HenryG
04-07-2005, 09:12 AM
Anti-siphon Valves
The cheap way to stop liquid CO2
If you’ve ever experienced any of these things, there’s a good chance liquid CO2 has been entering your paintball gun:
gun feels cold to the touch, especially when you’ve been firing rapidly
o-rings are constantly breaking; other internal parts don’t seem to work
you can see small white clouds or liquid coming out of your gun
The CO2 in your tank is in both liquid and gas form. However, if the CO2 enters your gun as a liquid, it can cause internal parts to freeze and your gun to malfunction. Some paintball guns are more sensitive to liquid CO2 than others, but getting pure gas helps all of them. Installing a simple and cheap device called an anti-siphon valve into your CO2 tank can solve your problem.
What anti-siphons do
Just like a siphon draws liquid into itself, the curved tube of the anti-siphon stops that from happening. That means the liquid CO2 stays in the tank, where it causes no harm, and just gaseous CO2 enters your paintball gun. This will also make your gun more efficient, which means you will get more shots out of each tank.
What anti-siphons don't do
While anti-siphon valves are a quick way to solve freezing problems, they do not make the other big problem with CO2 – fluctuating pressure – go away. An anti-siphon is probably a good enough solution if you don’t have a high rate of fire, a very sensitive gun, or play where the temperature drops down into the low 40s or less. Otherwise you should look into getting an expansion chamber or, for your best bet, a regulator.
Anti-siphon Installation
Even though anti-siphon valves look very simple, it is important that you get a qualified air smith to install it (or at the very least, install it yourself under careful supervision). If the anti-siphon tube is installed incorrectly (so that the curved end is pointing towards the bottom of the tank where the liquid pools, instead of away from it), it will make your freezing problem much worse.
Another reason why it’s so important to use a professional to install your anti-siphon is that CO2 tanks are under high pressure, and an improperly fitted valve could easily turn into a small missile and cause injury or even death. Even paying for installation, anti-siphon valves cost only $10-$15, so just be safe.
The cheap way to stop liquid CO2
If you’ve ever experienced any of these things, there’s a good chance liquid CO2 has been entering your paintball gun:
gun feels cold to the touch, especially when you’ve been firing rapidly
o-rings are constantly breaking; other internal parts don’t seem to work
you can see small white clouds or liquid coming out of your gun
The CO2 in your tank is in both liquid and gas form. However, if the CO2 enters your gun as a liquid, it can cause internal parts to freeze and your gun to malfunction. Some paintball guns are more sensitive to liquid CO2 than others, but getting pure gas helps all of them. Installing a simple and cheap device called an anti-siphon valve into your CO2 tank can solve your problem.
What anti-siphons do
Just like a siphon draws liquid into itself, the curved tube of the anti-siphon stops that from happening. That means the liquid CO2 stays in the tank, where it causes no harm, and just gaseous CO2 enters your paintball gun. This will also make your gun more efficient, which means you will get more shots out of each tank.
What anti-siphons don't do
While anti-siphon valves are a quick way to solve freezing problems, they do not make the other big problem with CO2 – fluctuating pressure – go away. An anti-siphon is probably a good enough solution if you don’t have a high rate of fire, a very sensitive gun, or play where the temperature drops down into the low 40s or less. Otherwise you should look into getting an expansion chamber or, for your best bet, a regulator.
Anti-siphon Installation
Even though anti-siphon valves look very simple, it is important that you get a qualified air smith to install it (or at the very least, install it yourself under careful supervision). If the anti-siphon tube is installed incorrectly (so that the curved end is pointing towards the bottom of the tank where the liquid pools, instead of away from it), it will make your freezing problem much worse.
Another reason why it’s so important to use a professional to install your anti-siphon is that CO2 tanks are under high pressure, and an improperly fitted valve could easily turn into a small missile and cause injury or even death. Even paying for installation, anti-siphon valves cost only $10-$15, so just be safe.