# CO2 disaster! Help?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 3, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094 "2023-04-03T16:52:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/1 "2023-04-03T16:52:30Z")
I use paintball CO2 cylinders to carbonate water. Basically a modified SodaStream set up to save money. Instead of paying SodaStream $14 for a proprietary cylinder, I have paintball cylinders filled for $3.
When I had my 3 cylinders filled recently, one of them felt heavier than usual. The guy also had some difficulties filling one, and I assume it was the one that felt heavier. Maybe it wasn’t heavier, and I just thought it was.
At home in the kitchen the cylinder started venting CO2. It was loud and scary. My gf came running. I grabbed it with a towel and ran it outside, where it continued discharging CO2 until it was empty. Curious, I touched the cylinder and it was cold enough to burn me.
[ ](https://i.imgur.com/9MSzj4z.jpg)
This was it on my porch.
[ ](https://i.imgur.com/hm0g329.jpg)
Some research told me that the CO2 discharged via a burst disc (?) which I removed easily.
So…What happened and why? Can the burst disc be replaced with a new one, or is that a no-no? What can I do to prevent this happening again? Is there a risk to suddenly venting 20 ounces of CO2 into an indoor environment?
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/2 "2023-04-03T17:13:16Z")
Sounds as if it was overloaded, probably due to a problem with the fill regulator. The purpose of the burst disc is to prevent the bottle from being overpressurized and it would seem to have done its job. I don’t know what the burst margin is on those cylinders but they are so lightweight and at such low pressure (~850 psi max at standard temperature) that even if it did rupture there probably isn’t a big personnel hazard unless you put it in the middle of a bunch of glassware. The ‘hazard’ from the ~35 liters of CO2 unless you are in an airplane lavatory. If you start to feel drowsy or a headache coming on open a window.
Stranger
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### Author:  [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/3 "2023-04-03T17:37:05Z")
CO2 is not poison, and it’s everywhere in the air already. If it’s causing you problems, _you will know_. You will feel like you’re suffocating and need air.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/4 "2023-04-03T22:49:19Z")
> [@tofor](#):
>
> CO2 is not poison, and it’s everywhere in the air already. If it’s causing you problems, _you will know_. You will feel like you’re suffocating and need air
> **[Death by dry ice: Coolers stored in car lead to ‘horrific accident’](https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article215672680.html)**
>
> A newer car, summer heat and four coolers of dry ice combined with rare but lethal effect early Friday, accidentally killing a 77-year-old Lakewood woman.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/5 "2023-04-04T08:21:15Z")
Your link requires a subscription to read.
Presumably, this is the same incident:
> **[Ice cream salesman's wife and mother suffocated by dry ice in car | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/01/health/dry-ice-death/index.html)**
>
> Two women were found unresponsive in a car Friday morning along with the likely culprit: four coolers of dry ice.
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### Author:  [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/6 "2023-04-04T09:34:06Z")
So don’t ignore the feeling of suffocating and needing air.
Unlike, say, nitrogen asphyxiation, where you just pass out without noticing anything is wrong.
That said, I don’t know if you were asleep that the discomfort of elevated CO2 would wake you.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/7 "2023-04-04T09:49:09Z")
I think it would. I’ve seen hamsters killed by CO2 suffocation (it was in a lab, and i don’t remember why they decided to kill them that way.) It was pretty horrible, and the hamsters were clearly aware they were being suffocated.
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### Author:  [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/8 "2023-04-04T11:13:56Z")
I buy carbonated water and drink about one a day just for the “bubbly”. After hearing this story, I think I’ll stick with paying for it from a store. Shoot, if that canister had exploded, it could have really been bad.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/9 "2023-04-04T11:21:08Z")
> [@Jasmine](#):
>
> Shoot, if that canister had exploded, it could have really been bad.
I think the purpose of the burst disc is to avoid the cylinder rupturing.
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#):
>
> Sounds as if it was overloaded, probably due to a problem with the fill regulator.
Heh. Brand new regulator, and the guy had to figure out how to use it. The other gas place I’ve gone charged me $11 a cylinder. The place closer to me used to charge $3 a fill, but their regulator setup for small tanks broke.
The guy didn’t want to replace his since it was a small profit thing, so I bought my own ($40) figuring I’d make it up quickly.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/10 "2023-04-04T11:23:32Z")
> [@Jasmine](#):
>
> I buy carbonated water and drink about one a day just for the “bubbly”.
I drink two or three bottles a day. My gf adds carbonated water to her wine, going through a bottle a day.
I love the convenience of always having carbonated water without having to buy it.
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### Author:  [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/11 "2023-04-04T11:28:38Z")
Yeah, that would really add up in a hurry! I can see the need over time.
I didn’t know those canisters had a “fail safe” function designed to prevent a detonation. Still, should you have picked it up and carried it outside? I suggest just leaving immediately. You could always open the windows and air the place out once the pressure is relieved.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/12 "2023-04-04T11:36:06Z")
> [@Jasmine](#):
>
> Still, should you have picked it up and carried it outside?
It was a scary situation. I grabbed a towel and took it outside as a reflex thing. Plus, my gf was freaking out.
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### Author:  [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/13 "2023-04-04T11:40:18Z")
Well, “all’s well that ends well” - this time! Still, I don’t understand the malfunction. If the process was defective, shouldn’t ALL the cylinders suffered the same fate? Why just one? I ask because I think it is important to identify the cause, otherwise it may happen again.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2023, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/14 "2023-04-04T11:48:10Z")
> [@Jasmine](#):
>
> Why just one?
I think the guy was learning how to use the fill devise that I brought with me. I assume that’s why this happened.
I’ll mention it (nicely) next time. I’m happy getting $3 fills, even iff the learning curve was steep.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/15 "2023-04-05T15:10:22Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Instead of paying SodaStream $14 for a proprietary cylinder, I have paintball cylinders filled for $3.
Just FYI, make sure you’re getting beverage grade CO2- there are different grades apparently.
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### Author:  [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/16 "2023-04-05T22:39:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Can the burst disc be replaced with a new one, or is that a no-no?
Looks like it’s a routine repair.
[Blow Off Caps for CO2 Bottles Power Tank](https://powertank.com/products/blow-off-caps-for-co2-bottles-power-tank)
> If your blow off cap ruptures, your CO2 will vent from the bottle and you will have to replace the cap and refill your bottle. Check with your gas supplier first to see if they have one of these in stock (most of them do). Otherwise, purchase one of these from us and have them install it. A certified gas technician needs to replace this cap, otherwise you will void your warranty.
Your gas guy probably qualifies as a certified tech, or he could know someone.
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> What can I do to prevent this happening again?
You’ve already identified the primary clue. The tank was heavier that expected. Now you know what it means, so just vent the excess gas. Back when we had a paintball field the gas fill station would shut off when the tank reached a predetermined weight. You can get a hanging scale from Walmart or Amazon to double check your tanks yourself.
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### Author:  [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/17 "2023-04-05T23:12:08Z")
> [@bump](#):
>
> Just FYI, make sure you’re getting beverage grade CO2- there are different grades apparently.
This, the grading is probably not in the actual gas, but in the level of allowable oils and contaminants from the compressor, connectors and canisters that are allowed for paintball guns vs human consumption.
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### Author:  [@krisolov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisolov)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-disaster-help/982094/18 "2023-04-12T18:06:21Z")
I worked in the compressed gas industry for over a decade.
The burst disc worked exactly as advertised. There are no fragments to speak of when these rupture and they are definitely replaceable.
CO2 is filled by weight, and your tank should have a tare weight and allowable fill weight so it should be easy to weigh and see if a tank was over filled (as your certainly was). All compressed gas tanks must be hydrostatically tested every 5 or 10 years. Date of last test will be stamped in the cylinder shoulder
The only difference between medical grade CO2 and commercial grade is the batch traceability required for medical gases.