Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

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  • JamesPopper
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2016
    • 128

    Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

    Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium? Im thinking of getting one filled at a party city, I know its super expensive, but maybe it will be worth it...
  • Heliumpongo
    Banned
    • Dec 2014
    • 72

    #2
    Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

    Only in dreams. It was fun in my imagination.

    I look forward to hearing about the experience if you go ahead with it. Much excitement may lie ahead.

    One of my favourite things about helium filled balloon is the unexpected ways they move. Helium is such a rare treat in my life that I find the balloons escaping my grasp, hitting me in the face, racing upward where their air filled counterparts drift downward a source of additional delight.
    I love the fantasy that balloons have sentience and agency and helium filled balloons fit into that dreamy realm very well.

    Comment

    • BalloonBoyUK
      Banned
      • Dec 2018
      • 500

      #3
      Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

      As others have said, the cost is the only thing that really stops me from doing it. I do have access to a GL-700, and helium, but although it would look amazing, and would probably stay afloat forever, the sheer cost of the gas it would need to fill it would be eyewatering, and I don't think I could justify that cost for one balloon - no matter how great it may be.

      Comment

      • SAF
        Senior Member
        • Nov 2019
        • 133

        #4
        Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

        no helium for me but I would love to see a balloon drop with a bunch of GL700... Phish style drop at MSG type

        Comment

        • TooBigToFail
          Junior Member
          • Feb 2019
          • 26

          #5
          Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

          There was a good writeup from BalloonBoyUK on this very subject about a year ago (included below).

          That being said, transporting it from Party City is going to be a challenge - let alone having to determine pricing for it with the front desk staff. When I go in to get my 36" balloons filled, they have to refer to a binder to determine pricing for it. From my glances at it, it only goes up to 36 inch balloons. Determining pricing for a GL is going to be awkward.

          Best bet is going to be to rent your own helium tank. A lot cheaper too if you plan on filling multiple balloons

          Not to mention that bringing in a GL to a Party City screams "Looner"! The less public attention we get, the better

          Originally posted by BalloonBoyUK
          You wouldn't need a huge tank of helium, but you would need a lot more than you realise. And any balloon, no matter what the size, will float - even a tiny, insignificant 5" balloon will float - though not for long (maybe 10-20 minutes, if you're lucky). Weather temperature also affects buoyancy too.

          An average-sized helium cylinder (that stands about 4ft in height, and has about 5 cubic metres worth of gas in it, and weighs about 25kg), would probably fill about ten x GL-1200's, give-or-take.

          Going by current costs (for me, at least), one such cylinder would cost about £175 to purchase (excluding the hire charges, but inclusive of most taxes), and that would equate to about £25's worth of helium per GL1200 filled.

          Seeing as the price of a GL1200 balloon, is about £7, you're looking at about £32 (give-or-take) to fill one GL1200 with helium! Add-in another £3 for treating it with Hi-Float, to keep it afloat for even longer, and you could have it stay floating, for over three months solid, with ease - as long as the room it was in didn't have too much variance in temperature, of course! (I've had 36" Qualatex rounds, treated with Hi-Float, and filled with helium, stay afloat for two months, with ease!)

          Yes, it would definitely be fun, but also an extremely expensive science project - £35 for one GL1200! Now, all you'd need is a room big-enough to store it in...

          ...but that'll probably set you back a few hundreds of pounds/dollars! LOL
          Last edited by TooBigToFail; 03-01-2020, 04:00.

          Comment

          • LoneLoonRider
            Senior Member
            • Jan 2017
            • 137

            #6
            Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

            Originally posted by TooBigToFail
            There was a good writeup from BalloonBoyUK on this very subject about a year ago (included below).

            That being said, transporting it from Party City is going to be a challenge - let alone having to determine pricing for it with the front desk staff. When I go in to get my 36" balloons filled, they have to refer to a binder to determine pricing for it. From my glances at it, it only goes up to 36 inch balloons. Determining pricing for a GL is going to be awkward.

            Best bet is going to be to rent your own helium tank. A lot cheaper too if you plan on filling multiple balloons

            Not to mention that bringing in a GL to a Party City screams "Looner"! The less public attention we get, the better
            How much does filling 36" balloons at Party City cost you?

            Comment

            • TooBigToFail
              Junior Member
              • Feb 2019
              • 26

              #7
              Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

              Originally posted by LoneLoonRider
              How much does filling 36" balloons at Party City cost you?
              About $8 each (with tax included)

              Comment

              • LoonerPlanet
                Senior Member
                • Nov 2018
                • 144

                #8
                Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                Never tried a gl, but I have inflated a 5 foot Unique banner balloon with helium, as well as 646's. I remember an old video from italoon.org that included a gl500 with helium. I also remember wishing to do the same. Sigh.

                Sadly, I agree that is way too expensive today and the physics is against you. Long balloons won't float as long as round balloons. When it comes to volume versus surface area, round is more efficient at containing the maximum amount of volume with the least amount of surface. So they can hold more helium with less balloon weight than long balloons or other shapes.

                Comment

                • BalloonBoyUK
                  Banned
                  • Dec 2018
                  • 500

                  #9
                  Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                  One other point: whilst I'm sure some stores would be willing to fill a GL with helium, the cost isn't the major issue for anyone wanting to do it...

                  ..it's going to be how the heck you get it home safely, and through average-sized doorways!

                  Having sometimes struggled to get 36"/3ft Qualatex rounds through average sized doorways, without them popping, and keeping them away from anything sharp, doing that with a GL is going to be near impossible, I'm afraid. Even when you have shops with automatic double-doors, or using a small van to transport your balloon in, it'd be a nightmare to get it home safely, whilst avoiding every obstacle (person, sharp objects like stone walls, lights, overhead signage, etc, etc) on the way there.

                  Your only viable option, unless you have a mansion, or a large window/door to get it through, is hire a cylinder of helium of your own, and inflate it in the same room you intend to play with it in. Once inflated, you'll be unlikely to be able to ever move it comfortabaly (or safely) through your home, without it ending up being popped, unless you deflate it and waste some helium.
                  Last edited by BalloonBoyUK; 04-01-2020, 21:13.

                  Comment

                  • PBK
                    Senior Member
                    • Mar 2019
                    • 372

                    #10
                    Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                    I did it. It's neat. I spend a lot of money on helium. It's still worth it. I inflated a giant Italian doll balloon with helium, too, and it was amazing.

                    To add: The GL-1200 was coated with Hi-Float and it remained floating for 19 months.

                    Comment

                    • PBK
                      Senior Member
                      • Mar 2019
                      • 372

                      #11
                      Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                      Originally posted by TooBigToFail

                      Not to mention that bringing in a GL to a Party City screams "Looner"! The less public attention we get, the better
                      Who cares? None of their business.
                      You're paying money for a service. If it's within their policy to fulfill the service then what you do with your property is none of their concern thus how the individual employee judges you should be the last worry on your mind.
                      Opinions are like assholes. We all have them and some stink worse than others.

                      Comment

                      • Smothered by tits
                        Senior Member
                        • Mar 2019
                        • 221

                        #12
                        Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                        Originally posted by TooBigToFail
                        Not to mention that bringing in a GL to a Party City screams "Looner"! The less public attention we get, the better
                        You got to remember that most people don't know that the fetish exists.
                        So all they see is a guy with a lot of cash to spend and a difficult time ahead of him trying to get it into his car.

                        Comment

                        • BalloonBoyUK
                          Banned
                          • Dec 2018
                          • 500

                          #13
                          Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                          Originally posted by PBK
                          You're paying money for a service. If it's within their policy to fulfill the service then what you do with your property is none of their concern [SNIP]

                          You are correct about both things, but to be fair to the stores, I can't see many stores of any kind be willing to fill-up a GL700/1200 with helium. That'd probably exhaust their entire month's supply of helium.

                          That said, how much helium (and Hi-float) did you end-up using, just out of curiosity? It must've been a lot, and the cost must also have been pricey too.

                          Comment

                          • PBK
                            Senior Member
                            • Mar 2019
                            • 372

                            #14
                            Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                            Originally posted by BalloonBoyUK
                            You are correct about both things, but to be fair to the stores, I can't see many stores of any kind be willing to fill-up a GL700/1200 with helium. That'd probably exhaust their entire month's supply of helium.

                            That said, how much helium (and Hi-float) did you end-up using, just out of curiosity? It must've been a lot, and the cost must also have been pricey too.
                            Not to brag, but I make a comfortable enough salary that even with its ever-rising cost helium for personal use isn't a bank-breaker. That being said, my cylinders last a long time because I rarely fill anything larger than a 36". And 36's rarely get filled because when using Hi-Float I've had them stay afloat for up to 9 months. They take up lots of room and rarely need replacing. The majority of what I fill is Tuf-Tex 17's, Tuf-Tex 14's and to round the bunch out a Tuf-Tex 24 the odd time. Every once in awhile in, say, the summer for a kid's birthday party or when we're having a block party or garage sale or something like that I'll fill a couple of 72's (they really get people's attention) but in addition to the helium they take a good cup of Hi-Float, last FOREVER and occupy a lot of space so they pretty much live outside or in the garage after the event is long over.

                            Comment

                            • BalloonBoyUK
                              Banned
                              • Dec 2018
                              • 500

                              #15
                              Re: Has anyone ever filled a GL with helium?

                              Originally posted by PBK
                              Not to brag, but I make a comfortable enough salary that even with its ever-rising cost helium for personal use isn't a bank-breaker.

                              My apologies, because I absolutely wasn't trying to infer anything in my previous post. So if it sounded like I did, that was absolutely not my intention. I was just envious and curious.

                              Here in the UK, helium is expensive. Hence why I was curious as to how much gas a GL was going to use. If you have the money/gas to do it, then I have no issue with you doing that.

                              For me, though, I keep my balloons inside for safety, because the weather is so varied, but also because I live in a block of flats, and I don't want other people to see them. But that's just me.

                              One final thing, if I may: when you fill a 36" with helium and use Hi-Float, how many pumps of Hi-Float do you use, because I use three pumps worth, and although I underinflate my balloons to around 32"-33" in size, at best, they stay floating for three or four months max.

                              Any advice, from you, would be hugely appreciated. Cheers.

                              Comment

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