How to store your balls?

 

The brittle shell of a paintball is made with gelatin, glycerin, and a little water.  Both the gelatin and glycerin will dissolve in water.  The shell is very permeable to water and reacts unfavorably to extremes in humidity.  High humidity causes the hypertonic paint inside of a ball to absorb water and swell.  Cold air is relatively dry and will sublimate water from a paintball causing it to shrivel.  The cold also will cause the shell to become very brittle break at times unfavorable to paintballing.  Hot temperatures will cause the shell to become rubbery and bounce instead of break on its target.  Combine heat and high humidity and you have a swollen rubbery ball that is useless.  The cold weather will shrivel your balls and make them brittle, so take care of your balls!!

 

The recommended storage conditions for most paint is 59 to 86 F (15 to 30 C) and 40 to 50%, relative humidity.  Temperatures and/or humidities beyond either end of those ranges will adversely affect the performance of your balls.

 

How long is too long?  In very extreme conditions, 20 to 30 minutes’ exposure can make your balls useless!  An exposure of 4 to 8 hours in moderate conditions will not ruin your balls, but a person must be careful!  Sealing your balls in a plastic bag can counteract humidity’s effects, and keeping your paint in the shade will keep those precious balls happy on a hot day!

 

If it is cold, keep the paint in a warm car while you are playing.  Between games, store your packs, loaders, and hopper in the car.  Refill your loaders just prior to heading out to the field.

 

If it is hot, keep the paint dry and cool.  Keeping the car running and the air on has its problems; air-conditioned air still contains 70 to 80% relative humidity.  Keep those bags closed tight!  If you begin to get a lot of bouncers, your balls are probably hot and swollen. If you cannot leave the car running, keeping your paint in a cooler with a couple of sealed ice packs is a great idea.    

 

In conclusion, paintballs respond to the environmental effect of temperature and humidity.  They get hard and brittle in the cold, and soft and sticky in the heat.  They shrink in low humidity and expand in high humidity.  I hope this information has helped your game as far as paintballs are concerned!