Okay, so I decided to tackle those helium balloons myself for my kid’s party last weekend. Figured, how hard could it be, right? Got one of those small helium tanks you see at the party stores.
Getting Started
First off, I picked up the tank and a big bag of balloons. The tank felt heavier than I expected, honestly. Got it home, plonked it on the kitchen counter. Took it out of the box. There were instructions, looked simple enough. Basically, attach the nozzle thingy, turn the main valve on top, then push the nozzle down or sideways to let the helium out into the balloon.
Inflating Time
Alright, grabbed the first balloon. Slipped the neck over the black nozzle. Turned the green handle on the very top of the tank – heard a little hiss, so knew it was open. Took a breath, pushed down on the nozzle like the picture showed. WHOOSH! Helium came out, way faster than I thought. First balloon popped. Oops. Okay, lesson learned. Be gentle.
Tried the second balloon. This time, I pushed the nozzle much slower, trying to control the flow. It worked better. The balloon started filling up. It’s kinda cool seeing it swell up so fast. Tied it off, and boom, one floating balloon. Success!
Then it was just repeating the process. Here’s what I found:
- You gotta hold the balloon neck onto the nozzle pretty tight, or helium leaks out the sides.
- Don’t fill them too full. They seemed to pop easier than with regular air. Maybe the helium stretches them differently? Dunno.
- The tank makes a hissing sound the whole time the valve is open, and a louder whoosh when you fill a balloon. Not super loud, but noticeable.
How Many Balloons?
The box said it could fill like, 30 balloons or something. Maybe smaller ones? I was using standard sized party balloons. I probably got around 15 to 18 balloons properly filled before the tank started running low. You can tell because the helium comes out slower and the balloons don’t float quite as high. The last couple were pretty sad looking, barely lifting off the ground.
The Aftermath
Once it was empty, I closed the top valve completely. The instructions said to take it outside and push the nozzle down to release any tiny bit of leftover pressure, then dispose of it properly. Check your local rules for that, I guess. The balloons looked great for the party, floated around for most of the day. Some lasted till the next morning, but they were definitely droopy by then.
Overall, it was pretty straightforward. A bit fiddly at first, and maybe didn’t fill as many balloons as I hoped, but it saved me a trip back to the store with a bunch of inflated balloons crammed in my car. So yeah, convenient for a small batch at home.