I just saw where Walmart has a balloon kit that comes with a 9 cu ft tank of helium, that could be a lot of helium.
Helium shortage and Walmart
- Thread starter electrix
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chrpai
Contributor
Now you just have to make it pure enough to breath and boost the pressure...
eelnoraa
Contributor
Walmart is selling 9cf tank for $35 => $3.5/cf. Before thinking if it is breathing quality, the cost is much higher than my LDS, which charge about $1/cf
The only "spec" on balloon grade helium is "it will float a balloon."
While most commercial offerings are at least not toxic at surface pressures (and many add oxygen to keep it from being fatal should some kid breathe too much of it at a party) there is definitely *no* assurance it is safe for breathing under diving pressures. Just don't try it.
Rick
While most commercial offerings are at least not toxic at surface pressures (and many add oxygen to keep it from being fatal should some kid breathe too much of it at a party) there is definitely *no* assurance it is safe for breathing under diving pressures. Just don't try it.
Rick
PfcAJ
Contributor
It all depends on the supplier. Some just slap a sticker on the same batch of helium and charge a different price.
That said, if you don't KNOW this about where your helium comes from, don't try it, or you could be cruisin' for a bruisin'.
That said, if you don't KNOW this about where your helium comes from, don't try it, or you could be cruisin' for a bruisin'.
windapp
Contributor
You cannot die from breathing too much helium or any other inert gas at 1 atm unless you fix it so that you continue breathing it when you are unconcious. In order for it to kill you, you would have to continue breathing it for several minutes after you passed out. If oxygen is added, it is to prevent from being used in suicides.
After seeing several helium filled baloons sink prematurely, I would, definitely conclude that there is more in the mix than just helium.
OP
I was only suggesting that this might have something to do with the helium shortage, not to buy it for trimix.
This is a false statement - there are more than a few accidental deaths to prove it. If any gas not containing oxygen is breathed long enough it will kill you. The problem is that since the human breathing response is mostly tied to CO2 levels and not O2 levels it is quite easy to breathe an inert gas long enough to deplete the oxygen supply to the brain to the point that the victim will pass out and *not recover* before suffering irreparable brain damage or death, especially if the victim is already drunk. It's probably impossible from a normal sized balloon, but it used to happen with alarming regularity when breathing from a bottle of He - haven't heard of a case recently so perhaps the addition of O2 has become the standard for "balloon gas." Still, one must assume that any bottle of helium is sans oxygen and treat it accordingly.
And no "balloon gas" can ever be assumed to be safe for mixing in a diving gas.
Rick
OP
They call balloon gas at the local welding supply dirty helium and said it was only 80% helium.
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