Need info on helium

[Anon2190]

Hello!
So as it seems brand called "Balloon Time" has reduced its helium purity to 80% where the rest 20% is air. However there are two other brand I am currently researching which are from Poland and may still contain 99% purity. One is called "King of Balloons" which claims to be 99.99% pure helium, the other one is called "Brogaz" which just says UN1046 but I'm not sure about the mix. Can anyone with expertise have a look and tell me if these contain 99% helium?

 

[Smart No More]

I would assume all have lower purity than is needed these days. For the sake of saving money if nothing else.

I thi think that the only source that would provide pure helium would be for scientific use and those kind of sources are highly regulated abd require certain credentials or adfiliations to with either an educational, research or relative production facility.

I looked into it a year or so back and had no luck. Seemed like a dead end. There were other gases that were slightly more obtainable but I found the whole process of trying to meet the criteria overwhelming. I'd probably fair a little better now but they're not routes I'm keen on going down. The "reviews" of those methods are very mixed. Opinions are very divided! Put's me right off.
Sorry, not very helpful. Just relevant I thought.

 

[Anon2190]

I would assume all have lower purity than is needed these days. For the sake of saving money if nothing else.

I thi think that the only source that would provide pure helium would be for scientific use and those kind of sources are highly regulated abd require certain credentials or adfiliations to with either an educational, research or relative production facility.

I looked into it a year or so back and had no luck. Seemed like a dead end. There were other gases that were slightly more obtainable but I found the whole process of trying to meet the criteria overwhelming. I'd probably fair a little better now but they're not routes I'm keen on going down. The "reviews" of those methods are very mixed. Opinions are very divided! Put's me right off.
Sorry, not very helpful. Just relevant I thought.

Its OK its actually been very helpful, I know that Balloon Time brand was hit with heavy regulations years ago due to its misuse. However keeping a assumption that "Poland mined helium" in east Europe might have different regulations and still keeps 99% but cannot be proven as they don't provide technical sheets. I'm just wondering even if it's 95% will it have similar if you are completely sealed in it?

 

[Smart No More]

Gosh, I really wouldn't know. I'd fear trying without having the certainty that it was pure and would therefore work. I have wondered in the past, why euthenasia organisations don't use it if it's so effective and peaceful.

Either way, I would only be satisfied with trying it with helium sourced from a scientific resource aimed at scientific use because it has to be legitimately pure in those situations. When it comes to blowing up baloons nobody would ever know if the company was secretly diluting the stuff to cut costs and make more profit. 10-20 percent really adds up. A 20% raise in wages or taxes would be equally significant.

 

[Felodese]

From experience; these do not contain 100% helium, even if they claim to do so. If they did, I wouldn't still be here.
Pure helium is only used in industrial settings, it seems.

 

[Anon2190]

OK so a brand called King Of Balloons which is a Polish brand claims its 99.99% helium purity that they put in their disposable tanks and that there is something of 0.01%
They are claiming their helium version is 4.0 from a supplier PGNIG
Really don't know what to say here at this point

 

[Kapsyl]

It basically boils down to whether you trust the figures or not at this point, disposable helium tanks are designed primarily for recreational use and only needs to fulfill whatever requirements the seller/manufacturer is claiming. It may very be 99,9% helium they're selling, but who's checking it? A balloon will still float with 96% helium so the importance of purity is not as great of a concern than a professional application.

I'm not saying it will not work, but I believe ballon canister manufacturers have a much less incentive to hold that high 99,9% standard.

So it essentially boils down to my first statement, do you trust them?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

A balloon must still float with a mixture of 80/20 helium to air, as that's the mixture being furnished now to inflate balloons. Else, why even bother to inflate with any helium at all?

https://sciencing.com/happens-air-half-helium-balloon-8494882.html

 

[Smart No More]

A balloon must still float with a mixture of 80/20 helium to air, as that's the mixture being furnished now to inflate balloons. Else, why even bother to inflate with any helium at all?

https://sciencing.com/happens-air-half-helium-balloon-8494882.html

It would probably float at even lower percentages depending on the weight of the baloon.

A company claiming to sell higher concentrations could easily be diluting their product and would only be caught out if tested. I'm not sure what the regulations surrounding their claims are but I know that certain countries made it law that balloon inflating kits should be 80% purity to avoid kids accidentally killing themselves or anyone intentionally using it for those purposes.
I think there have been examples of children inhaling balloons in the past (for the squeaky voice novelty) and accidentally passing out. I don't think they died but it highlighted the problem.