1 posts
Hi, my air inlet nozzle plug thing has a wee little leak through the wee little plug/valve seal mechanism... any tips for improving the seal... is there some sort of goo that could do the job?
TAS
824 posts
After attending the kite repair night @ AKS I might know this one!!
Assuming you mean it's on the 'nipple' sticking out of the bladder??
The first thing we were told is don't use glue of any sort, it's a bugger to get off later!!
Rather than repairing the valve you will probably need to replace it totally and without seeing someone do it you're are going to struggle to do it yourself.
Drop it into your locaal kiteshop, shouldn't be more than a $100 (at a guess)
NSW
540 posts
You can bye stick on nipples from the kite shops around 25$ you might be able to fix it through the zipper hole without having to take the whole bladder out they are very easy to do,just ask the guys at the shops they should be helpful ,I am a noob and fixed a strut bladder this way but you have to take the bladder right out for a strut . took me less than an hour an it was all good and still is . youtube has some good step by step fixes too.
NSW
42 posts
If it's leaking out of the plug that fits into the valve, then try a bit of plumbers tape.
Just wrap a bit of the plumbers tape (that white or pink stuff) around the plug to make it sightly wider in diameter. Worked great for me in the past.
Remember to keep the roll of plumbers tape in your bag, because when you release the valve it sometimes gets air-blasted off.
WA
469 posts
If its leaking around the plug, it may just be that its 'memorised' the nipple.
Take the plug out and dunk it for 5 minutes in a strategically placed mug of boiling water.
This should 'reset' the plastic plug.
Remember remove both plugs when packing down to prevent this happening.
otherwise, remove enough of the bladder to allow you to dunk the entire valve in a cup of boiling water for 1 minute, carefully peel off, clean,wait 30 minutes until it dries and use a replacement stick on bladder($20-$25).
QLD
1293 posts
toddws was the closest.
This method works best.
As he said remove the plug and put it in boiling water.
However we make it a touch larger by pushing a small wedge or pen lid into the plug and allow the plug to cool with the wedge in it. This will expand the plug and allow it to seal nicely on an old stretched valve.
Jas
NSW
4382 posts
Also don't leave the plug in the valve when you pack it up. Some kites have a dump valve at one end of the kite and people tend to just leave the inlet valve inserted in between sessions and thats the No 1 reason this issue happens in the first place.
Try taking the kite to a kite shop that carries plenty of spare parts and ask them if they have spare valve caps, some caps are bigger than others. Making the cap bigger can work just dont make it too big and split it. BUT if you continue to leave the valve cap in the kite, in between sessions the problem will return and then be much harder to fix.
A small cable tie tighten slightly while the valve cap is not in the valve works very effectively.
Putting boiling water on the valve itself can make the whole valve come away from the bladder try that method last.
WA
925 posts
Hey mwillis,
Some good info above. Almost EVERY kiter I know leaves the inflate plug in when they deflate the kite after a session. WIth the plug in the neck of the valve 99.9% of the time when the kite is in the sun, in a hot car etc etc, the plastic neck of the valve developes a memory and stretches. When placed under pressure ie, when pumped up, the pressure will often push past the plug and develop a slow leak.
SOLUTION: Remove both inflate and deflate plugs from the leading edge at any time the kite is not being used.
VERY HOT water in a cup or mug can be used to reset the memory of the plastic. Simply insert ONLY the neck of the valve up to where the plug inserts into the hot water and hold it in there for a couple of minutes. Be VERY careful not to wet the flange of the valve where it attaches to the kite as this will cause the valve to lift off the bladder.
Remove the valve from the water and allow it to cool naturally. It should return to it's original size and shape and become a snug fit again. This whole process should take only 5 mins from go to whoa and doesn't require the bladder to be removed from the leading edge.
As Steve said, a replacement plug can also help as some are smooth and more prone to leakage than the ones we have, which have an increased diameter raised ridge.
If worse comes to worst and you can't fix it, then drop into your local fave shop and they should be able to replace the whole valve for around $30 depending on if the bladder needs to be removed entirely or not, usually not.
Cable ties and using a wedge to open up the plug diameter can work and are a great option if at the beach with no better solution. It is MHO that it's better to fix the root of the problem than applying band aid fixes and fix it properly before you get to the beach.
Cheers,
DM
NSW
1716 posts
If it's one of the Cabrinha screw in plugs, like on the SB3s, that have a rubber washer, sometimes sand gets under the washer and causes a slow leak. Remove the washer, clean it of sand and debri then reattach it. This is a very common problem and easily solved.
