Bell bicycle pumps

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Fnord
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:00 am

I bought a Bell brand bicycle pump a couple weeks ago, as my old one was ready for the trash.
At first, everything seemed fine. I threw together a small metal airsoft gun and the pump worked perfectly on it.

I put it away and didn't use it for a week, then used it fill up my hybrid, but I couldn't get past 10psi before I heard an airleak. Suprisingly, the leak wasn't from my hybrid, it was coming from the pump. It was coming from the BOTTOM of the pump, which is supposed to be a solid piece of plastic.
Now, thoroughly PO'd at bell, I took it apart, and found this inside. What appears to be chunks of scrap plastic were melted into the housing at the bottom. At first I thought I might have caused something to melt from the heat of compression, but I hadn't hardly use it yet.

What's worse, my old pump had sat outside over the winter, and also about 3 months worth of rain, and I could still use it. It was just inconvenient, as the piston didn't seal reliably.

I wasn't able to find the leak, but I think it's coming from inside the check valve, and somehow leaking out the underside.

Has anyone else had problems with bell? I can't return this, so I apparently wasted my money.
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Quality normaly found at your local China-mart.
Quality normaly found at your local China-mart.
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noname
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:06 am

That blows! :P
Scavenge what you can, the main part of pumps can hold quite a bit of pressure. My beloved Blackburn bike pump which is about 35 or 40 years old was broken by my mom's class (frickin' 6th graders :x ). I'm planning on using the aluminum body as a chamber for something, not sure what yet.
I'm also planning to get a large bike pump, hooking up a propane meter to it, and using it as a portable Gen II hybrid tank.
robert23
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:18 pm

I have had trouble getting much pressure from my Bell pump also. Mine will get to about 60 or 70 psi before it starts leaking air like crazy.
I don't have anything super cool to say down here.
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 2:19 pm

Here's what you can buy if you're not planning on going past 100 PSI and you want a little quality.

Go to Home Depot, go to the air tools section, (with the air-compressors, air fittings like Q.D.'s and such), and buy a Husky floor pump. Their only around eight to nine dollars and they last for a LONG time. Just don't go past around 100 PSI or try to pump up something ridiculous like a truck tire or a carry tank with it, as the heat of the high or sustained compression melts the little check-valve inside of it. I got one to pump my marble cannon up to 300 PSI before it finally crapped out, as well, so their a little more tough than your average bicycle pump.
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mopherman
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 2:37 pm

markfh11q wrote:Here's what you can buy if you're not planning on going past 100 PSI and you want a little quality.

Go to Home Depot, go to the air tools section, (with the air-compressors, air fittings like Q.D.'s and such), and buy a Husky floor pump. Their only around eight to nine dollars and they last for a LONG time. Just don't go past around 100 PSI or try to pump up something ridiculous like a truck tire or a carry tank with it, as the heat of the high or sustained compression melts the little check-valve inside of it. I got one to pump my marble cannon up to 300 PSI before it finally crapped out, as well, so their a little more tough than your average bicycle pump.
couldnt you just install a metal check valve in the hose?
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singularity
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 2:48 pm

just go to the store and buy some CA glue the stuff is crazy. i was at someones house once filling up a 5 gallon air tank wit a bike pump. i got to about 80psi then suddenly a piece of the pump went flying accompanied by a rather loud boom and the hiss of leaking air. i turned off the tank witch had leaked down to about 50psi. then i went found the piece put a few drops of CA glue on it, put it back on the pump, and waited 15 min. the pump worked fine, no leaks. now since then i have switched to reg'ed co2 becuase i realized how annoying it was to pump a 5 gallon tank, but if you just need something temporary grab some CA glue
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NoXi
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:27 pm

i have the same exact pump and that also happened to me. It sucks but i can still pump it to 100 psi or so.
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spud yeti
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Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:13 am

Bell has a warranty that they will replace it, dont they? My helmet has that anyways!
really good quote/phrase here
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mtronic
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:23 am

I have a repco pump similar to the bell ne which leaks at about 70psi :evil: thats why I got a mini compressor, it cost the same as the foot pump but can go up to 250psi :twisted:

I'd like to see what a marble at 250psi would do to the guy that made this dodgy pump!!!! kidding!! I'll never point it at a living being
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chaos
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:41 am

mtronic wrote:I have a repco pump similar to the bell ne which leaks at about 70psi :evil: thats why I got a mini compressor, it cost the same as the foot pump but can go up to 250psi :twisted:

I'd like to see what a marble at 250psi would do to the guy that made this dodgy pump!!!! kidding!! I'll never point it at a living being
trus me, they do quite well but they spin liek crazy and curl off course.

i had this problem the other day, i might try a hop up to get the marble to spin the way i want it to. :D

peace
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MrCrowley
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:21 am

They're too light and get effected by the wind far too much, like my fishing sinkers fly dead straight but because of there weight they have a huge parabola in flight so I either I use higher pressures or aim higher.
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chaos
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:38 am

MrCrowley wrote:They're too light and get effected by the wind far too much, like my fishing sinkers fly dead straight but because of there weight they have a huge parabola in flight so I either I use higher pressures or aim higher.
yer my sinkers fly straight as well freaking great ammo but expensive/time consuming to make.

im just thinking of a way to make use of marbles, i was think that backspin may help at least a little bit
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MrCrowley
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:51 am

Yeah if you force the spin you want on the marble it might work but then you still have the wind problem, my paintballs do the same thing. I buy my fishing sinkers, I get 20 for $3NZD so its not bad at all.
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chaos
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:30 am

not sure on the exchange rate but its $2 for 5 where i last saw them so its a lot cheaper to buy/take/borrow to keep old batteries and make my own.
to_live
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:07 am

well that pump sucks! get a Tigro they have them in australia, i got mine off my dad he had it for 20 years he said, and it is still going strong, i just had to change the hose cause i left it outside and it went all hard and weird? but now it work perfectly and pumps up to about 300 psi in 3 minutes.
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