Portable CO2 tank. Opinions

[Eric Haycraft]

Does anyone use one of these?

http://www.mytoolplace.com/JacPac-Po...1204C1674.aspx

It is a portable CO2 tank to use in place of an air compressor. Seems like a good idea and wanted to know if anyone uses one and whether or not they like it.

[Nick Clayton]

I had one from the manufacturer called powertank http://www.powertank.com/products/sfID1/13 for my jeep when I used to go offroad for filling the tires and it worked well though I never used it for tools. At 100 bucks it would probably be worth saving for a while longer and buying an electrical compressor depending on your needs.

[Eric Haycraft]

I have a compressor already. When I use it, I tend to only be shooting a couple of nails at a time, so it seems like a waste to me to be constantly filling and emptying the tank just to drive a handful of nails. Thought this may be a better solution for me.

[Al Willits]

All depends on how much air you use.

Doesn't take to many refills to equal a cheaper compressor from like Sears, I bought my little portable for about a $100, on the other hand when we were drag racing the CO2 tanks made filling the air shifter easier when there wasn't electricity handy.

Al

[Mike Golka]

I don't think CO2 is a good choice for tools as they would likely freeze up due to the rapid expansion of the CO2. I use a small CO2 bottle to carbonate home made beer and even that is enough to make the regulator very cold.

[Andrew Nemeth]

How about one of these, you use your own compressor to fill them up:

http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/...php?cPath=5_54

I don't know the online dealer of these, i just did a google search for "air compressor tanks" and they were one of the first sites to come up.

I have a few friends in the building trade that have used old propane tanks or old freon tanks for the same purpose, they just replaced the valves/nipples and added a regulator for inline pressure.

-Andrew

[Wade Lippman]

Does anyone use one of these?

http://www.mytoolplace.com/JacPac-Po...1204C1674.aspx

It is a portable CO2 tank to use in place of an air compressor. Seems like a good idea and wanted to know if anyone uses one and whether or not they like it.

This question comes up every few weeks; a number of people say it works for them.

The last tool I bought, a PC stapler, specifically forbid CO2. I don't know if they have a good reason, or are just covering their butts. But I can understand your interest; if you only need to shoot 5 nails it is a pain to have to set up a compressor.

[Brian Brown]

For pneumatic tools, I'm not sure the portable unit you're asking about would make economic sense. Not to mention the hassle of constantly refilling it. If you are using it for cleaning your projects, CO2 makes a lot of sense, but in the small quantity from this tank, it would still be a hassle. I am a photographer by profession, and a sawdust maker by hobby. In the days when we still used film, I needed a "compressed air solution to clean negatives before printing, and to clean sets and subjects before shooting. A compressor was a bad choice because it compressed water from the air, and oil from the piston lubrication in to the compressed air, and as a result, shot oil and water with the air blast. Both are deadly to film, and can be a mess to cleanup elsewhere. The solution was to buy a CO2 tank from a welding supply house. No water, no oil, and CO2 was the cheapest gas with the highest compression ratio. $60.00 for the tank, $80.00 for the regulator, and I've been using it for 21 years. I fill it about every 2 or 3 years. Very inexpensive! For woodworking it is great too, because when I need to blow sawdust out of my joints before glueing, I don't have to worry about water or oil staining the wood. I can also use it to clean my tools without the worry of water getting in tiny pockets and causing corrosion. Just my 2 cents. You can send back the change.

[John Bush]

I tried the same idea, only I used nitrous oxide. I really enjoyed what I was doing but I never got much done. I have found myself in the same situation of not wanting to fire up the compressor for limited use, so after much contemplation I decided to lower my standards by more than one or two notches and use a hammer.
Nitrogen is used to drive orthopedic surgical instruments for sterile technique and Endodontists use CO2 to create a super cold(almost dry ice cold) stick to help diagnose the nerve status of teeth. Sure seems easier to use a hammer or fire up the compressor instead of investing in a system that may also see limited use. Good luck,

[fRED mCnEILL]

I have a stationary compressor in my shop and I have both a large portable air tank and a small one as well(an old freon tank). I used this when I only needed to shoot a few brads for trim work.
Then I bought a small air compressor on sale(49 bucks).It is just as portable as the small air tank and will also shoot nails from my framing nailer although it is slower due to a smaller storage tank. It is noisy though.

Fred Mc.

[Jim Becker]

Like Fred, I also went with a small, inexpensive compressor (mine is a Husky that was on sale at the 'Depot for like $89 one day) and it's fine for my brad and finishing guns. Relatively quiet, too. It's not as good for the framer, however...

[bill kiss]

I use one for finish work inside finished homes. No noise, extremely portable, no electrics to deal with, and tank refills are $2.00 at my local paintball store

[Scott Crumpton]

I built such a rig several years ago after seeing a product announcement in one of the magazines. It's been very useful for those times when the small nailers need to go on the road. The last such case was two weeks ago. There was a stray dong on our property, so I walked the fence line to see where it got in. There were several places where the wire fencing was down. I'm not very fond of driving fencing staples by hand. So, I pulled out the 1/2" sheathing stapler, loaded it with 2" long staples, connected up the CO2 and went to work. Hauling a compressor through the woods was not an option! In more normal use, a 20oz bottle of CO2 is good for about 300 18ga brads. In situations like this, CO2's convenience and portability more than make up for the hassle of getting my 2 tanks refilled.

One serious caution: CO2 is a strange animal. In the tank it's a quasi-liquid. It will expand dramatically above 84degF. But like a liquid it's non-compressible. Make sure that your tanks do not get overfilled (more than 1/3 full by volume). If an overfilled tank gets too hot the burst disk will blow and the tank will vent. Just to be on the safe side, store the tanks in a cool place. During use, the tank will stay cool on its own. A look at the pressure vs temperature curves for CO2 will give you a good scare.

---Scott.

[Mike Hood]

I have a CO2 syphon tank in my garage to fill paint ball markers and I cannot tell you how important it is to be VERY CAREFUL with CO2. It's very safe if used properly, but as mentioned it can kill you if used improperly.

You MUST use proper tanks, burst disks and regulators built for CO2.

[Jon Bonham]

You guys really know how to sap the fun out of working with dangerous gases.