Yep......just wrap a couple of turns of tap/plumbing teflon thread tape around the male bit (work it out.....), bung it in and leave it and just use the blue inflate valve as a deflate valve.....just be sure to not open it all the way and let air out slowly or maybe you have a problem with it too!

I used this system for a year and no issue at all with only one application of tape holding right through until sold...new owner, a buddy, says no problem either....

This is a known issue in overseas forums....the male plug has (very) small raised ridges that I guess are designed to 'click' into circular indexes inside the female bit and give the bung a bit of grip......the ridges wore away in my case with repeated undoing of the dump valve....the little plastic ridges just came adrift and the male bung was ribless after that and didn't seal properly...it definitely went down in the course of a session.

Maybe my leverage on the bung when dumping air had something to do with it; I can see that if you removed the bung absolutely in line with the centre of the aperture you would reduce the risk of this...but, hey...who doesn't twist the bung somewhat when taking it out? I sure did....

Thread tape, no more problem....

Kite was used in Aitutaki... not left out in the sun, but pretty warm.....

This issue was noted with other brands as well in AIT......not just (old) North/DTK...they all suffered a bit from squishy valve in hot temps

Seems such a simple issue, surprised manufacturers haven't fixed it


only real heat problem here in NZ is in your car.....so just manage this and you should be ok

cbulota said..
Hi DennisPivac,

My comments/suggestions below are unrelated to the specific brand / model / year of your kite.

It's always recommended to open any 11mm dump valves after each session to prevent the inner diameter of the valve from widening.

There is a very simple and effective solution to fix your problem. Immerse the female part of your valve in very hot (near boiling) water for about 30 seconds. This will shrink it back closer so it's original diameter and should fix your leak problem. If it doesn't work at first, try it a few more times.

After that, make sure you open up the valve after each session to prevent this problem from happening again.

hope this helps

Christian - KiteBud.

Hi Christian,

This seems like a very logical solution to this problem - so thanks I will give it a crack! And -yes I always use the valve to dump air :).

Cheers,
Dennis

DennisPivac said..
I have a Duotone a 2019 Evo 11-meter kite purchased from Kite Republic. I have had a range of North and now Duotone kites. I use the 11-meter Evo as my go-to and use it weekly on a twin tip. I pump the kite up to 6.5 psi. Recently the kite rear air dump valve has started to not seal and slowly releasing air. I have inspected the valve and there is no visible or apparent damage or warping. I rang Kite Republic and they stated that this can occur if the kite is left in hot environments or when sand is caught in the valve. Not sure Melbourne would meet 'hot' criteria and kites are stored in a cool garage. My question is has anyone else with 2019 Duotone Evo experienced this rear air dump valve issue?

The helpful comments had me further inspect the valve. I discovered a minute tear in one of the internal ribs within the female receptor that was not sealing and creating the leak. I have now purchased a selfsticky Dumpvalve to replace the existing valve. Thank you for your help.

I don't use the dump valve at all. Should I?

Well it is. I rarely used the dump valve. Except when blowing 30 and want to get off beach quick. I've had zero probs with these valves over the years.