will co2 harm human being

[plant talk]

Hi,
I was wondering if a there are leakage(touch wood)in a co2tank or regulator,will the co2gas be harmful to human being?[:]

[Allen_1971]

I'm no expert, but a small CO2 leak is unlikely to be harmful.

[loupgarou]

only if you're in a room with no ventilation.and the co2 displaces all the o2 so that you end up trapped in a field of co2 (co2 heavier than o2, that's why fire extinguishers work).

and you happen to be lying down.

[M0rph3us]

lol plant talk.. my dad also had the same worries when i got my co2 tank []

[Allen_1971]

actually the biggest worry with CO2 tanks is not if they have a small leak... but rather a sudden rupture in the tank. A sudden rupture can cause your tank to litually rocket about causing lots of damage and maybe physical harm.

[plant talk]

Hi Allen,

sudden rupture mean all the co2 came out in 1 shot when the regulator give way?

[Allen_1971]

No sudden rupture is not when your guage gives way... all that means is that your CO2 tank will dump all the CO2 into the fish tank. What I mean is for example if the main valve snaps (the one on your CO2 tank itself) off or breaks... Its rarely happens but can be catastrophic when it does.

[plant talk]

Hi Allen,

Does it mean that once all the co2 is damped into the fishtank and slowly all the co2 in the fishtank will release into the room?

[Allen_1971]

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On 12/26/2002 4:45:32 PM

Hi Allen,

Does it mean that once all the co2 is damped into the fishtank and slowly all the co2 in the fishtank will release into the room?
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If your CO2 dumps everything into your tank, what isn't dissolved will go into the room. But as someone above said, the risk is low unless your room is poorly ventilated...

The risk of CO2 is only present should your tank rupture.

[CK Yeo]

you should worry more about people using dry ice for the smoke effect in wedding banquets. Or, having too many friends over and worry that they use up all the oxygen in your house.
For the amount that we use, it is really harmless unless your home is air-tight. Dun be paranoid.

What you should be worried about is the integrity of the cylinder. It contains pressurised CO2, not unlike the LPG used for cooking. Though CO2 is not flamable, but any fractures in the cylinder = explosion. Careful with the main valve also. Knock that off and it is "one missile away!" Dun play play. Dun underestimate the dangers/risks of having a pressurised gas cylinder at home.

ck

[timebomb]

Nothing to worry about. I was once in a car with my good friend Edward when a fully-filled CO2 gas tank we were carrying in the back seat of the car decided to discharge all its gas within a few seconds. There was a sound like a gunshot and the whole car was filled with white smoke so thick we couldn't see a thing in front of our eyes. Fortunately for the both of us, Edward who was driving is a pretty cool dude. He kept his hand steady on the steering wheel inspite of the fact that he couldn't see where the car was heading. And we were travelling at quite a high speed on the right lane in the CTE tunnel.

After Edward opened his door slightly, the gas cleared and we could see and breathe again. I tried to but couldn't wind down his windows because the car was a 20 year old boneshaker of a Volvo. The windows were jammed.

I'm still alive so getting choked with CO2 really won't do you any harm. Just remember to hold your breath when it happens []

Loh K L

[bclee]

One danger is when a cylinder topple. 2 things can happen:

1. The regulator breaks and the cylinder propel itself out your window. Have read on APD about cylinder propelling itself through walls. 900+psi is not exactly low pressure.

2. The cylinder lying on its side discharging liq. CO2 into your tank.

SO make sure your cylinder don't topple over easily.

BC

[plant talk]

Hi,

If the air tube is more than 10m long becos the co2 tanks is left in the kitchen but the fishtank is setup in the living room.Will this cause some resistance to build up in the regulator or solenoid and somehow damage it.

[DEA]

i've never heard of any such problems
what i've heard of is excessive co2 loss due to diffusion through the long tubing

[theodore]

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On 12/26/2002 10:44:17 AM

only if you're in a room with no ventilation.and the co2 displaces all the o2 so that you end up trapped in a field of co2 (co2 heavier than o2, that's why fire extinguishers work).

and you happen to be lying down.

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So does it mean it can get dangerous if my tank (n hence my CO2 cylinder) happens to be in my bedroom and that ventilation is poor (i'm just using a fan)?

I'm using DIY at the moment and is thinking of switching to cylinder until i read this post ... now i'm having 2nd thoughts ...

[vinz]

Very unlikely. What lougarou meant is that CO2 sinks and if happened to be lying on the floor and there is enough CO2 to form a layer so high it covers your nose. Oh, and also there's no air movement to stir the CO2 up.

A CO2 leak is usually quite slow, so it's unlikely that much CO2 can settle on the floor for that long. The CO2 will disperse long before it can do that, unless your room is airtight.

Your fan will also circulate the air in your room, so no worries of a deadly layer of CO2. Besides, I think it's light enough that simply having a person walking around the room will disperse it all over the place.

[pipsqueak]

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[/quote]

So does it mean it can get dangerous if my tank (n hence my CO2 cylinder) happens to be in my bedroom and that ventilation is poor (i'm just using a fan)?

I'm using DIY at the moment and is thinking of switching to cylinder until i read this post ... now i'm having 2nd thoughts ...
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[/quote]


Like what the others has said, The risk of co2 being harmful is very very low, so as long as it is stable, and there isn't any heat near the pressurised tank.
I have already irresponsibly placed my co2 tank just next to my tank on the floor, which is carpeted thus it is not absolutely stable, and there's a 2 year old kid on the loose. Thank goodness i have thought her not to touch the tank and not to knock on the tank!
No one should really have any problems, and without a good co2 system, you wouldn't be able to enjoy ur planted tank!