Hand pump

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  • Loon119
    Senior Member
    • Jun 2018
    • 226

    Hand pump

    Hi all is it possible to do a blow to pop with a hand pump. Been toying with the idea of putting a balloon on a hand pump and pumping til it pops in my pants but didn't know if pulling the handle back brings out air from the Balloon. I'll be using the pump with one hand
    Thanks
  • wildheart
    Senior Member
    • Apr 2015
    • 859

    #2
    Re: Hand pump

    Of course it works. Might be a little slow with a small pump, but it’ll go bang eventually.
    How big will it go? Only one way to find out...
    My website: loonerstories.weebly.com

    Comment

    • Meililoon
      aka lyckr
      • Sep 2014
      • 700

      #3
      Re: Hand pump

      Yes. I used a handpump the first few times I blew balloons till they popped on purpose.

      Comment

      • Slugamano
        Senior Member
        • Jul 2016
        • 209

        #4
        Re: Hand pump

        It's a bit slow and boring.

        Comment

        • Nopops4me
          Senior Member
          • Jun 2015
          • 519

          #5
          Re: Hand pump

          Depends whether you want a quick bang or an adrenaline rush with anticipation of when it's going to pop

          Comment

          • Blowitbig
            Senior Member
            • Jan 2016
            • 688

            #6
            Re: Hand pump

            I have an electric pump that pumps my big balloons up quickly, but its quite loud ,is there a quieter balloon pump out there i can purchase,
            The bigger the better

            Comment

            • Nopops4me
              Senior Member
              • Jun 2015
              • 519

              #7
              Re: Hand pump

              Which pump have you got so we know what to compare with for noise

              Comment

              • Blowitbig
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2016
                • 688

                #8
                Re: Hand pump

                Its says model _HT-507. <90db
                The bigger the better

                Comment

                • BalloonBoyUK
                  Banned
                  • Dec 2018
                  • 500

                  #9
                  Re: Hand pump

                  Most electric or battery air pumps are going to be loud, I'm afraid due to the pressure that has to be created to inflate a balloon. I'm sure we've all seen videos on YouTube or the like, featuring people using cheapo electric pumps that can't even blow-up a tiny 9" balloon without a lot of hassles. That's because the pressure simply isn't strong-enough to inflate them. You need a lot of pressure. I don't know what the amount is, as I'm not a scientist/technical person, but the pressure needs to be substantial, and inverse to the pressure of the balloon (rubber/latex) compressing the air out of it. If the pressure going in isn't as strong as the pressure that a balloon exerts when it is being inflated, then the balloon won't inflate.

                  Whilst you can buy quieter pumps, most decent ones are noisy, because they have more oomph in them, as they're designed to inflate "professional quality" (or what we all know as "branded") balloons, like Qualatex, Tufftex, Cattex, et al. These same pumps also need to be able to blow up a lot of balloons per hour, and be capable of inflating balloons upto 6ft/72" in size, at a decent speed - which is what most balloon decorators need. Noise is only an issue if it's deafening - which for us looners is the main issue. But for a decorator, noise is less of a factor.

                  I've got two inflators:
                  1) a Zibbi Z-32 single pump, that can be used to inflate balloons as you press on the nozzle, or emit a constant stream of air. (Costs approximately £70-£100 in English Sterling!)

                  And one of these....

                  2) https://bit.ly/2GoT5NV
                  It has two nozzles, that can run independently or together, or you can have them run off a timer, so that they release a set amount of air, so you can size all of your balloons the same. (I like to only use one nozzle at a time though, as whilst it's not cheap, it's not going to be a pump you can use for hours at a time!)

                  Both are pretty noisy, and will sound about as loud as some small vacuum cleaners/hoovers, I'm afraid. There's no real way to minimise the amount of noise, as they need to be kept uncovered, to help keep the airflow going around them, so they don't overheat! In the case of Pump 2 above, this gets warm very quickly, and then starts pumping hot air into the balloons you inflate. (I don't know if that's good, bad or otherwise!)

                  If you can afford it, get Zibbi pumps, as they're the industry standards in balloon decorating, but - alas - they're also very expensive. However, they are amazing pumps!

                  Other people use vacuum cleaners that have switches on them, that reverses the airflow from sucking to blowing, but not many do this these days. Plus, they're still noisy!

                  Comment

                  • srob2
                    Senior Member
                    • Dec 2017
                    • 352

                    #10
                    Re: Hand pump

                    You can also get an air compressor - like for car tires or air tools. Very loud filling the tank, but then almost silent.

                    Comment

                    • lionlooner
                      Member
                      • Apr 2016
                      • 92

                      #11
                      Re: Hand pump

                      It's definitely worth a shot. Some hand pumps are different from others. Some balloon pumps let air out while you're not actively pumping, others push air in on both inward and outwards pumps, and most should keep the air in when not pumping. I got a hand pump from a hardware store that's meant for transferring liquids, but it works perfectly fine as an air pump.

                      Comment

                      • BalloonBoyUK
                        Banned
                        • Dec 2018
                        • 500

                        #12
                        Re: Hand pump

                        Originally posted by srob2
                        You can also get an air compressor - like for car tires or air tools. Very loud filling the tank, but then almost silent.
                        There's three different kinds of air-compressor here, that you're (unintentionally) confusing:

                        1) Small air-compressors that are sold in mechanic, garage and car-parts stores, that run off a 12v battery, or that can be plugged into the mains. However, although fairly cheap to purchase, these tend to not be of any use for balloons, as they don't produce enough pressure to inflate even an average-sized 11"/12" balloon, without a real struggle. They also tend to be used by tattoo artists and/or professional art artists who do spray painting. Try doing a 14" balloon, or bigger, and you'll get absolutely nowhere fast with these! So I wouldn't recommend them!

                        2) Professional air-compressors, that are sold for use in outdoor environments, and some larger car-parts stores. These tend to be very expensive, often £300 or more (about $350 US or more), and can be refilled or repressurised, which is the noisy part. These will run off the mains electrical, but they're big, bulky, heavy, and noisy - which renders them prohibitively out of the range for most looners. Unless you can get one cheaply, it's not a good choice for the average looner, even if you do live on your own, as they're loud, and neighbours will notice the noise!

                        3) A pressurised cylinder of air/oxygen. These tend to be hireable only, rather than purchasable, and come with a small, rubber nozzle, that can be used to fill the balloons up with (just like you would, when filling a balloon from a helium cylinder). However, these are again, very expensive to hire; you often have to leave a cash deposit or set-up an account, plus you can only usually borrow the cylinders for 28 days, or you start incurring extra fees. You'll also need transport to ferry the cylinders from the hire place to where you live, as these things are big, and very heavy (often 25-50 kilograms in weight)! Unless you are in the medical industry, or have lots of money, this is the most expensive option. However, it is an option, should you really need it, and if you're desperate.

                        You'd ultimately be far better-off getting a Zibi balloon pump, or something similar, purposely designed by balloon engineers, for inflating all sizes of balloons. They'll be cheaper, better, quieter, and more reliable. Plus, you'll own the thing outright, and if you don't like it, you can always sell it on afterwards, if you upgrade or get something bigger, better, or whatever!

                        Comment

                        • snh61
                          Member
                          • Sep 2017
                          • 93

                          #13
                          Re: Hand pump

                          You better not play with oxygen cylinder. I mean, seriously. You even confuse pressure with flow. Be safe guys!

                          And regarding a hand pump, use a branded pump for exercise balls. For example the ones from Domyos (Decathlon) are very reliable, push air on both strokes (in and out) and hold air tight when not pumping. (Absolutely zero leaking air when not pumping). Which is good. I have come so far through two of these... one lasts me for ... a couple years lets say.

                          Also, some quality pumps could be get for inflatable boats and kayaks (even SUPs) - those that you stand on the floor. Some of these are designed for quite some pressure, also good if you are into overinflating some tougher inflatables.

                          Absolutely forget about any (absolutely ANY!) pumps from the "obvious" brands like Intex or Bestway. They are utter single use junk! Those hand-cranked even those electric ones.
                          Not a single Intex pump had lasted past a couple of mattress inflations. JUNK!
                          Last edited by snh61; 04-02-2019, 18:03.

                          Comment

                          • someloonerguy
                            Member
                            • Aug 2016
                            • 52

                            #14
                            Re: Hand pump

                            "this gets warm very quickly, and then starts pumping hot air into the balloons you inflate. (I don't know if that's good, bad or otherwise!)"

                            This *can* be a good thing. Heat causes balloons to become stretchier.

                            Comment

                            • BalloonBoyUK
                              Banned
                              • Dec 2018
                              • 500

                              #15
                              Re: Hand pump

                              Originally posted by snh61
                              You better not play with oxygen cylinder.
                              Just to clarify, I'm NOT talking about pure oxygen cylinders used in health care places and hospitals, for people to breathe for health reasons.

                              I'm talking about cylinders of compressed air, which are sometimes labelled as oxygen, that you get from the same suppliers as people who stock helium, balloon gas, CO2, and other similar gases, that are used safely-and-securely by industry, but which members of the public can also hire/purchase.

                              They use the same nozzles/valves that a helium tank would use, and are perfectly safe to use for filling balloons with, rather than using a hand/electric pump, or blowing them all up by mouth.

                              Apologies if that wasn't clear.

                              Comment

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