Noticed a slow leak when packing up, pumped my struts up as hard as I ever have when i went out still hard after half hour later when I went in so slow leak, (quick sesh with my first ever self launch yeeha) It a 06 m80 liquid force. the leak is where the plug goes in the valve hole ( they are linked up to each other)
any way I was thinking of putting some silcone gel in the hole and plugging it back up again?
Assuming the plug is plastic... get a mug of hot (not boiling) water and dangle the plastic plug in it for a few mins. Then get something round like a pen etc. that will jam into the hole in the centre of the plug to expand it a little bit while its warm. Let it cool down and it should be right to go.
Hopefully that'll stop it or it's a U-Stick valve.
Does it have a black cone to keep the connector tight? If not, you can use a cable tie. If you are in Brisbane, drop it to us and we will help you fix it.
Had a valve leak myself a few weeks ago, thought about repairing it myself, but the kit is $20 or so, and God knows how long it would have taken - SOS did it for me quick shapr for about $40. Money well spent.
Sounds like the same thing that was happening to my leading edge deflate valve. Tried the hot water and pen thing but it only seemed to last a couple of days (perhaps I didn't choose a wide enough diameter pen?) I ended up wrapping a rubber band a few times around the female part and haven't had a problem with it in 3 weeks. I guess a cable tie would be a more permanent solution.
^^ not yet gruezi !! Few more dollars to save, a kite for me and one for me bro (cos there is no way i am gonna palm this sucker to him to learn on)........ and a barby it is, its a shame though, it pulls a fair bit even when the bar is out, A local lad my way calls it Grunty... I certainly need to take care as I learn the ropes.
cant wait for a new kite! maybe you could send me yours gruezi?? lol
Might need to check the valve to bladder seal as well.
I had a really similar thing about 2 weeks ago, with a long slow leak on the deflate valve. Tried a whole bunch of options on the plug (naturally assuming it was that), till finally one of the good blokes from KP sorted me out and pointed me in the right direction.
New valve, bout $20-25, surprisingly easy to replace yourself at home, and off you go again.
May even be worth it anyway in your instance.. i know i'd feel much more confident with a new valve than a bunch of cable ties, elastic bands, plumbers tape and a few other things holding my kite together.
There's another extensive thread on SB on this topic if you search.
For only one valve, the U-Stick-It replacements work great. If you have multiple valves that need replacing, I've found the best solution is to go to a dive shop (kiteshops also sometimes have it too) and buy a tube of AquaSeal wetsuit repair glue (about $15) and put the valve back on (after cleaning the area with metho and a quick wipe of acetone), then using a 2.5kg barbell weight to hold the valve down while the glue is drying. (just make sure you don't get any glue on the other side of the bladder or you're stuffed!
