Filling Bottles with Air Cooled Compressor

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WNYBill

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Mar 17, 2022
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New York, United States
Even though they say, "Not for Bottles", is there any reason you couldn't fill a 100 cu in bottle if you took your time and did it in 3-5 cycles? Tell me if I have this right? You hook the compressor whip to the bottle. You open the bleed valve on the compressor and start it. Close the bleed valve and open the bottle valve. After 5-10 minutes or the compressor temp goes up, you shut the compressor of and open the bleed valve and close the bottle valve. Wait 10-15 minutes and restart the compressor, close the compressor bleed valve and open the bottle valve. And just keep cycling till the bottle is up to 3000-3500 psi? The bottle has a one way valve so do you even need to close it during the rest? My uncommon sense says it is not the number of cycles but the compressor temperature. And, you shouldn't start the compressor if it has pressure on it (the bleed valve must be open).

Yong Heng seems to be the recommended name, but i don't want to fool with the water. They offer an air cooled shoe box type, are they comparable to the ToAuto, Spiritech, Vevor and GW 2CX? I am trying to stay under $350 including a 3-4 year warranty from Amazon or Walmart.
 
WNYBill said:
My bottle isn't large, an Air Venturi 100 cu in. I take it to the field when I shoot my Notos.
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Again, it’s not the size or capacity of the bottle that kills the machine, it’s just amount of time spent using it. If you want the compressor to last a few years, you’re better off only filling guns. If you don’t care how long it lasts, or source a compressor with parts availablility, then have at it.

The reason the yong heng is chosen by many to refill bottles, is the cost for an oil lubricated, water cooled compressor, that parts are fairly easily accessible and cheap. The compressor is simple to take apart and repair, and they’re fast! All that for under $400 is hard to beat.
 
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I agree with "madeintjeuk" but would add that the water is less of an issue if you rig up a closed system with water with water wetter or something else in it to keep algae from growing so you can just leave it set up between uses. I just go out and turn on the YH when the bottle gets low, close the YH bleed, open the bottle fill and keep an eye on it as the bottle fills.

Your 100 cubic inch bottle is about 1.6 liters so it would be really big for a gun tank but also a lot smaller than my 45 minute SCBA bottle. I don't think it's out of the question to fill it with a little 350W air cooled compressor (the YH is 1500W) but it may be a bit hard on the compressor. You could try it and see what you think. The big advantage I see of the little ones is portability. If you do not need that, the YH might be a better choice. But if you already have the smaller compressor, I would recommend you try it and see what you think. If you don't run it too long and let it get too hot you won't cause it to fail immediately or extremely quickly. The issue would be more long term if there is one at all.

I have a YH but may buy a small one some day just for the easy portability. I can't see how I can reasonably travel by air with the YH and I don't think you fly at all with a bottle with air in it. But a little compressor should be OK.
 
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A high-speed fan cooled HPA compressor, whether labelled "Yong Heng," or not, has a limited lifespan, no getting around it. The water, fan and crankcase oil cooled authentic Yong Heng, as UK stated, is hard to beat for value. Many forum members, unable to justify the big dollar compressors, have found a way past the "joy-killing" hand-pump program, thru the Yong Heng. True, setting up the water cooling can be a hassle but a small one compared to the benefits. WM
 
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Just remember that it is not just about how long you run the compressor- the wear is also a function of the pressures at which it runs. If you use a small portable comprssor to fill a tank that then fills a gun, 100% of its run time will be at pressures higher than the compressor would see at shut off if only used to fill the gun directly.

I prefer to fill my guns from a tank that is filled by my compressor, but that compressor is made to withstand filling tanks.
 
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Sure, theoretically you COULD fill a tank. Would it be GOOD for a compressor whose engineering & design are for filling guns, not tanks? IMHO I think not. I've had great success & longevity with my YH but I treat it as gently as possible & not ask it to do things it wasn't designed to do. The "water thing" seems to scare some people but "it ain't no thang"! When you say "bottle" I assumed you're referring to filling a TANK but I could be wrong. It's been known to happen.
 
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