Newbie question - can air be transferred from larger air cylinder to a compact?

I have a 100 cf Omega carbon fiber air cylinder and am wondering - if I get a compact air cylinder, can I transfer air from the l00 cf Omega air cylinder to a smaller, compact cylinder to create a "back-up" air supply? The back-up small cylinder supply could hold me over, for a short while, when I need to get the larger cylinder refilled.

Is this a dumb idea, or a good one? Any suggestions are welcome.



If the smaller cylinder has lower pressure, yes

that is exactly how we fill a smaller cylinder on a rifle from a bottle

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I full my Benjamin bottle from my tigershark all the time.

Do realize you will not be able to put any greater PSI in the small tank than what is in the larger tank. So if you run your larger tank to the point of not being able to fill your gun, it will not fill the small tank either. The thing to do is keep the small tank full and then when the larger one gets "low" cascade fill using it and the small tank, until you can get both filled again.

DHart, That would be a good way to fill a small "carry around" tank with you when, for example, you do a little hunting or plinking in the out back. A small 88 cubic inch 4500 psi tank is just over 4 pounds and is about 4 1/2" wide and 13inches tall. You could top off your PCP at least a few times. Call one of the dealers listed here and ask if you need any special connectors to do the job.

Good idea, I have one of the Benjamin 90 cu in carry around tanks, and have used it for the past couple of years. It is fairly heavy for a small backpack, but it will fill the Cricket about 4 times. I recently bought a used 68 cu in tank (think paintball) that is smaller and lighter, and will give me about 2 1/2 fills on my Cricket. So that's around a total, counting the initial fill from a larger tank, of over 150 shots. 

This explains cascade filling. You do not really have to have their device although handy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTC-M7WcunY

DHart, That would be a good way to fill a small "carry around" tank with you when, for example, you do a little hunting or plinking in the out back. A small 88 cubic inch 4500 psi tank is just over 4 pounds and is about 4 1/2" wide and 13inches tall. You could top off your PCP at least a few times. Call one of the dealers listed here and ask if you need any special connectors to do the job.

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leadfoot... special connectors is what I was wondering about, as well. To connect two tanks together - I have no idea what fittings would be needed.

A small 88 cu in tank sounds like just what I would be looking for. I'm hoping to not have to spend three or four hundred dollars for it, though. My Omega 100 cf carbon fiber tank was approaching $614.

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You don't need anything elaborate. My tanks all have male Foster fittings. All I need is a hose with female QD fittings and I can go tank to tank, tank to gun, whatever.

I wanted a small tank to top off my Marauder at least once in the woods so bought a TalonTunes 480cc bottle and a valve (from a british site that was.. Hummmph.. not DOT but was EU certified search, 'best fittings' company name) and with a short 12' whip microbore hose carry it in a small sort of backpack, 'small of back fanny pack' duck hunting thing I have. Light weight and small and filled to 3600 it gives a full fill to the rifle easily when it's at 1800/1900. I did not want to use a Ninja regulated valve.



Later I bought one of the 500cc 4500PSI Chinese CF bottles but I NEVER fill past 3400 because I don't trust it at that high of pressure (Note that a friend of mine works at a hydro shop and is also an airgunner and he tested one of these bottles and that individual bottle did pass but what about overall quality control and the next one? I will trust these bottles at 3K but not 4.5K)

Remember a supply/donor bottle at 3k will give a LESS than 3k fill to the rifle so you have to have that extra pressure to get 3k in the rifle.