great idea when I saw it

Nascar.com said: Jason Keller's pit crew pulled a fast one on Aug. 25, 1995, at Bristol that could have changed the face of pit stops as we know them today. There happened to be only one small problem. The grand idea had not been approved by NASCAR, and it was not about to be. As Keller prepared to make an upcoming pit stop, his crew busily prepared their impact wrenches and hoses just like hundreds of teams had done during hundreds of races. This time, however, they suddenly strapped on portable SCUBA-like backpacks that contained the air supply for their impact wrenches. That allowed them to go hose-free during the stop. "It was kind of one of these don't-ask-permission-ask-forgiveness type of scenarios the way we went about it," Keller admitted. "The crew loved it. They were tickled to death. Anything you could try to get an advantage on, they were all for it." Before the stop was over, KEL Racing had plenty of company in its pit stall. Keller, however, at least had some plausible deniability in the caper. He was just the driver. Steve Addington was Keller's crew chief at the time, and former Sprint Cup crew chief Lee McCall helped oversee the pit stops. In effect, Keller says ... they did it. "I wasn't in the pits at the time they used it," he said. "When they got back over the wall, we were kind of laughing about it on the radio. There were a lot of NASCAR officials in the pits when I left the stall."

i was gonna try to find this an post it, but you beat me to it..

the official reason given by NASCAR for disallowing this was because they didn't want anyone to have a compressed air bomb strapped to their backs when they were working out in front of 3400 pound cars that were speeding by them, so they put the kibosh on this before anyone else thought to try to copy it. keep in mind that i don't think most tracks even had speed limits on pit road at the time, so it wouldn't have been unreasonable to be out there a few feet away from cars going by at well over 100mph. then remember that crew members didn't have the helmets and fire suits they are required to wear today, and the air tanks were just a totally bad idea from a safety standpoint.

Woody wrote: As someone who wears an SCBA on a regular basis, I can't imagine this being quicker and easier than dealing with hoses.

The crew wasn't necessarily faster but the car can't run over the hoses so on a right side only stop the car could leave the pit without waiting for the front tire changer to cross back to the wall. It could be worth a few positions after a stop.

In reply to novaderrik:

Looking back now it seems crazy that none of that was required, though I did buy a Nomex undershirt halfway through the year after there was a pit fire near us at Watkins Glen.

I'm planning on using a CO2 tank from a bar to install behind a modified A/C compressor for an onboard air supply. Its about 4.5 gallons, so at 300 psi it will have about the same capacity as a standard 10 gallon air compressor.

Do it. Fill it up, use it, refill.

cdowd wrote: In reply to Woody: Woody, does the moisture in the air cause any problems with the airtools? Chris

We only tend to use them for a very short period of time, so it's hard to discern. Also, since we're using the same air that we use to breathe, the bottles are filled with a very high quality compressor that filters out contaminants and controls the moisture content.

Woody wrote:

cdowd wrote: In reply to Woody: Woody, does the moisture in the air cause any problems with the airtools? Chris

We only tend to use them for a very short period of time, so it's hard to discern. Also, since we're using the same air that we use to breathe, the bottles are filled with a very high quality compressor that filters out contaminants and controls the moisture content.

First you leave out the "underwater" in SCUBA, now you say this... are you an astronaut?