Getting Your Paintball Tank Hydro Tested
I bet half of you forgot that co2 or HPA tanks even had an expiration date. Well, let’s get educated. Also, this is for those who aren’t sure how to find your paintball tank’s expiration date and if expired, how to get it hydro tested.
Most fiber wrap tanks (N2, nitrogen, HPA, compressed air) have a valid lifespan of about 3-5 years. Steel or aluminum tanks are usually 5 years. What I mean by this is that every paintball tank that holds a gas at high pressure (all of them do) need to be tested for safety purposes every x amount of years. If you’re caught at the field with a paintball tank passed its expiration, you’ll be asked to use a different tank or to not play at all. It’s a safety issue. Tanks need to be tested for durability after holding so much pressure over time. Tanks have been known to explode.
To fine the expiration date of your CO2 tank, look at the engraved digits near the top of the tank. For fiber wrapped tanks, locate the sticker wrapped around the tank that has its information on it. Find the digits that match up in the MM / YY format (MM=month, YY=year). For example: 03 / 03. That would mean that the tank needs hydro testing in March of 2008. Usually there’s a triangle symbol that separates the month from the year. See picture below.
Once you find the date, it’s a matter of going to your own personal calendar to see what day it is. Determine whether or not the date on your tank is passed the current day or not. If it is, it’s time to get hydro tested! You can usually get this done at local CO2 providers, fire department stations, or you can send it somewhere that services paintball tanks. One provider for this is Hydrotester.com.
Yea it’s just another chore to remember to do; but it’s necessary to keep your equipment all safe and… working.