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Some information on air safety
The key document is the original UKPSF HPA1, with some supplementary information we have added at TFD over the years.
TFD air safety (Inc HPA1)
High Pressure Air
Paintball Safety Information Guide (HPA 1)
Basic GuidelinesNever under any circumstances dismantle your bottle regulator.
Remember the test date on your bottle is not the be all and end all, just because your bottle is in date does not mean that it is safe. If you have tampered with the regulator you should not use or fill your cylinder until it has been inspected by a competent person approved by the manufacturer.
Pressure vessels should be inspected annually by the competent person approved by the manufacturer. Get in touch with the manufacturer to find out who they are. Although this may not be law, it is highly recommended.
People who have played for years are NOT competent people approved by the manufacturer.
Competent is meant in the legal sense, not in the sense that someone is good at something.Protect the fibre wrap on your bottle with a bottle cover, any nicks in the fibre wrap mean the bottle is useless and should be destroyed.
Always fit a dust cover on the fill nipple of your bottle to stop dirt getting into the regulator, or the filling station. Dirt is the number one reason for nipple “O” rings leaking and faults with the reg.
Never ever use oil or grease anywhere near the fill nipple. If your fill nipple is leaking, send it off to the manufacturer to replace, you are not qualified to change the “O” ring yourself.
Make sure that the source of air that you use to fill your bottle is set to deliver air slowly. Bottle fires require heat to occur, the slower the bottle fills, the less likelihood there is for heat to be generated.
Your bottle should take around 30 seconds for a 0.8L 3,000psi to fill, and much longer for a 4,500psi 1.1 or 1.5. Be especially careful if you are using an unregulated fill station attached to a dive bottle.If your regulator was thread locked on when you bought it, and for some reason you have removed the regulator from the bottle, maybe to fly to another country, the chances are that you have damaged the threads in the bottle and it could be useless. If this is the case, please contact the manufacturer of the bottle and ask them to give you the details for the person who can measure the threads for you to make sure they are still in tolerance.
Regulators should NEVER be screwed in hand tight to the bottle. All regulators must be torqued tight to the manufacturer’s specifications; again these will be available from the manufacturer.
Never under any circumstances use oil or grease in or around your regulator. It is especially important to ensure that the fill nipple on your regulator is free of oil and grease. Oil or grease increase the risk of a bottle fire which can occur under certain conditions, especially when the bottle is being filled too fast and heat is being produced as a result of the high flow of air.
Your bottle has a date either stamped into it, or laminated under the surface. This date is very important. Bottles need to be hydrostatically tested at set intervals to be used legally in the UK. On the reverse of this guide are details of test dates specific to your bottle Please remember that it is YOU who is legally responsible for the maintenance and compliance of your pressure equipment, not the place you go to have the bottle filled or the manufacturer of the equipment.
Under no circumstances should you hold a stream of air against your skin. On/Off valves enable users to vent their cylinders, if you do vent your cylinder (for travelling etc), you must keep the air flow away from your skin. A medical condition known as an embolism could occur if the air flow travels through your skin and into your blood supply. An embolism can be fatal.
Test intervals:• FIVE YEARS FOR FULL-FIBRE WRAPPED BOTTLES – EN12245 and Pi certified.
• THREE YEARS FOR FULL WRAPPED BOTTLES – HSE-AL-FW2 manufactured before July 2003 then five years after re-testing for SCI and Luxfer cylinders
• THREE YEARS FOR FULL WRAPPED BOTTLES – HSE-AL-FW1
• FIVE YEARS FOR HALF WRAP BOTTLES
• FIVE YEARS FOR ALUMINUM OR STEEL BOTTLES
Notes and amendments
The new European regulations (TPED) came onto the statute book in July 2003 and at that point the UK specification HSE-AL-FW2 became obsolete i.e. No new cylinders could be produced to this specification for the UK market.From July 2003, the European standard EN 12245 became the only acceptable specification for new cylinders.
All cylinders manufactured and certified to the HSE-AL-FW2 specification prior to July 2003 and retested after July 2003 have their re test period extended from 3 to 5 years at their next re test.
If you have a cylinder manufactured before July 2003 then you need to have it tested 3 years from the original manufactured date. The re-certified cylinder will then need re testing after a further five year period.All cylinders manufactured to EN 12245 and Pi certified to comply with the TPED start with a re test period of 5 years from date of manufacture.
Steel and Aluminium cylinders
In March 2002, European standards for cylinder testing were changed. The familiar old BS 5430 part 1 (steel cylinders) & part 3 (aluminium) were withdrawn and replaced by new standards – BS EN1968:2002 for Steel Gas Containers, and BS EN 1802:2002 for Aluminium Gas Containers.It should be added that any other cylinders manufactured and certified to other specifications e.g. DOT are not legal in the UK
At the end of the cylinders working life, the cylinder should be destroyed as extensions cannot be made.
All air systems should be transported empty.
The filling of Paintball Cylinders should not be done by anyone under the age of 18.
Remember Safety Starts With YOU
Supplementary information
Pages 1 & 2 of this document are the HPA 1 document published by the UKPSF (United Kingdom Paintball Sports Federation), the following are additional notes for TFD events and subsequent guidance.
Only cylinders certified for use within the UK, and within specified test & lifetime cycles may be filled and used at TFD events.
DOT (USA Department of Transport) and TC (Transport Canada) certified cylinders may not be filled or used unless they also show European / UK standards certification. (HSE / TPED)
UN ISO cylinder standards provide for a multi-national certification to a standard that allows an unlimited or 38 years of lifetime use with a 5 year hydro test cycle.Acceptable cylinders for use at TFD events are:
• EN12245 and Pi certified cylinders ()
• Legacy HSE-AL-FW1 cylinders if still within date
• Legacy HSE-AL-FW2 cylinders if still within date
• Tri labelled multi-national UN ISO cylindersAll cylinders are subject to visual inspection prior to authority to use & fill.
We reserve the right to decline the filling and/or use of cylinders at TFD events.Aluminium cylinders:
• To avoid confusion the UKPSF documentation shows only 5 years for both Aluminium & steel cylinders. Legislation permits a 10 year cycle for fully aluminium cylinders.
• Subject to visual inspection, appropriate fully aluminium 3,000psi cylinders may be filled at TFD events for up to 10 years after manufacture.Small aluminium cylinders:
• Small 3,000psi aluminium cylinders with a capacity below 0.5litres, smaller than 2” diameter and 2’ height are exempt from retesting.
• Subject to visual inspection, appropriate small aluminium 3,000psi cylinders may be filled at TFD events without the requirement of hydro test certification.Hydro testing:
We recommend that hydro testing for paintball cylinders is conducted by HPAC, who are established providers of air systems to many paintball sites and events. However hydro testing can often be arranged through local dive centres.
http://hpac-armourlite.co.uk/The IDEST (Inspectorate for Diving Equipment Servicing & Testing) website lists approved IDEST members certified for hydro testing of compressed air cylinders.
https://www.sita.org.uk/idest/Transporting & storing cylinders:
When transporting players cylinders containing pressurised air (e.g. to or from an event) in a private vehicle, transportation regulations do not normally apply and it is not necessary to display the green oxygen diamond. However as with ‘child on board’ signs the diamond is to inform emergency services should an incident occur.
In consultation with Fire services, it is beneficial to display the green diamond as the discovery of an unknown cylinder may delay rescue operations. The diamond must be removed when not carrying cylinders.When not in use it is recommended that cylinders are kept pressurised even at a low level. This will keep valves & seals closed.
Air system operation
Before proceeding to fill ensure your cylinder is undamaged, in date, and legal to be filled in the UK ( marked, UN ISO or HSE-AL-FW2).
1. Ensure the fill station is appropriate for your equipment
a) Note the fill station label / fill station pressure gauge
b) Fill systems pressure gauges are normally marked in ‘BAR’,
(206 bar is equivalent to 3,000psi, 310 bar is equivalent to 4,500psi)2. Connect the air cylinder to the fill station hose
a) Remove the fill nipple dust cover if fitted
b) Pull back the hose collar and insert the regulator fill nipple
c) Ensure the connection is secure before proceeding
d) Hold the cylinder ensuring that burst disks are free of obstruction
(especially away from skin etc)3. Ensure you can see your cylinder pressure gauge.
a) Pull the lever on to begin filling.
b) The fill station gauge will drop and display the current fill level
c) Monitor your cylinder pressure gauge whilst filling and make sure the pressure does not go over the allowable pressure of the cylinder
d) If you notice an air leak on any part of the filling system during the filling procedure push the filling lever back to the off position and immediately alert a member of staff
e) To stop filling when the cylinder is full, or at any time push the fill lever back to the off position. This will cease delivery, close the fill nipple and ‘purge’ pressurised air remaining between your cylinder and the fill hose. Note when filling an empty cylinder please pause and purge the fill occasionally during the process to minimise heat build-up in your cylinder
f) Wait for the hose to fully purge before disconnecting any equipment
g) Disconnect your cylinder by pulling the collar and remove the regulator fill nipple
h) Please attach the fill hose to the fill stations hose clip after use (If fitted)
i) Replace the fill nipple dust cover if fitted (Recommended)
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