How can I tell if the helium in my tank is still good?

Question

I want to use a helium tank I have had for awhile. Does anyone know if there is a way to know how much helium is left in a tank. Also does it ever go bad?

Answer 1

Helium is a noble gas it cannot combine or form a bond with any other element; so it NEVER goes bad.

The only thing that can happen is that the tank can leak; helium is the second smallest molecule so it can easily pass through a value that is water or even air tight. If you turn the valve slightly and hear a hissing sound or feel a slight breeze then you still have positive pressure of helium inside the tank. Since the helium is stored at pressure no other gas will be able to leak inside (provided the tank is still good). You can store you helium for year with no worry about it, it won't burn so any that leaks is safe and it won't dilute itself.

In fact there is only 1 warning when working with helium and that is to not breathe too much in. If you do then it makes your vocal cords grow taught giving you that Mickey Mouse squeaking voice. That is harmless, but not breathing oxygen is very harmful. If you breathe too much of that helium and don't breath regular air you can kill your self. Believe it or not it has happened; two college kids climbed into a helium balloon and hung around for a while, for some strange reason they died--duh lack of oxygen killed them. Since helium is lighter than air they were inside a trapped pocket of helium where they couldn't get any air.

Two interesting facts about helium; it is not made (except by fusion in the sun) it issues forth from the ground, and the US has the largest natural helium reserves.

Nitrogen in the blood stream under pressure can form bubbles when the pressure is decreased, to avoid this some deep scuba divers use a helium oxygen mix. They still have some nitrogen in their bodies from normal breathing, but they have a whole lot less, which decreases the amount of time needed to decompress; thus giving the diver more time under water.

Answer 2

Uhm well, Id say pressure gauge would be best to mesure pressure.....uhm also helium is a noble gas so I don't think it can really go bad...kinda like neon or argon lights they always work.

Answer 3

can a helium tank leak gas and what can i do about it