Using slow fill tank valves when tethering

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thomasair

thomasair

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Nov 6, 2016
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Colorado, United States
I have recently found that the slow fill tank valves such as ones sold by Joe B will not allow an external reg to cleanly reset each shot when tethering ….at least not on my 22 cal slug guns. Using the Air Tanks Plus Reg Man or the Huma external on a slow fill tank valves would require 2-3 shots before the reg would reset even if the plenum volume was reduced to the minimum.

I have scba tanks without fill restriction and one Joe B with restriction. I had days where everything worked great, and others where it was a struggle. Luckily I finally figured out the problem. Once I removed the restriction in the Joe B tank the regs worked like they were supposed to and day to day performance leveled out.

I wasn’t really looking at tanks as an item that could make or break performance…but it turns out that they can make a big difference in external reg operation.

Mike 
 
IMO it really is the same thing as ON BOARD regulation when using a too large of plenum. The pressure drop within plenum is NOT enough to get a solid reg cycle with every shot having ES ping pong up / down with the regulators refresh or not pattern.



An inline reg will act the same being "As regulator sees it" the attached gun is the plenum and the changes in pressure shot to shot being small the reg very well MAY NOT cycle with every shot.

It is very well know that for most regulators to hit an accurate set point, that they need to replace enough air that regulators spools actually moves enough to get seat to actually acquire some gap & FLOW. Regs that are in a constant "CREEP TO SET POINT" seldom are consistent as a Seat open / Seat closed cycle provides.



Scott S
 
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Had the tank for a few years but just last week figured out I could tether an old 80cf SCUBA that started at just under 3000. 

Just used non regulated fill station, with the rationale being that the 2900 was above regulator pressure and below guns MWP, so shouldn't cause any problems. 

Seemed to work just fine. 

Shot a BUNCH and only lowered tank volume to 2700. 

No slow fill on the SCUBA valve though. It'll breath a little too well when fully opened. 

Just a tad bit heavy (fine for home range use). 




 
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Yes, true enough. The trouble I had is that even if I made the plenum so small that power began plummeting at the same pressure….the slow fill tank would not reset the reg properly every shot. With the slow fill removed….that is not a problem.


Mike
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Yup ... a reg such as the HuMa with there flow restriction grub screw in tight or in a high air use rifle the reset becomes iffy due to the flow restriction causing reg to CREEP to set point.

We agree on all points !!
 
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I was tethering way earlier my painball guns, and my very first airgun was not regulated as well but I rebuilt the bottle reg instead.

I have learned that the fill hoses can play with a air pressure flow as well, and the more they cost (microbore fill hoses) more restriction in the airflow, almost like not feeding fast enough.

I just started tethering recently my Impact MK2 and didn't wanted to give a chance to any human error and I got myself the Huma externally adjustable-regulated fill adapter, I left it at factory preset max 185 bars. So actually with this I got a dual regulator on a MK2, the main reg (130 bar) doesn't need to fight a full pressure (250 bar) from the FX bottle anymore.
 
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I've been seriously thinking about picking up one of Joe B's or the Reg Man inline/external regs for tethering. I currently have 3 of Joe B's tanks (2 Great Whites, 1 Guppy) all with the TJ3 Slow Fill Valves. I currently use the 2 Great Whites in a cascade fill system. I don't know if I want to dump all the air out of one of my tanks to remove the flow restrictor and repeat the process of installing it back on and airing it back up for regular use. I might have to get a dedicated tank just for tethering if that's the case.
 
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38CEDF89-72FE-44EF-A44A-68DE8A480D4C.1632454230.jpeg



 
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I've been seriously thinking about picking up one of Joe B's or the Reg Man inline/external regs for tethering. I currently have 3 of Joe B's tanks (2 Great Whites, 1 Guppy) all with the TJ3 Slow Fill Valves. I currently use the 2 Great Whites in a cascade fill system. I don't know if I want to dump all the air out of one of my tanks to remove the flow restrictor and repeat the process of installing it back on and airing it back up for regular use. I might have to get a dedicated tank just for tethering if that's the case.
Click to expand...

I own the regman gen 1 model with the gold body. I recently upgraded the gages to the new ones ATP carries that shows pressures in both BAR and PSI. I must say, along with the Alkin I also got from ATP, it is THE second best investment I’ve made towards this hobby. Such a great tuning assistant, and saves on a lot of wasted air from bleeding after a fill. A set it and forget it tool is what it is.
 
Upvote 0
I've been seriously thinking about picking up one of Joe B's or the Reg Man inline/external regs for tethering. I currently have 3 of Joe B's tanks (2 Great Whites, 1 Guppy) all with the TJ3 Slow Fill Valves. I currently use the 2 Great Whites in a cascade fill system. I don't know if I want to dump all the air out of one of my tanks to remove the flow restrictor and repeat the process of installing it back on and airing it back up for regular use. I might have to get a dedicated tank just for tethering if that's the case.
Click to expand...

I own the regman gen 1 model with the gold body. I recently upgraded the gages to the new ones ATP carries that shows pressures in both BAR and PSI. I must say, along with the Alkin I also got from ATP, it is THE second best investment I’ve made towards this hobby. Such a great tuning assistant, and saves on a lot of wasted air from bleeding after a fill. A set it and forget it tool is what it is.
Click to expand...

What air tank are you using and if it has a flow restrictor, have you removed it?
 
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I use my guns for competition and ask a lot from them. If not competing, you might be perfectly happy leaving the flow restriction in the valve.

Also…removing the flow restriction does not make a tank unsuitable for normal filling use. There would be no reason to remove and replace. Open a full flow valve slowly and it works just like a slow fill. I’ve never heard of anyone harming a gun because they filled without a slow fill valve. I suspect the guy that sells slow fill valves might tell you otherwise, though. It’s more of a sales gimmick than it is a necessary item. You should be opening the fill valve slowly no matter what valve you have.

Mike 
 
Upvote 0
I've been seriously thinking about picking up one of Joe B's or the Reg Man inline/external regs for tethering. I currently have 3 of Joe B's tanks (2 Great Whites, 1 Guppy) all with the TJ3 Slow Fill Valves. I currently use the 2 Great Whites in a cascade fill system. I don't know if I want to dump all the air out of one of my tanks to remove the flow restrictor and repeat the process of installing it back on and airing it back up for regular use. I might have to get a dedicated tank just for tethering if that's the case.
Click to expand...

I own the regman gen 1 model with the gold body. I recently upgraded the gages to the new ones ATP carries that shows pressures in both BAR and PSI. I must say, along with the Alkin I also got from ATP, it is THE second best investment I’ve made towards this hobby. Such a great tuning assistant, and saves on a lot of wasted air from bleeding after a fill. A set it and forget it tool is what it is.
Click to expand...

What air tank are you using and if it has a flow restrictor, have you removed it?
Click to expand...

I own SCBA firefighters tanks along with an Airhog tank, and non of them have flow restrictions 
 
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Interesting timing as I have two Joe B valves with flow restrictors removed and was considering adding them back. I pulled the restrictors to allow use of a 120psi scuba regulator set up to air up tires after off-roading. But I haven't really used the tanks for that, and I find the unrestricted valves a bit touchy for airgun filling especially when tanks are at a full 4500psi.



Thing is, I have never used the flow restrictors since they were removed before first fill. Is there a significant difference filling with them? My first tank was a 3500psi scuba tank, so I'm used to feathering a valve, but I don't know if its the 1000psi extra pressure or the valves themselves on the carbon tanks that make them seem more sensitive.



Are there any good external flow restrictor options? That seems like it may be the best all around option. You'd have to rely on the gun gauge when filling, but it seems like a trade-off I'd be willing to make in order to have maximum flexibility from a tank. If there's nothing commercially available maybe you could drill the check valve in a male foster with the smallest drill bit you could get your hands on or something like that.
 
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I use my guns for competition and ask a lot from them. If not competing, you might be perfectly happy leaving the flow restriction in the valve.

Also…removing the flow restriction does not make a tank unsuitable for normal filling use. There would be no reason to remove and replace. Open a full flow valve slowly and it works just like a slow fill. I’ve never heard of anyone harming a gun because they filled without a slow fill valve. I suspect the guy that sells slow fill valves might tell you otherwise, though. It’s more of a sales gimmick than it is a necessary item. You should be opening the fill valve slowly no matter what valve you have.

Mike
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing this up. My use is just for general target shooting and not competition. Congratulations on your win btw. I don't own any other tanks so I might be a little ignorant about the valves.
 
Upvote 0
I've been seriously thinking about picking up one of Joe B's or the Reg Man inline/external regs for tethering. I currently have 3 of Joe B's tanks (2 Great Whites, 1 Guppy) all with the TJ3 Slow Fill Valves. I currently use the 2 Great Whites in a cascade fill system. I don't know if I want to dump all the air out of one of my tanks to remove the flow restrictor and repeat the process of installing it back on and airing it back up for regular use. I might have to get a dedicated tank just for tethering if that's the case.
Click to expand...

I own the regman gen 1 model with the gold body. I recently upgraded the gages to the new ones ATP carries that shows pressures in both BAR and PSI. I must say, along with the Alkin I also got from ATP, it is THE second best investment I’ve made towards this hobby. Such a great tuning assistant, and saves on a lot of wasted air from bleeding after a fill. A set it and forget it tool is what it is.
Click to expand...

What air tank are you using and if it has a flow restrictor, have you removed it?
Click to expand...

I own SCBA firefighters tanks along with an Airhog tank, and non of them have flow restrictions
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. 
 
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