Helium tanks are the lifeblood of any balloon business. They allow you to inflate balloons quickly and efficiently, but how to dispose of a helium tank? In this blog post, we will discuss 25 different techniques for getting rid of a helium tank in an environmentally friendly way that is safe for everyone!
Helium tanks are used in a wide variety of settings. They’re not just for filling balloons at birthday parties and weddings; they also provide an inert gas for arc welding, fiber-optic cables, MRI machines, and much more.
However, when no longer needed (or if the pressure is too low), you’ll need to dispose of your helium tank. Many places will take a tank back for a small fee, which can help if you’re on a budget. If not, there are plenty of resources that show how to dispose of a helium tank properly.
Table of Contents
1. Crush the Tank
Using a large vise, crush the shell and then remove any metal that remains. This will leave you with just the plastic bottle, which can easily be disposed of in your standard trash bin. If no visa is available, you can also try driving over the tank with your car.
2. Build an Arc Welder
Arc welders require a strong, stable shielding gas to function properly. By filling the helium tank halfway and sealing it tight, you can easily build your arc welder! You can either use this trick to weld or cut metal using an Oxy-acetylene torch.
3. Make an Airbag
Helium tanks can be filled with regular air and used as an alternative to compressed air in paintball guns or other pneumatic tools. Fill the tank, attach it to your tool and pressurize! Note that this method won’t work for all uses, but it should get the job done.
4. Make an Inflatable Boat or Raft
If you’re not in a hurry (and happen to have some extra time), fill your helium tank with air and seal it off completely. After about 24 hours, the hydrogen will dissipate and leave you with a perfectly usable air tank. This process is safer than filling tanks with hydrogen gas, which can explode if not handled properly.
5. Use it as a Blimp
There’s no better way to advertise your business or school than flying a huge helium balloon over town! The pressure inside the tank will be significantly less than the pressure of air outside, allowing you to use it as a giant blimp.
6. Use it in Place of Helium Balloons
If you’re hosting an event where balloons are normally used (such as a birthday party or wedding), save some money by filling your helium tank with air instead! It can also be useful for special effects, such as blowing up a large inflatable raft.
7. Turn it Into an Air Compressor
If you need to use air instead of helium (such as in the previous method), this is a great way to get rid of your tank! Attach any valves or hoses and pump the air into the device that needs it.
8. Make an Air Cannon
This method is perfect for long-distance pranks and harmless air raids! Strap the tank to your launcher, connect a flexible hose and shoot compressed air towards your target’s face…or another sensitive area! If you don’t want to use this method for pranks, you can also use it to launch a weather balloon, spray paint, or even medical samples.
9. Make an Air Powered Chainsaw
Many chainsaws require large air tanks to run well. By filling the tank with regular air and sealing all of the seams (leaving one accessible), you can attach it as normal and get work done! Note that this method won’t work for all chainsaws, but it should be cut through wood or metal.
10. Make a Cannon
This method requires you to either weld or attach the tank into a cannon-like device and heat it until it explodes. This will cause most of the metal to evaporate, leaving behind a mostly empty tank. You can then re-inflate the tank with regular air and blast it sky-high!
11. Use it in Mining
Many mines require large amounts of compressed air or natural gas to operate properly. Instead of filling tanks with hydrogen, fill your helium tank with regular air and use it as you would a giant boulder!
12. Use to Blow Up Snow for Excavating
If your excavation requires large amounts of snow, you can easily remove it using a heated helium tank! Attach the hose from your tank and dig away. This also works well for excavations that might be dangerous, such as removing snow from a busy road.
13. Make an Airbag
Helium tanks are the perfect size for most airbags! Just inflate the tank to its maximum capacity, suck out all helium, and seal off with tape or glue. This will leave you with a perfectly usable airbag that can cushion a fall or vehicle crash.
14. Use it as a Seat Cushion
Many people know that helium has an extremely low density, perfect for party balloons and birthday decorations. If you have a few extra tanks lying around, inflate them with air and use them as a comfortable seat cushion!
15. Use it as a Float
Floating requires pushing down on the water, which takes energy (a force). Using the helium tank’s pressure, you can easily push down on water and send yourself floating in any body of water! This works best with large bodies of calm, shallow water such as ponds or lakes.
16. Use it as a Boat
If you have enough helium tanks with air, you can use them as an extremely light boat! Inflate with regular air and attach the balloons with rope or string. If you’re using longer tanks, line up tanks side by side to form a giant raft that can hold quite a bit.
17. Create a Giant Shield
Helium tanks are mostly made of metal, so they can be used to create one-time-use shields! Line up your tanks and tape all seams together for added strength. This works great as an emergency shield against bullets or other piercing ammunition.
18. Make a Supersonic Jet
To fly, you need to push down on air. Since helium is so light and pressurized, you can use a tank with regular air to create a supersonic jet! You’ll have to find a propellor-like device to work properly, but the results are worth the effort.
19. Use it as a Prank
As mentioned before, helium tanks are perfect for pulling off pranks on unsuspecting victims! Just inflate the tank, attach it to someone’s air filter or exhaust outlet, and watch them become surprised and confused. You can also use this prank with other gases such as hydrogen, but helium is by far the most entertaining.
20. Use it in Weapons
Many soldiers are forced to carry around heavy guns with lots of ammunition, but where’s the fun in that? Using an electronic pressurized helium tank, you can create lightweight, rapid-fire guns which can be used for anything from target practice to warfighting.
21. Use it as a Musical Instrument
Many people know that helium has an extremely high-pitched voice, making it perfect for any singing! While many people use the gas orally through a balloon or hose, you can also add helium into metal pipes to create an entire chorus of distorted voices.
22. Use it on a Plane
In the early 2000s, helium was used for flight instead of hydrogen due to its more efficient and lightweight nature. Of course, there were some issues with combustion and pressurization of helium tanks which led to many crashes of prototype aircraft, but we’re sure you could do much better.
23. Use it for a Science Project
Helium is the perfect gas for any science fair project! You can use it to make your car go faster, create helium-filled balloons in zero gravity and even construct a supersonic jet out of a few tanks and a propeller. If you’re not good at science, helium can still make an incredible presentation if you hand out a balloon to each person.
24. Use it as a Sport
Helium is not only great for doing simple science projects; it’s also perfect for playing sports! Anyone who wants to go skydiving or has any plan involving flight should use helium for their safety.
25. Use it as an Energy Source
Did you know that helium is one of the cleanest, most efficient sources of energy in the world? All you need to do is compress it into a storage tank and hook it up to any outlet! The only downside is that tanks are limited, which means you’ll need to wait for your next shipment.
FAQ’s
Q: Can you throw away old helium tanks?
A: Yes. They are not considered hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). However, they must be triple rinsed (or equivalent using only clean, inert gas). They should never enter a standard solid waste landfill because of the potential for explosions due to small amounts of residual oxygen still present within the container.
They should be disposed of via an authorized vendor or recycling center.
Q: What are the other potential uses for helium?
A: The number one other use for helium is cooling down superconducting electromagnets to very cold temperatures to reduce electrical resistance and increase efficiency while doing experiments/maintaining equipment at extremely low temperatures, such as within the Large Hadron Collider.
Helium is also used for semiconductor manufacturing, welding, leak detection in gas pipelines, bubblegum production, and of course, filling up balloons!
Q: Where can I find helium tanks?
A: Helium tanks are often used by party planners to fill up balloons before an event. You can also find helium tanks in many educational institutions for use in physics experiments and courses.
Q: Can helium tanks explode?
A: Yes, helium tanks are equipped with extremely high-pressure valves that release helium if the temperature changes or drops. Although not known to be an explosion hazard inside a balloon, there have been rare cases of explosions involving balloons being filled up with room air instead of helium.
Q: Is helium bad for the environment?
A: Helium is one of the cleanest, most efficient sources of energy in the world! It’s extremely non-toxic and has zero carbon emissions.
Q: What would happen if you inhaled helium?
A: Helium is not toxic, so it is safe to breathe in. However, inhaling large amounts of helium can lead to oxygen deprivation resulting in loss of consciousness, cardiac arrest, or even death.
