5 min read
How to use a helium cylinder
A hire cylinder arrives with everything you need to fill balloons. Here is how to get from a sealed cylinder to a room full of balloons, and how to hand it back.
Before you start
Stand the cylinder upright somewhere it cannot be knocked over — against a wall, or strapped to something solid. Fill in a ventilated room, and keep children at a distance from the cylinder while you work.
Check the inflator suits your balloons. Latex takes a push-down or tilt nozzle; foil balloons need a longer nozzle that seats inside their self-sealing valve. Tell us which you are filling when you order and the right one comes with the cylinder.
Fitting the inflator
With the cylinder valve closed, screw the inflator onto the outlet hand-tight. Do not use tools — the seal does the work, and overtightening damages the thread.
Open the cylinder valve slowly, a full turn anticlockwise. Listen for a hiss: if you hear one, close the valve, refit the inflator and try again.
Filling latex
Slide the balloon neck over the nozzle, hold it there, and press or tilt the nozzle gently. Fill to the balloon's natural round shape rather than until it is tight — a slightly under-filled balloon floats longer and uses less gas than one stretched to its limit.
Pinch the neck as you take it off the nozzle, then tie it off or use a clip. If you are adding ribbon, tie it on before you let go.
Filling foil
Push the long nozzle into the valve at the base of the balloon until it is past the seal, and fill slowly. Stop when the seams are smooth but before the creases have completely gone — foil does not stretch, and over-filling splits it at the seam.
Draw the nozzle out: the valve closes itself. Foil balloons in a warm room firm up as the gas expands, so leave a little room.
When you have finished
Close the cylinder valve fully, then press the inflator once to release the gas left in it, and unscrew it. Keep the inflator with the cylinder — it goes back when the cylinder does.
Collected cylinders go back to the depot you collected from, by the return date on your order. Delivered cylinders are picked up from the same address, so leave them upright with the valve closed and the inflator attached or beside them.
Common questions
- Do I need to use all the gas before I return it?
- No. There is no refund for gas left over, but there is no charge for returning a cylinder part full either.
- What if the inflator does not fit?
- Call us before you try to force it. We can tell you whether it is the wrong head for the balloons or a thread problem, and sort out a replacement.
- Can I keep the cylinder longer?
- Yes. Four weeks is included, and extra months can be added when you order. If you need longer once you have it, ring us before the return date.