Ghetto Tubeless Inflator Mk VII

Had a thought a while back & finally tried it out.

Got hold of an old 2.5KG CO2 fire extinguisher for £6. Removed the ‘horn’ & replaced it with a section of hose from an old track pump – attached to which is a Topeak Super Chuck thingy.

Removed the safety ‘plug’ from the filling socket, drilled a 6mm hole through & then slid a presta valve from an old tube in. Screwed it back in and bingo, a steel container with the ability to be pressurised with a track pump and a trigger release.

A couple of test runs later & it seems 40psi in the tank will seat a 2.1 tyre & inflate it to about 25psi – 100 psi in the tank gives enough to seat 2 tyres one after the other.

I’m really quite pleased with it. 🙂

Once they’re seated, simply top up wit a track pump as usual.

I am tempted to fit a pressure gauge and use a much higher psi to get rid of the need to adjust tyre pressures after though….

Well played Sir, well played.

That is awesome

Cheers.

Just tested another idea & it seems my useless car tyre compressor thingy will merrily fill it to 60psi without me doing anything 🙂

I did the same with a 5L garden sprayer. Very satisfying, but not as neat as your solution.

Like.

Very clever solution 8)

Genius. I like that, may have a crack at it myself.

You could surely sell that.
This time next year Rodney,well be millionaires.
APF

That is absolutely brilliant, top work. Possibly some health and safety issues regarding a fire extinguisher full of compressed air mind

Genius – this time next year indeed.

I wish I had enough time on my hands to come up with something like that.

Stupendous! Sheer genius!

That’s ace! Well done.

P.S. Can I buy one? Where does one get empty fire extinguishers?

That is absolutely brilliant, top work. Possibly some health and safety issues regarding a fire extinguisher full of compressed air mind

I was just about to say I don’t think it’ll fight many fires!

Possibly some health and safety issues regarding a fire extinguisher full of compressed air mind

Those extinguishers are rated at 350psi & usually pressurised to 200psi when full of CO2 – I was always nervous of the plastic bottle/sprayer solutions due to the pressures.

I have & do intend to let the air out after each use.

I wish I had enough time on my hands to come up with something like that

The idea was an odd thought when I saw an extinguisher in the kitchen at work – that actual ‘conversion’ was about 20 mins work (less time than some folk spend trying to seat a tyre)!

Superficial – you can get full ones from 2nd hand office/workplace suppliers, ebay & the free ads. Reckon any local extinguisher supplier/servicer would let you have on old one cheap.

I so need to copy this

Nobby – Member

Those extinguishers are rated at 350psi & usually pressurised to 200psi when full of CO2 – I was always nervous of the plastic bottle/sprayer solutions due to the pressures.

Wasn’t quite what I meant 🙂

Years ago I did some stage work for a company called Turbozone, who for their main pyro effects used fire “inguishers”- standard fire extinguishers charged with petrol instead of water, and a wee ignitor. Quite a lot of paperwork involved in that, especially since it was probably the fringe show most likely to set itself on fire that year.

Sorry, I did realise I was probably being a bit thick there…… 😳

You ? Never…

But being serious, how did you attach the hose (i.e. flange the end) etc.- is it obvious once you’ve detached the horn…?

In that model there’s a small brass washer type thing inside the nut and a rubber seal. The hose is from an old Park pump so had a small insert in it. Remove the insert, thread nut, washer & seal over hose, stick insert back in, Shove the end of the hose into the extinguisher as far as it will go then tighten it all up & job’s a good ‘un.

(A hack saw through the alloy pipe to the horn is needed to get the nut etc off)

A bigger diameter hose would’ve fitted over the end of the alloy pipe with a simple jubilee clip – I didn’t have that knocking around in the garage,

Very nifty. I could do what that at the moment…my contis are a pain the arse to fit today 🙁

job’s a good ‘un.

It sure is.

Thanks

Nearly 30 years ago I converted a fire extinguisher into a very effective bong.I may be showing my age but I think your conversion is a much better bit of recycling.

Big up that sir, big up indeed! Just so neat.

I did this recently but with one of the small extinguishers you can buy for the car from Halfords.

I simply discharged (powder makes a big mess), fitted a hose from an old Joe Blow and drilled into the top of the bottle and fitted a stans valve. Even with the little one it will do a 29er tyre with 160psi in the cylinder.

Some stickers etc over the bottle should stop people confusing it with a real extinguisher and it is only in my garage so only me really. Its just a bit better than the plastic bottle.

I did consider drilling into the ‘bottle’ itself but was nervous about potentially weakening its integrity – I’ve seen the results of an air receiver failing. 😯

Just in case anyone thinks about doing this with high pressure compressed gas bottles, a wee warning (caution, some blood):

This has just given me the idea to change my 2 litre lemo bottle inflator to 3 litre, google tells me you have to go to pikey Iceland to get a big pikey bottle for this pikey inflator

Nobby
Those extinguishers are rated at 350psi & usually pressurised to 200psi when full of CO2 – I was always nervous of the plastic bottle/sprayer solutions due to the pressures.

I have & do intend to let the air out after each use.

Thought your pressure rating was a bit conservative so I did a bit of research into the pressures involved in these fire extinguishers. Found this info from http://www.fireextinguisherguide.co.uk/types-of-fire-extinguishers/co2-fire-extinguishers/

CO2 extinguishers stores carbon dioxide gas under great pressure (55 bar or 825psi), where the gas becomes a liquid. When you operate the fire extinguisher levers, the pressure is released, the CO2 pressure is reduced by the diffuser (horn) and expands back into a gas, rapidly cooling the surrounding air.

So going by that I think pumping it up to 1 or 2 hundred psi won’t be an issue!

Cheers! The numbers I was given were from an ex-(so-called) FEA Engineer.

The only issue I really have is my track pump will only go to 160psi……… 🙂

I managed to pick up a part used, fairly old, extinguisher to convert my mark I version. After evacuating all remaining CO2, and fitting a new presta valve to refill with air, it appears to leak air from the normal exit (hose side). Almost like the valve doesn’t quite seal properly. Any ideas? I might just add a ball value into the hose as a work around, but it might be nice to make the valve on the extinguisher work properly.

Brilliant Engineering!! 🙂

The cylinder valve in that video belongs in the ‘my eye’ thread….

DrP

Ill be doing the same but want a chrome extinguisher 😆