I’ve had a 5# CO2 tank pop its pressure valve in my kitchen. It rapidly displaced all of the air in the room in a matter of seconds. Luckily I was in the kitchen at the time and opened all the doors and windows to vent it.
Keep this in mind the next time you refill your 5#, 10# or 20# CO2 tank and throw it in the back of your car. It doesn’t matter if you crack the windows, a pressure value relief breach will fill the car with CO2 in seconds.
Another somber story, a friend of a friend was a welder. Took some welding tanks home from a site in his car. They had a slow leak and then next morning when he started the car it detonated. The gas pooled in his car and the ignition was the spark. Killed instantly.
Be very careful with pressurized gasses. I own a pickup and throw everything in the bed and strap it down. If you have a car, even if you put tanks in the trunk, keep your windows open and store the tanks immediately.
Wow, thanks for the heads-up on this. I suppose I’m ok for the moment in case of danger where 1. my 5# co2 tank is downstairs in our 50 square meter basement and 2. a 1# co2 tank is in the beer fridge upstairs.
I’ve kept a helium tank in the car before, but I figure if that valve blows we’re gonna know pretty quick as long as we’ve got a conversation going.
I wish that someday someone would invent a thing…let’s call it the internet…where a person could instantly access information such as the correct spelling of a word when they wern’t sure.
It has crossed my mind when I’m hooking up a new tank whether a leak could push all the air out of my basement. I always test any new connections in hope of avoiding this type of issue.
I also drive a pickup and have one of those chrome tool boxes slung across the front of the box. I put the CO2 tank in the tool box and brace it “stuff” to hold it in place. I figure if it blows inside the tool box only the tool box will get hurt.
Something to think about though when you’re traveling.
Reminds me of when I worked with liquid nitrogen on a daily basis. Didn’t matter how many floors up you had to take it, or how heavy it was, you weren’t allowed to take in into the elevator.
are there such things as co2 detectors? if so could one be rigged to s big a$$ vent fan to kick on immediatly if the concentrations get above a certain key level? I am thinking more of commercial situations where, as Thirsty Monk says he’s got 300lbs of CO2 in his 1000sq ft space.