Now that you’ve been playing paintball practically every weekend, it seems like there’s not as much force behind the paintballs as you pull the trigger. That’s because your gun is slowly losing pressure and you need to refill it with your air tank. But, what happens when your air tank suddenly runs out of pressure too?
So, what are the best places to fill a paintball tank? The best place is a sporting goods store or a paintball shop, which can fill your tank for just a few dollars per 1,000 PSI. You can also check out some scuba, welding, or fire extinguisher shops and ask to use their CO2 tanks. If you have no other options, you can use a scuba tank at home to refill.
Before you just hit up your local air tank and hope for the best, you need to learn a little bit about your air tank and what it does. Let’s go over some of the basic guidelines for refilling your tank!
If you don’t want to visit places and want to refill your paintball tanks at home, then you can get either a whole Air Tank & Fill Station (Amazon link) – includes the empty bottle. Or get yourself Paintball CO2 Fill Station (Amazon link) – this is just the co2 valve and hose + connector, you still need the co2 stored somewhere. But first, make sure which kind of paintball tank you have (compressed air or co2).
The Best Places to Fill Your CO2 Tank
Without enough air pressure, your paintball gun just won’t fire the way it’s supposed to. Unfortunately, you can’t just use any old air tank or compressor to fill up your tank to get you back in your game.
There’s a specific type of tank that you’re looking for and we’ll go over it!
Once you know exactly what to look for, we’re going to go over three of the best places to go to refill your paintball tanks for a decent price. They’ll be ranked in order, so start at the top of the list and work your way down if the first option(s) isn’t reasonable for you.
What You’re Looking For
There are two major types of paintball air tanks: CO2 tanks and compressed air tanks. Let’s go over the difference between these two types of tanks first.
- CO2 Tanks. These tanks are the basic air tank and most often used by the newbies. They’re much cheaper to buy and refill and usually hold about 20 ounces of air. You can refill these anywhere that there’s a high-pressure air tank.
- Compressed Air Tanks. These tanks are more for the advanced paintball player looking to up his game and generate more power behind each shot. They’re very expensive to purchase and refill and can only really be refilled at your local paintball pro shop
It’s important that you identify which type of tank you have before we start going over where you can refill them.
Why PSI Matters
Not just any air tank will be able to fill your paintball tank. That’s because you need to consider the PSI of your air tank and the PSI of the tool you’re using to refill it.
If your paintball tank has a PSI of 2,000, using a refill tool that only supplies up to 200 PSI won’t fill your tank.
So, it’s important that you find a refill station or pump that has a similar PSI to that of your air tank for your paintball gun.
The best way to do that is to go to legitimate shops and stores that are built to refill tanks.
1. At Your Local Sporting Goods Store or Paintball Pro Shop
Your local sporting goods store or your local paintball pro shop should always be your go-to option when it comes to refilling your paintball tank. That’s because most of these stores have both compressed air and CO2 refilling equipment.
We found that stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods offer refills up to 24 ounces for CO2 tanks, which exceeds the average of 20 ounces for this type of tank.
If your paintball gun is leaking CO2, then you can either fix it at home or take it to specialized stores to fix it. On top of that, you can also have your paintball gun, O-rings, and air tank inspected by the pros to make sure they’re working properly!
Some of these stores also offer free refills if you use their services often enough, so it might be a good choice if you play a ton of paintball and are always seem to be refilling your tank.
You’ll probably be spending a dollar or two for every 1,000 PSI you’re using to fill your tank. So, expect to pay somewhere around $5 per refill.
2. At Other Local Miscellaneous Shops
If you have a compressed air tank and don’t live all that close to a sporting goods store or a paintball pro shop, don’t worry! There are plenty of other types of stores that can refill your compressed air tank as well.
Some of the better options are scuba stores, fire extinguisher shops, welding shops, and even oxygen supply stores. Most stores will fill your tank up to 3,000 PSI, which is a lot higher than most paintball tanks need.
There’s also the option to rent out or buy your own scuba tank. By doing so, you can use the scuba tank to refill your paintball gun’s air tank up to 20 times! This is perfect for a long day of playing or if you live far away from local shops.
You can also look into stores like Walmart, which might have CO2 tanks that you can use to refill your paintball air tank and have them filled by an actual professional.
3. At Your Own Home
Though not the best method, you can actually refill your air tanks at your own house. But, you’ll only be able to do this if you have access to your own scuba tank (or other high-pressure compressed air tanks).
All you have to do is invest in a fill station to connect your air tank to the scuba tank. Just remember that, with this method, you will have to go back to the scuba shop occasionally to refill the scuba tank as well, though having your own tank reduces the number of trips.
Before you look at that tire pump in the corner of your garage that’s collecting dust, consider the amount of PSI that your paintball tank requires.
Since most are between 1,000 and 4,000 PSI, the 180 PSI of a tire pump won’t really fill your air tank at all.
Can you fill a paintball tank at a gas station?
As easy as it would be to head to the local gas station and use their air tank for a low price (or even for free), it won’t work the way you expected it to.
Think about the recommended PSI you’re using to fill your tires to keep them properly inflated. Most car and truck tires do just fine with a PSI between 30 and 35, though these tanks can sometimes supply a PSI of 200.
When your air tank supports a PSI of at least 1,000, these air pumps at your local gas station won’t work the way you want them to and will only be able to fill your air tank up to 200 PSI.
Conclusion
Refilling your paintball tank shouldn’t be that much of hassle, but it often seems to be. The good news is, there are plenty of places that you can go to refill your tank for only a few dollars per 1,000 PSI. Here are some of the best places.
- Paintball pro shops or sporting goods stores, which usually have both CO2 and compressed air refill equipment
- Scuba stores, which have compressed air refills and allow you to rent or buy your own scuba tank
- At home, where you’ll need your own scuba tank and a fill station
