Nitrous bottle exploded. Why?
Nitrous bottle exploded. Why? Hello yall. I went to a shop that refills nitrous. They were almost closing when i arrived. I had my bottle with me ready to get refilled. The guy told me he had a bottle already filled with nitrous ready to go. And he told me that he needed to leave soon. So he suggested that i take his bottle that was already filled and leave my bottle there and pick it up next week. He gave me the bottle that was filled and tried to top it off somore with more nitrous. I put the bottle in my car. I did not open the valve i just hooked up the line and was gona open the valve as soon as i got to the track. Went home to pick up my slicks and my buddy. On the highway driving on the far left lane I hear a BOOM and the load of nitrous was spraying all inside my car causing me to become very dizzy i imediatly rolled down the windows and pulled over to the side I couldnt see ****. The bottle was completely empty. You think the psi was too high in the bottle which caused the three holes on the safety valve to explode all the nitrous out. Did this happen to anybody before? Im glad i managed to pull over quickly. I also had a lit cigarette at the time of the explosion. I was gona take my little nephew with me. If he was to be in the back seat at the time of this accident it would have been really messed up because he would have been sitting directly near the bottle were he could of inhaled all the fumes. Does anybody know what went wrong? Some information would be appreciated Thanks.
didn't explode, just blew the safety valve.
Too high pressure or heat will cause them to blow.
Sometimes you get a defective valve that blows too early. They are rated for different levels.
It's rare that it happens, but it's why the track requires a blow-down tube to vent the N2O outside the car.
Too high pressure or heat will cause them to blow.
Sometimes you get a defective valve that blows too early. They are rated for different levels.
It's rare that it happens, but it's why the track requires a blow-down tube to vent the N2O outside the car.
wow ive seen pics of i guess one that did not have a safety valve... i think it was a test where they purposely blew the thing up to see what kind of damage it could cause inside a junker car... you wouldn't want to be in that car with a bottle with no safety valve thing.. thats why i got the tnt kit that came iwth the blow down tube, and i always still watch the pressure.. hopefully tho the shop guy wont blame you since it was his f'd up bottle, and he suggested it! hopefully it didn't like ruin his bottle and he'll still give urs back.. glad to hear your alright.
That must have scared the hel out of you. 
Nitrous is non flammable, so you didnt have to worry about the cigarette.
Yea a blow down tube connected properly and you wouldnt have had that big of a scare. Sounds like he over filled it and caused the pressure to get to high.
Nitrous is non flammable, so you didnt have to worry about the cigarette. Yea a blow down tube connected properly and you wouldnt have had that big of a scare. Sounds like he over filled it and caused the pressure to get to high.
Launching!
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 275
Likes: 0
From: miami
that happened to me before, i got a good fill, didnt use it right away, went home, the next day i hear my car alarm going off, i open the door to a car full of nitrous, the sun heated my bottle enough to over pressurize 
no big deal, the burst disc is a cheap part to replace. whenever you get a good fill like that make sure to use a little bit right away.
no big deal, the burst disc is a cheap part to replace. whenever you get a good fill like that make sure to use a little bit right away.
Good post! This is a good opportunity to bring this to light. I have been working with compressed gases of one type or another for 18 years. You should have a blow off installed on all bottle...and you should be aware that it will go off over a certain psi. Usually 3000 psi. But the blow of discs are not an exact science...a 3000 rupture disc could go off at 3000...or it could be 2700...especially if its old. So keep in mind when handling a fully service bottle that its possible to go off at any time. Keep that in mind when you place it in your car...even just for transport.
Also this is another great reason why you really only need to put 10 lbs of nitrous in a 10 lb bottle. Its possible to pack quite a bit more into a 10 lb bottle than just 10 lbs. But what happens when the over serviced bottle returns to ambiant temps and its a hot day??? Pressure sky rockets.
So...never pack more into a bottle than its rated for...and treat it like a loaded gun when full, and use a blowdown tube.
Also this is another great reason why you really only need to put 10 lbs of nitrous in a 10 lb bottle. Its possible to pack quite a bit more into a 10 lb bottle than just 10 lbs. But what happens when the over serviced bottle returns to ambiant temps and its a hot day??? Pressure sky rockets.
So...never pack more into a bottle than its rated for...and treat it like a loaded gun when full, and use a blowdown tube.
Trending Topics
Staging Lane
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 78
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by LS1FIRE
he load of nitrous was spraying all inside my car causing me to become very dizzy i imediatly rolled down the windows and pulled over to the side I couldnt see ****.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
TECH Junkie
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,242
Likes: 0
From: Lakeland, FL
all nitrous is the same, the medical grade stuff does not have the sulpher in it to make you sick, the auto stuff they put that in there since everybody can get it and they don't want a bunch of stoners driving, not as if that doesn't happen anyways.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 6,157
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Originally Posted by Mike K.
all nitrous is the same, the medical grade stuff does not have the sulpher in it to make you sick, the auto stuff they put that in there since everybody can get it and they don't want a bunch of stoners driving, not as if that doesn't happen anyways.
Medical stuff has additives in it and its also thinned out so you dont hurt your lungs. Its the same thing with pure oxygen. You cant inhale that in a pure form because it will eat holes in your lungs.
I have been in my freinds car when the bottle was not hooked up, we had just gotten it refilled and on our way home. We turned a curve and the bottle slid just right so that the bottle opened and the car was filled up with gas. Nothing happened, I wasnt laughing uncontrollably and I didnt feel light headed. Might have been your imagination
Might of been my imagination. I was holding my breath at the time. The sudden blow of the full bottle of nitrous bursting out of the bottle really made me paranoid which probaly caused me to think and imagin all kinds of ****. Who makes a good blow down tube kit that will work for a nx bottle? Anyone have pics with the blowdowntube installed?
Thanks everyone for the replys
Thanks everyone for the replys
Last edited by LS1FIRE; Mar 14, 2005 at 01:57 AM.
Closed ex-Sponsor Account
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,797
Likes: 0
From: Wichita Falls, TX
This is a perfect example of why a NHRA blow is needed. If the disc blows then you will empty to nitrous outside the passenger compartment. If someone would have been beside the bottle they would have most definitlay gotten freezer burn dadly... The blow more than likely blew because the bottle was over filled and got some temp into it. See Like 383LQ4SS explaind if you over fill your bottle, the bottle loozes its expansion area. and since liquid does not compress it can blow the disc at a lower pressure.
Ricky
Ricky
I remember one night trying to roll a fairly new AMC pacer over on the side of a railroad embankment* with a few people in the car. It was either the open nitrous bottle in the car (way before they added sulfer) or the beer that made us do it LOL.
*Dont try this at home, this stunt was attempted by professional alchoholics.
*Dont try this at home, this stunt was attempted by professional alchoholics.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
that happened to me before, i got a good fill, didnt use it right away, went home, the next day i hear my car alarm going off, i open the door to a car full of nitrous, the sun heated my bottle enough to over pressurize
no big deal, the burst disc is a cheap part to replace. whenever you get a good fill like that make sure to use a little bit right away.
no big deal, the burst disc is a cheap part to replace. whenever you get a good fill like that make sure to use a little bit right away.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
that happened to me before, i got a good fill, didnt use it right away, went home, the next day i hear my car alarm going off, i open the door to a car full of nitrous, the sun heated my bottle enough to over pressurize
no big deal, the burst disc is a cheap part to replace. whenever you get a good fill like that make sure to use a little bit right away.
no big deal, the burst disc is a cheap part to replace. whenever you get a good fill like that make sure to use a little bit right away.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
If I have a properly filled bottle of nitrous how hot does it have to be in my car for the bottle to explode. I know the whole bottle doesn't explode, but the saftey explode and nitrous come out.
I live in the desert and am very concerned about this.
I live in the desert and am very concerned about this.
