got the fright of my life today

[marchmaxima]

I was driving home from swapping over my co2 cylinder for a new full one. I stopped at a roundabout, waiting for the traffic to clear so I could go.

.......and as I'm waiting *BANG*. It was the loudest sound I have ever heard... The cylinder popped and depressurised gas sprewed into the car's cabin. I could feel the change in the air immediately.

Got myself and the cylinder out of the car and put it on the footpath. By now a queue of cars were behind me so I got the car out of the way. Cylinder stops expelling gas.

I drove home and (slightly embarrased to admit it now) burst into tears. I was so shaken up that Hubby had to drive us both back to the shop to show them the cylinder and tell them what had happened.

He said he'd never heard of that hapeening. He guessed the valve must have been faulty. the guy gave me a new cylinder and a credit for the next one.

Got home and poured myself a whiskey.

Seriously, the things I go through for this hobby.

 

[CaptainAhab]

Got home and poured myself a whiskey.

Now THAT's my kinda girl !

Glad no one was hurt... and welcome back, not sure I've noticed you online since your trip to the states (or the post after you got back)

 

[FishEggs]

yikes. lucky you werent killed and i hope nothing was damaged.
Nothing to be embarrassed about. you had it together long enough to be safe and get home. a lot of ppl would have just broke down on the side of the road. dont they go through testing to make sure the valves arent faulty?

 

[mfdrookie516]

is this the same cylinder you have had hooked up and having problems with? wonder if that explains the issue with your co2 emptying too fast? glad you werent hurt or actually driving when that happend

 

[Blueiz]

Really glad you werent hurt. Nothing at all to be embarassed about.

A note on Co2 saftey, I use to work where we euthanized animals wth this gas. It would take upwards of 30 minutes for the gas to fill your car and the cylinder that your have (you didn't mention the size) probably is enough to just make you dizzy and nauseous. The gas is usuallly very cold when it comes out at high speeds and is heavier than o2. You are very lucky that the cylinder didn't project itself through your car and injur you or break a window. If the shop didn't do it already, have your cylinder pressure tested and certified, and after they refill the cylinder for you, ask them if they checked everything. If it was only the valve, the shop is liable for faulty service, they are supposed to check these things when they fill them.

Congrats on getting a new cylinder and free refill on it

 

[newfound77951]

Wow, I would have been just as shaken up....glad everything worked out ok...maybe make hubby go get the next one??

 

[JustOneMore20]

Man....I would have been scared too! The place I exchange my co2 cylinders at has signs up saying they won't load full tanks in an enclosed car. I drive a car and while my dad has a truck, he isn't home when I need my cylinder refilled. So usually, they do load it into my trunk after I sign my life away in a waiver. They give me a speech every time I go about it being dangerous...and while I know they have to and that it is dangerous, I hate hearing the same speech every time!

Glad you are ok!

 

[jim692]

Glad your ok.

 

[Colt17]

Wow, glad to hear no one was hurt. I'm sure you will be a little timid towards any tank from now on. I guess you can look at it like what are the odds of that happening twice to the same person.

 

[fort384]

Maybe this explains the co2 problems! Glad u are ok. You have really been thru the ringer on what should be an easy addition to your planted tank!

 

[marchmaxima]

Cap'n, that Whiskey went down very well. I've been around although a bit quieter in the last few months. Work kept me busy with a big IT project and Uni on top of that. Just finished my last exam so now looking forward to finding where I stashed my personal life, rejoining society and enjoying the summer.

mfdrookie, it's not the same cylinder. I've got a "swap n go" arrangement so each time I take back an empty one, they swap it for a new full one. The empty cylinders then get sent back to their suppliers for testing and refilling. The Beer Brew Barn is just the distributor.

The cylinder itself came from a company called "Keg King". They are responsiblefor the testing, maintenance and certification. I'll definitely be calling them today.

Matt, this is my third cylinder. My first two got emptied within in 4-5 days becuase I couldn't find where a leak was occuring. As it happens, I think I might have found the problem on this third guy. I hooked it up last night and after 30mins of soaping and observing, I can't find a leak. I weighed the bottle yesterday 9.9kg. When I weighed it this morning it was 10.3kg. So for the first time since I bought all this equipment, I appear not to be leaking gas.

The guy from The Beer Brew Barn where I get my cylinders from, said it was really bizzare. He drives around CO2 cylinders every day when delivering and picking up keg systems for hire. Our safety laws for such items like this are about as tough as they come. But I guess its always a possibility one can get through either untested or pass testing when it shouldn't. I think what happened to me is an extremely rare case.

Blueiz, I was definitely dizzy and nauseous but I dont think it was due to the gas itself. I got out of the car too quickly. The Whiskey helped the shock

 

[marchmaxima]

Response from Keg King for anyone whose interested

----
The part on the cylinder that you heard explode was the burst disk. The burst dist is a thin piece of metal that will burst if the pressure in the cylinder gets too high. The burst disk is essentially a safety mechanism to prevent a more fatal explosion and in this particular instance the burst dist has done exactly what it is supposed to do, burst.

If the burst disk blows like it did in your car, it is most likely due to the fact that the cylinder is getting too hot so the burst disk on the cylinder blows to prevent the pressure in the cylinder getting any higher. When the burst disk blows the pressure in the cylinder is released in a controlled manner over about 30 seconds.

It is important to remember that CO2 is also classed as a “Dangerous Good – Grade 2” and should at any time be transported in the cabin space of a car. The force of the bursk disk blowing is not harmful itself, but the build up of CO2 in the confined environment of the cabin space of a car is dangerous. For this reason when transporting CO2 you should always transport the CO2 in the boot of your vehicle to minimize risk or on the outside of the car if you have a ute. This is also the reason that in says on the label “do not leave in closed vehicle”.

I am sorry for the experience you have had. It sounds like you got quite a fright when the burst disk exploded. In this instance it is lucky that it did because it may have prevented a more fatal explosion if the cylinder got any hotter.

If you would like to know any more information about cylinders or proper safety management please refer to our website www.kegking.com.au and read the Material Safety Data Sheet.

Regards,


Kee Döéry
Proprietor
Keg King – Keg Dispense Specialists

 

[austinsdad]

After hearing their explanation and what could've happened, I'd have another wiskey....or two.

So happy you're OK. Not your turn yet.

 

[FishEggs]

how hot was it there?

 

[marchmaxima]

Not hot at all.

I had the air con turned up all the way home. maybe 23-24 (75 F) degrees in the car. Well within the 50 degree c (122F) limit as per their material data safety sheet.

They also said it was possible it was overfilled which would also burst the disk, but they also said it should have burst well before I got it.