Portable CO2 tank. Opinions

[Eric Haycraft]

Does anyone use one of these?

http://www.mytoolplace.com/JacPac-Portable-Compressed-CO2-Pneumatic-Regulator-Kit---J-6901-91-P1204C1674.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/catalog/default.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-Portable-Compressed-CO2-Pneumatic-Regulator-Kit---J-6901-91-P1204C1674.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:rolleyes:. 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. :D

[Jerry Mah]

Does anyone use one of these?

http://www.mytoolplace.com/JacPac-Portable-Compressed-CO2-Pneumatic-Regulator-Kit---J-6901-91-P1204C1674.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.

Eric-

I'm not sure what the performance is like, but it looks a lot like what Lowe's is carrying in their Kobalt Portable Compressed Co2 Regulator... http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=166441-61735-J-6901-100

Lowe's is $9 cheaper too.

Here's some good discussion about the Kobalt ...

http://toolmonger.com/2007/03/09/hot-or-not-portable-compressed-co2-regulatortank-for-nailers/


I've personally considered picking up the Kobalt regulator.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Like Fred and Jim, I went with a smaller ($49.00 on sale) compressor and haven't looked back.

I also tried a 10 gal aux tank, but it ran out of air too quick and I found myself constantly filling it - and still having to run the larger compressor.

I also considered an electric brad nailer, but,, the number of negative posts here saved me from making that mistake.

[George Bregar]

There was a stray dong on our property This calls for a 12g, and I'm not talking nailers. ;)

[Vince Shriver]

I have acccess to CO2 tanks, but I would have to get a regulator and hose (which is no problem). Question, at what pressure should I set the regulator for nail guns> Also, does one pressure setting fit all the guns, or do I adjust the regulator depending upon the size of fastener I'm shooting?

[jason lambert]

I have used the co2 type things they where the best and the lighest, it could run an small finishing nailer all day. One thing is most of the new ones even though they say co2 are not co2 they are regular air. They work like a paint ball gun tank that gets charged to a high pressure like 5000psi so the small volume holds allot of air. That is whay they last a while. You do not discharge the whole tank in a short time so the air getting cold is not a issue in fact my tank never change temp at all.

A home compressor can not fill these tanks, pressure is to high. If you get one though make sure a paint ball store can fill them or you have a place to refill them, they usally costs about $3 to fill a tank for me.

I did get the small senco compressor with a very light hose that is what I use most mainly because I work around the house. This set up is also nice but if you are installing kitchens or on a ladder allot the co2 type set up is much better, no hose to trip over.

[Todd Jensen]

120ish and you should be good to go for most guns.

[David G Baker]

I didn't read all of the posts in this thread so I don't know if it was mentioned, when I only have a few nails to drive, I generally reach for a hammer that is the appropriate size and design for the job at hand. I am trying to be a Neander. :D

[Dale Lesak]

Why are you emptying the tank when not using the compressor ? I keep air in mine all the time. I been using compressors for more then 45 years and have never drained the air from the tank. Draining the water is a weekly chore like cleaning the air filter and checking oil.

[Gary Muto]

I decided to go with a small cheap compressor for about $80. I have an invertor that can run it off of a car battery if needed, but I've never had to resort to that.

[Eric Haycraft]

Why are you emptying the tank when not using the compressor ? I keep air in mine all the time. I been using compressors for more then 45 years and have never drained the air from the tank. Draining the water is a weekly chore like cleaning the air filter and checking oil.

Aah.. Option b that costs me nothing.. I always thought you had to drain them daily, so I always left mine empty - that and until a month back I didn't have a variety of nailguns, so it rarely got used. Not the case anymore.

Thanks everyone for your input.