Last updated on October 15th, 2023
If you are an avid paintball player you must have a bag of old paintballs lying around your house. There is a high chance that they have gone bad and have become useless. Let me tell you why; the cover of the paintballs is made up of gelatin and glycerin and it reacts to the atmosphere. The material is also compostable and dissolves in water.
Science Behind The Paintballs Storage
Paintballs are perishable and get worse over time. Normally, they have an average shelf life of three to six months however they can last much longer if stored properly. Two things that you must take care of when storing your paintballs are humidity and temperature and there is a whole science behind this.
To understand how to store paintballs correctly first you must understand what is good and bad for them. If the paintballs are put into a humid environment the shell absorbs water and the water can get to the paint which can ruin the paint solution. High temperatures can damage the shell by making it soft. A sudden drop in temperature paves the way for condensation. So, a quick change in temperature is also damaging for the paintballs.
What Happens To Paintball If Not Stored Properly
There are many problems that may arise as a result of carelessly storing the paintballs. Such as
- The shell of the paintballs might get soft
- Dimples and dents on the paintball
- Paintballs can get out of shape
- They can get too hard
Any of these are indications that your paintballs cannot be used to play anymore. Even if you see none of these signs but you have left the paintballs out in the open or they are very old like over a year then they are wasted.
There is one other way to find out if you can still use your paintballs to play it is called a drop test. What you do is drop the paintball from half your height and if it breaks the first or second time you drop it then that means the shell is not soft and you can try playing with it.
How To Store Paintballs At Your Home
You cannot just leave the paintballs like that and then expect your game to be flawless and accurate. They require proper care. The expiry of your paintballs depends on the type of paintball it is, every paintball is made different but they all are perishable. Many times the tips to store that particular kind of paintball are given on the packaging so always read the instructions before throwing it away. For example, the paintballs that are made to play with in winter have a thicker shell than usual.
Here are some basic and crucial conditions that must be met to store the paintballs
- The ideal temperature to store paintballs is 59 degrees Fahrenheit to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature higher than that can cause the paintball material to breakdown and dents appears on the surface
- Relative humidity of about 40% to 50% is fine. Humidity more than that makes the paintballs swell and compromises the accuracy
- One of the best ways to store paintballs is in an airtight container or zip-lock plastic bag. It is the most appropriate way of storing paintballs; in a cool dry place, so put the zip lock bag in a cool place.
- Put the paintballs far away from the UV light. High heat is bad for the paintballs.
- Rotate the paintballs every now and then to prevent them from sticking together and swelling.
It is clear now that you must store your paintballs in a cool and dry place which means you cannot leave them in the open like in your car trunk, on the field, in an open cupboard, or near the water. Places where you can store them include under your bed, in a closed cabinet or cupboard. Or you can buy a good quality air-tight container for this purpose.
How To Keep The Paintballs Good In Between The Games
We discussed how to store paintballs at your home so that you can use them after some time. Now the issue is what to do when you are on the field. Exposing the paintballs to extreme weather conditions outside for more than 20 mins can ruin them.
If the temperature outside is more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit or it is extremely humid then you should not at all leave it on the table in the field. Putting it in the car is also not a sane choice because it can get hotter inside a closed car than outside.
In such a situation you can either turn on the AC of your car and then put the paintballs inside it but that means burning the fuel so it is one of the ways but not very cost-effective. The other way is that you can freeze some ice packs and place them in the cooler with the packed paintball bag. This is for a hot day.
On a cold day where the temperature is lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit, you must place the paintballs in a heater or place the heat packs in the same cooler as the closed paintball bag.
In case your paintballs have gone bad already you can just discard them by dissolving them in the water and then pouring the water into your backyard. This is not damaging the environment as the paintballs are made up of biodegradable material.
Conclusion
If you want to spare yourself the work of cleaning the gun’s barrel and marker again and again because of the broken paint of a bad paintball you must store it properly in a cold and dry place. Any extreme weather conditions may harm your paintballs therefore you must store them in the appropriate conditions, with regard to temperature and humidity as discussed above. But if the paint got broken and made your gun dirty then don’t make a delay and just follow these steps to clean your gun.
On the field, you must ensure that your paintballs are away from direct sunlight or extreme cold because paintballs in a bad condition also affect your accuracy.
