CO2 What might I be doing wrong

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mangid

mangid

Guru
Location
Cambridge
I've used CO2 successfully a couple of times, but this morning I had a terrible time. Wet, flint, psst, new tube in, tyre seated well, inflate, all looking good, although noticeable ice on outside of tyre at valve and a slight bulge, got the wheel back on, and then psstt..... The tyre was noticeable hard around the valve, almost as if there was ice inside the tube. Wheel off, new tube on, careful not to pinch anything, used last CO2 really carefully, jsut a bit, make sure everything is seated well, tube not pinched by tyre, bit more, check, then inflate in several steps, keeping an eye around valve for ice. Finish inflating, and hear hisss.... Arrghh, so, repaired the first tube, pumped it up with the pump and set on my way, wondering why I though CO2 was ever a good idea :-( ?

What might I be doing wrong. I do inflate the tube by mouth so i can get it on the rim, could it be air from the lungs is too moist and freezes ? Am I taking too long inflating the tube ?

Hints and tips welcome. When it works it's great, but phaffing around in the rain this morning did make me wonder (and I've just bought 30 canisters ...)
 
U

User6179

Guest
You sure your not using nitrogen ^_^, didn't think C02 freezes .
 
U

User6179

Guest
fossala said:
The canisters got extremely cold when I used them. Enough to burn I would think!
Click to expand...

Your maybe right , I once got sprayed in the stomach with a fire extinguisher for a prank by a work mate and it burnt me but I always thought it was nitrogen ,might of been C02.
 
the_mikey

the_mikey

Legendary Member
Location
South Gloucestershire
CO² when released from its high pressure container is changing from a liquid state to gas, this absorbs energy from its surroundings, making it cold. This can also produce a little bit of dry ice, but not in significant quantities from a bicycle tube sized canister.
 
U

User6179

Guest
Could Op turn down pressure on the inflator then to stop it freezing !?
 
Flying Dodo

Flying Dodo

It'll soon be summer
Location
The sunniest place along the south coast
mangid said:
I've used CO2 successfully a couple of times, but this morning I had a terrible time. Wet, flint, psst, new tube in, tyre seated well, inflate, all looking good, although noticeable ice on outside of tyre at valve and a slight bulge, got the wheel back on, and then psstt..... The tyre was noticeable hard around the valve, almost as if there was ice inside the tube. Wheel off, new tube on, careful not to pinch anything, used last CO2 really carefully, jsut a bit, make sure everything is seated well, tube not pinched by tyre, bit more, check, then inflate in several steps, keeping an eye around valve for ice. Finish inflating, and hear hisss.... Arrghh, so, repaired the first tube, pumped it up with the pump and set on my way, wondering why I though CO2 was ever a good idea :-( ?

What might I be doing wrong. I do inflate the tube by mouth so i can get it on the rim, could it be air from the lungs is too moist and freezes ? Am I taking too long inflating the tube ?

Hints and tips welcome. When it works it's great, but phaffing around in the rain this morning did make me wonder (and I've just bought 30 canisters ...)
Click to expand...

Not sure why everyone is fixating on things freezing. Surely the problem is that there's still something in the tyre causing a puncture. With the pump you're not putting so much pressure into the inner tube, so it's not (yet) being punctured, When you used CO2 it was possibly being forced into whatever is sticking out very slightly on the inside of the tyre?
 
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