How to fix your leaking bladder - a complete guide

[GrodanBoll]

Here is a great manual for all of you who need to fix your bladder =)

http://kite2011.com/how-to-fix-your-lea ... e-bladder/

[mikewang]

Instead of dipping the bladder in water, try using a spray bottle with soapy water, spray the whole thing and watch for bubbles/foaming.

Thats what my mechanic does when my tire got a leak.....i dunno if it will work for dem kite bladders na mean.

[wadoepotatoe]

hmmmm i'm not down with this method. sorry,

-wade.

[GrodanBoll]

hmmmm i'm not down with this method. sorry,

-wade.

Which method are you thinking about?

[wadoepotatoe]

Which method are you thinking about?

oh sorry...the 1st method. you want to keep the bladder in the leading edge to create pressure. i've had tiny pin holes that wouldn't leak until there was a certain amount of pressure exerted on them.

-wade.

[Craz Z]

Yeah for small holes i've never found the soap or water method ever working. best way to find those pesky 1 hour or later leaks is.

Take the bladder out.
If its a one pump you wanna isolate sections by tying a knot or two knots blow through the hole and start checking. if your not comfortable tying a knot you need to find some kinda plugs that wont leak and give false leaks.

If its a 2 valve blow up like normal but put extra pressure like wadoe potatoe said. Don't be afraid if the bladder looks 4 times the size that it should. you need to expand the plastic to open the pinholes up to be real holes.

I like to use my ear as a finder. once you find air it will sound very distinct. even a pinhole will sound like a lot of air rushing out when held close to your ear. You can feel it too.

Always round your patches sharp edges peel and chafe. Clean well with alcohol and try to check before putting the bladder back in the LE. Take it out once put it in once.

Also sorry but some manufacturers made some shit bladders that were totally unrepairable. Get a replacement or try the replacement kits from airtime or fixmykite

I personally think when you buy a 2000$ kite the minimum they can do is give you a extra set when you get your new kite.

[kitesafe1]

Check also this manual for all bladder related repairs!

[southflorida]

For what it's worth, I've used children's liquid soap for blowing bubbles (Walmart, about $3 a gallon). Dilute about 50% with water, put in a spray bottle and use generously. I found a pin-hole using that method that I could not find any other way (diluted dawn, windex, dunking in a large water container looking for bubbles)

[CaptainArgh]

It sucks no matter how you look at it. Taking the bladder out is a chore and if you get debris on it you may just bring dirt back inside your LE and cause an abrasion hole down the road.

I always try to submerge or suds up the kite first. I don't take any bladders out until I have exhausted that method. (except for struts, which are easy to take in and out).

Pump the kite up very hard. The fabric will hold and that will make the leak easier to find.

Once you take the bladder out of the kite it's a crap-shoot. For some small holes, you can't pump them up with enough pressure outside the kite because the bladder inflates to a ridiculous size out of the confines of the LE fabric. Sometimes you get lucky. Quite often one section of the bladder will start to stretch and bubble and grow very big...material gets stretched thin and is more prone to popping if you hit it on anything. A swimming pool is your best bet to finding it.

All that said, there's only one kite I've ever not been able to find a leak on, and heck...maybe that was just in the valves. So check your valves first! Make sure those f*ckers are closed up tight.

[adamj2281]

What about a tear right at the end of the bladder on the seam? The conventional method is not working, as the tear is on both sides of the bladder. Should I just cut it off and fold and reseal the bladder with glufix?