Inflating Balloons?

by Cindy
(Houston TX)

Can you inflate balloons with a general type compressor or do you have to use a balloon air compressor? Does the air from one or the other affect the balloons different?

Can You Inflate Balloons With a General Purpose Air Compressor?

Answer: Yes, you can inflate balloons with a regular air compressor, but a balloon air inflator is generally the better choice.

Here's why:

Regular air compressors are powerful machines designed for heavy-duty tasks. They can deliver too much air pressure very quickly, which can easily overinflate and burst balloons.

In addition, as one reader pointed out in the comments, air compressors are quite loud, which you don't really want when inflating a large number of balloons, especially at an event venue.

Electric balloon inflators are specifically designed for balloons. They provide a gentler flow of air and often have adjustable settings or automatic shut-off features to prevent over inflation.

As for the air itself, there's no difference between what a compressor and an inflator use.

Both machines take in regular air from the environment and compress it. The key difference lies in the control and delivery of that air.

You may also be interested in the answer to a similar question about using an air mattress inflator for balloons.