Have you got a pump gauge? I use it religiously to be sure I put enough pressure in there somewhere between 4 to 6psi, depending on kite. Also do a quick wing fold test to see if it needs more pressure. You should hardly be able to bend the wing tips, say 1 metre in from the tip.
if it's still doing it, then pump it up to 5psi, grab a hand spray bottle with soapy water, and water down all the bladders to test for leaks. You could be losing air without knowing it.

Thanks for replay.it makes sense I will look for leaks.
I am sure kite was pumped correctly at the start of session, my wife was using it so it needed to be hard

Just a note on the potential leak thingy. You can get a slow leak if there is sand under the inlet/outlet valve. Make sure the connection is clear of sand before each session. Pump it up hard and check the pressure after a session too.

ThomasU said...
Thanks for replay.it makes sense I will look for leaks.
I am sure kite was pumped correctly at the start of session, my wife was using it so it needed to be hard

You did the right thing....making sure its really hard before the wife uses it.....

Loftywinds said..
Have you got a pump gauge? I use it religiously to be sure I put enough pressure in there somewhere between 4 to 6psi, depending on kite. Also do a quick wing fold test to see if it needs more pressure. You should hardly be able to bend the wing tips, say 1 metre in from the tip.
if it's still doing it, then pump it up to 5psi, grab a hand spray bottle with soapy water, and water down all the bladders to test for leaks. You could be losing air without knowing it.

with your wing fold tip there lofty its important to actually try fold the leading edge or wingtip? not a set 1m out but in the middle of a panel. its very easy to fold a kite on the seam so just ensure its anywhere in center of a panel *no stiching

also pump gauges are very often the cause of kites exploding. they dont take into consideration ANY environmental factors, from it being an unseasonably hot day and the sand is close to molten *there for you want a little less air in your bladder then normal because it expands rapidly when set on hot sand....
also the gauge has no idea if your trying a new trick today and want it to be a little less firm because your about to smash this thing in the water 1000 times.

thomas U there could be a ****load of things wrong with your kite. you need to tell us the model make year size control bar configuration all sorts of factors

my guess is you have ****ty rubber in out valve so when you crash the pressure pushes the rubber out slightly it looses a chunk of air then reseats itself but how **** can i really know with no information to go on.

Another thing people don't realise, and especially with older kites, is the bladder could be slightly twisted, actually deforming the shape of the leading edge.

Before pumping the kite, make sure the leading edge is lying as flat as possible without any bends or twists. I've seen guys pump up with the kite wing tips rolled up and you see slowly the kite unroll, but that is a risk in damaging and creating a leak on your bladder, especially if it unrolls with a twist inside.

loftywinds2 said..
Another thing people don't realise, and especially with older kites, is the bladder could be slightly twisted, actually deforming the shape of the leading edge.

Before pumping the kite, make sure the leading edge is lying as flat as possible without any bends or twists. I've seen guys pump up with the kite wing tips rolled up and you see slowly the kite unroll, but that is a risk in damaging and creating a leak on your bladder, especially if it unrolls with a twist inside.

hay i do that! cheers for tip :D

Kozzie said..

FlyByKite said..

loftywinds2 said..
Another thing people don't realise, and especially with older kites, is the bladder could be slightly twisted, actually deforming the shape of the leading edge.

Before pumping the kite, make sure the leading edge is lying as flat as possible without any bends or twists. I've seen guys pump up with the kite wing tips rolled up and you see slowly the kite unroll, but that is a risk in damaging and creating a leak on your bladder, especially if it unrolls with a twist inside.

If all the valves are still poking out of the LE, can ANYONE tell me how the bladder can be twisted? Unless the valve has separated from the bladder itself, I don't see how a twist can happen.

some kites leading edges are just held in place by an elastic band sewn into the wingtip. you fold your bladder into this but its still able to free spin somewhat. possible but pretty unlikely.

Thanks Kozzie - I can understand it twisting when you are re-inserting a new or repaired bladder. But once in correctly, I can't see it happening - I don't tuck the ends into the elastic. I just invert the end and let it fill the space it needs to, like you do with the strut top ends. Never had a problem losing the end which is what the elastic is supposed to do.

Chris_M said..
You should be able to see if it's twisted, your leading edge will have a big dent in it.

Yes and no. I don't mean obvious twists where some section of the LE is bunched up. That usually happens when the bladder has not been put in right. I am referring to slight twists between valves and wing tips, especially with kites that don't have the common 5 struts. Cloud kites are renowned for this.
but it is rare, but not impossible to see suddenly one side of the kite bending less than the other.
that's why always use talcom powder before inserting the bladder.
oh and here's a tip, thankfully to the 5 time expansions of most LE bladders: you don't have to have the same exact size bladder or even the valves aligning perfectly with the original valves. It helps of course, but I've managed to put in 13m bladders inside 11m kites where the valves are give or take 10cm off alignment. No problems!
the real issue is using bladders that are too small. If the tips of a bladder do not have overlap, you risk popping the bladder as it still has room to expand, and probably too much room.
better to use a larger bladder than a smaller one.
there! Gave my business trade secret away!