NDR -- using a tank to fill balloons with air for a party

[large_diver]

I need to fill ~800 balloons up with air (I don't want helium). Any ideas about how I can do this with a scuba tank?

Using the tank valve to do it would seem hard to control. Using a reg even without the mouthpiece would also seem clunky, and I'm not sure I want latex and the powdery stuff found on balloons getting on my gear....

So that being said...any ideas? This is for a b-day party for one of my kids...I blew up this many via mouth last year (for my other kid's party) and don't want to repeat the process....;-)

I'm sure I could find something at the local rent-a-center....but thought I'd pursue the scuba tank route first.

 

[Boogie711]

It's called the air blower, used for inflating lift bags, or, I suppose, 800 childs balloons. Because God knows how many set of lungs you'd wear out doing that manually.

Check out the middle picture

Now, you'd still have to attach it to a first stage, just via a LP inflator hose. But hey - that has to beat doing it manually.

 

[large_diver]

Just ordered one -- thanks.

 

[cobaltbabe]

On reverse mode and on low. That's what I do. I love balloons.

 

[netmage]

Boogie711 once bubbled...
It's called the air blower, used for inflating lift bags, or, I suppose, 800 childs balloons. Because God knows how many set of lungs you'd wear out doing that manually.

Check out the middle picture

Now, you'd still have to attach it to a first stage, just via a LP inflator hose. But hey - that has to beat doing it manually.

Question - would someone actually use this underwater for lift bag inflating....? Seems like an extra small piece of gear easily lost if your connecting to your BC LP - or would they dedicated another LP host just for Lift Bag inflation? Are we talking normal deco dives for shooting a marker - or just serious "lift bag work" dives i.e. righting the ss minnow.

I just don't get the need - seems an octo (or primary if diving the long hose) would suffice.

 

[Boogie711]

I like the lift bags you can inflate with your LP inflator hose, personally. I think this is best used for oh - say, inflating 800 childrens balloons, but that's just me.

 

[roakey]

During Cave I my instructor used one of those during our exit to simulate a right post failure on the #2 diver (three man team). #2 didn't communicate the equipment failure at all to the #1 diver, and later when the #1 diver suffered an OOA (simulated) things really turned into a CF for a few moments when #1 went to the #2 diver for air and #2 didn't have any (already on his backup). Flashing his light wildly at me, #2 shoved #1 forward to me and I got him air.

Using this example, Ted Cole showed us the hand signal for "failed equipment" that you won't find in any manual.

Roak

 

[TRIG]

What hand signal do you use for failed eguipment?

Thanks

TRIG

 

[DA Aquamaster]

netmage once bubbled...


Question - would someone actually use this underwater for lift bag inflating....? Seems like an extra small piece of gear easily lost if your connecting to your BC LP - or would they dedicated another LP host just for Lift Bag inflation? Are we talking normal deco dives for shooting a marker - or just serious "lift bag work" dives i.e. righting the ss minnow.

I just don't get the need - seems an octo (or primary if diving the long hose) would suffice.

When I do semi-serious lift bag work I will use one on a separate LP hose (normally the unused-in-the-summer dry inflator suit hose). It is easier to use in a cluster of small to medium sized lift bags (100-200 lbs) and less likely to snag when the object lifts off. More importantly, they will not freeze up like a second stage and if they do they can be easily disconnected - unlike a second stage. Even with a air gun of some type there is still the risk of freezing the first stage however, so you don't want to do this in cold water with a 1rst stage that is prone to icing up and freezing. You also need to watch the air and don't want to get too carried away filling off your primary tank especially at depth.

If you are using a second stage for filling bags in cold water or are doing a heavy lift in any situation, you really should be using a separate reg on a stage bottle where the valve can be shut off if either the first or second stage freezes and where you are not using air that you may otherwise want to breathe.

If you are using an air gun of some type, it's a good idea to remove it from the LP hose when not in use to prevent unintentional air loss.

For serious lift bag work the larger bags used (500-2000lbs) will normally have a 1/4 npt fitting built into the bag and the bag is then filled directly from a short hose, valve and quick disonnect at depth (and sent up with the bag). Or alternatively through a long hose, vlave and quick disconnect from a tank or compressor on the surface. The diver will fill a bag, shut the air off with a valve near the QD, and then connect the hose to the next bag and so on until the object lifts off.

 

[DennisS]

large_diver once bubbled...
I need to fill ~800 balloons up with air (I don't want helium). Any ideas about how I can do this with a scuba tank

Seems like kind of a waste to use 3000 psi to blow up balloon. How many tanks to fill up 800 baloons

Have you considered a bellows foot pump. I pump up my Zodiac in about 10 minutes. High volume-low pressure. 2-3 pumps per baloon would probably do it.