Helium does not inflate balloons - cause for concern?

[sophiestarfish]

I rented a large helium tank from a local welding supply store and was planning on using it with the exit bag method. However, I attempted to fill a few balloons with the stuff before I attempted and found that the balloons do not float. Is this cause for concern? Should I not use it? The shop said it was 'balloon grade helium'.

 

[LifeOver]

It is possible that the helium is not pure enough and diluted with oxygen, which will not be enough to kill you.

However, you should go ahead and try to make the exit bag anyways while following all steps precisely and see if you can pass out: there is really no harm trying. If you fail and you are certain nothing went wrong with making the bag, then you can conclude the helium is diluted and you need to reorder (nitrogen should be more reliable).

 

[GeorgeJL]

I rented a large helium tank from a local welding supply store and was planning on using it with the exit bag method. However, I attempted to fill a few balloons with the stuff before I attempted and found that the balloons do not float. Is this cause for concern? Should I not use it? The shop said it was 'balloon grade helium'.

It must be diluted with something.

 

[TAW122]

I second @LifeOver and @GeorgeJL that the helium tank must be diluted with something else. Also, I would look into Nitrogen since it seems to be more likely to be pure and it is much more abundant than helium.

 

[Soul]

I don't advise getting ready to die when you aren't sure whether or not it'll work. Return the tank to the shop and get your money back.

I'm sorry you're contemplating this and sorry you got ripped off, but I love that you filled some balloons. (((Hugs)))

 

[FF777]

Yeah I personally wouldn't even try with that stuff you have.. If the balloons aren't floating then there can't be all that much helium in there, and I've heard that they mix the tanks with oxygen some times, which is what must have happened in your case..
I mean who knows what could go wrong.....you probably wouldn't die, and might pass out and wake up with a huge headache or who knows (just speculating).. Go back to the store like @Soul suggested and complain to them that you wanted a party with balloons that actually float well, and see if they can give you a tank with pure helium, or at least get your money back and start looking for a different place to get helium from..

 

[omoidarui]

However, you should go ahead and try to make the exit bag anyways while following all steps precisely and see if you can pass out: there is really no harm trying.

the hek is this post

There actually is harm in trying, if there's enough oxygen not to kill but not enough to stop irreversible brain damage in a failed attempt. And if the helium turns out to be pure during the trial then the harm would be that they'll actually die shortly after passing out.

 

[Letmego. Please]

I will try & find whatever it was i read a while back but it was in relation to the Helium exit method & the press surrounding a number of deaths from 'party store' type bottles, from what i remember the major gas suppliers decided to alter the gas composition slightly so as to distance their products from 'death machines'

 

[TiredHorse]

Nitrogen has supplanted helium (He) as the preferred inert gas for exactly the reasons described: suppliers of He for party balloons began adulterating the gas with air specifically to prevent people from using it for suicide. It sounds like whoever supplied your tank got a little too exuberant with their adulteration and added so much air that the "balloon gas" (as it is now often referred to) won't even float the balloons.

Epic fail for the gas company, on so many levels.

I agree with @omoidarui that there is a chance of harm in attempting with the gas you were provided: hypoxia can definitely cause brain damage, even while you remain alive.

Isn't it wonderful? They make sure you don't die, but are content with you becoming a vegetable.

Anyway, I recommend sourcing your gas through a welding supply store, where purity of the gas is vital to the product: inert gas will not work for welding if it is contaminated by air, so you can be certain it is pure to industrial standards.

 

[tiggles2000]

I know people say to use nitrogen, but what about argon? I know it is used with MIG welding (metal inert gas), so it should work

 

[TiredHorse]

I know people say to use nitrogen, but what about argon? I know it is used with MIG welding (metal inert gas), so it should work

Argon should work. I believe it has been used, and I know a couple people on this forum intend to use it with their exit bag. Use whichever is most accessible: N2 or Ar.

 

[Soul]

I believe the set-up needs to be a little different with Ar though, right? Because it's heavier than air and can therefore be more prone to escape through gaps at the bottom of the bag so one needs to lie so one's head is tilted downward if anyone sees what I mean.

I'm just repeating what I've read here, though, so that may be all bollocks.

 

[TiredHorse]

Yes, Ar is heavier, but not that much heavier. After all, Ar is a stable componant of air (0.93%), just like N2 (78.09%). If you charge the headspace of a paint can with Ar (which is why I keep Ar in my shop), it settles out of the air and down to the surface of the paint to prevent the paint from skinning over --but that only works in a sealed can with a hugely Ar-rich atmosphere; in an open container, the Ar just mixes with the air. This is why I shake my head at the idea of CTB with an open or nearly-open container of Ar: all you'd get is a free-mixing Ar-rich aerobic atmosphere with plenty of O2 contamination.

Anyway, my sense is that there'd be no effective difference in method or equipment. The elastic at the bottom/neck of the bag is pretty snug, so I'd guess it'll still take the pressure of the inflowing gas to push the Ar out --it isn't as though there's a lot of leakage otherwise.

One advantage is that all the cheap regulators are calibrated for CO2 and Ar, so there'd be no wondering about the accuracy of the regulator as there is when using that regulator with N2.

 

[faust]

Does anybody know if there are any instructions or contents after purchasing the tank?

 

[4eyebiped]

I watched a video on Cody's Lab where he inhales various gases and argon was one of them. It took a while for him to evacuate it from his lungs. For that reason, I would not trust using it. It seems possible that it may cause a CO2 build up that would cause the body to naturally panic. Not to mention a positive about lighter gases is that they float to the top of the bag pushing out heavier gases. I see far more possible pros to a lighter gas than a heavy one.

EDIT: Top answer the OP's question. Assuming you are using normal balloons, I would not use the contents from the tank you purchased. I would get my money back. While it isn't expected to have medical grade helium in it, I would expect there would be enough to float a balloon. Doesn't even sound like you are reaching neutral buoyancy.

 

[faust]

I watched a video on Cody's Lab where he inhales various gases and argon was one of them. It took a while for him to evacuate it from his lungs. For that reason, I would not trust using it. It seems possible that it may cause a CO2 build up would would cause the body to naturally panic. Not to mention a positive about lighter gases is that they float to the top of the bag pushing out heavier gases. I see far more possible pros to a lighter gas than a heavy one.

EDIT: Top answer the OP's question. Assuming you are using normal balloons, I would not use the contents from the tank you purchased. I would get my money back. While it isn't expected to have medical grade helium in it, I would expect there would be enough to float a balloon. Doesn't even sound like you are reaching neutral buoyancy.

OP last seen in August. But thanks for advice!