Select to expand quoteAre there any threads on here about repairing bladdes I have a small hole that takes about a hour to lose pressure but I can't find it when I remove the blader ?
Any advise would be much appreciated
Yes I believe there are a few, also have a look on youtube. Best option is to remove the bladder, not that hard really, just make sure you attach some string to pull the bladder back into place, you may need to detach outer parts of valves, this is more of a hassle, take pictures with your phone at all stages if in doubt, you can buy patches for pinholes, type A I believe (not type B), you will need to inflate the bladder to firmness then start putting it in the bath, can be awkward, avoid anything sharp of course!, locate pinhole leak , clean with Isopropyl Alcohol and patch, (leak could be valve area, who knows)
alternatively you can take it to your local wing / kite shop and they will do it for you, or you can buy a replacement bladder and switch about 50 - 100 usd depending on bladder, that should get you started on the repair journey - all the best
Select to expand quoteseaanchor said..Are there any threads on here about repairing bladdes I have a small hole that takes about a hour to lose pressure but I can't find it when I remove the blader ?
Any advise would be much appreciated
I had a tiny leak recently on the centre strut bladder, ended up being a faulty dump valve and didn't need to remove the bladder.
Before removing bladder inflate and spray some soapy water on valve and connecting hoses (if applicable), even on the strut itself to locate leak.
I did a repair last year on the tail end tip of bladder and I didn't need to remove the bladder on a duo unit, managed to get to the pin hole from the end access.
also be very patient when feeding the bladder back up the sleeve, any twists or folds can create a pinch when inflating. When bladder is in place lightly inflate and massage so it untwists and sets correctly.
hope this helps.
Also use a sharpie to mark the exact orientation of the valve to the strut. It's very easy to put it back slightly 'off center' which then stretches the bladder around the valve which then causes a minute leak that appears about 10 uses later and is too small to find under water which then means you spend about 10 hours removing, testing, re-installing, reinflating, then coming back 3 hours and start swearing at the wing... ask me how i know.
Yep plus one for checking the dump valve, also if you have the bladders linked, check the rubber hose, they do perish or leak at the junction, and plus one for the sharpie - useful to indicate valve side and bladder up orientation and plus one for if the hole is near a tip you can just push the sleeve up and repair the hole without removing the bladder, also if you can hear there is sand in there, inflate, shake it to the valve area and vacuum it out, also sometimes people don't put the bladder in the sleeve very well and you can get a pinch in the bladder that makes a kind of mini balloon which will stretch and pop at some point....
Select to expand quoteQuick update I decided to get a new blader as I got the wing second hand and don't realy know it age or history sp ?70 and I'm staring with a sound blader for now
Thanks for all you comments advise ?
Just had a pinhole leak in an unexpected location on the leading edge bladder right near the zipper opening. No outward sign of damage at all. Leak found without having to remove the bladder and also able to fix it by just pulling out the bladder leak section by the zipper opening. Luckily I had my repair kit with me (far from home) and my repair expert daughter! I totally suck at kite/wing bladder repairs
, and as others have mentioned, a lot of them are way tougher than this one.
And if you spray with light detergent to find the leak don't do in grass or you get a bow shaped patch of dead grass.
