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Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

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Kykeon
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Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby Kykeon » Sat Sep 23, 2017 12:13 pm

I just got a crazy idea that I want to get challenged. (Would it work? Has anybody tried?)

For those light wind days, when inflation is tricky...

It's not easy to find a battery leaf blower but it's super easy to find a handheld battery vacuum cleaner.

The front sucks air and pushes it through the dust collecting bag, and finally the air escapes out of the back.
Screenshot-2017-9-23 Image Test de l'aspirateur sans fil EasyVac 12 Bosch - Zone Outillage.png
Screenshot-2017-9-23 Image Test de l'aspirateur sans fil EasyVac 12 Bosch - Zone Outillage.png (433.18 KiB) Viewed 3522 times
Therefore my idea is to turn it on and put the backpart inside the valve to inflate the kite.

Challenges:
1) Will the airflow be enough?
The cheap ones don't mention the airflow
Looking at bosch, the average priced have 1.3 m3/min
https://www.bosch-do-it.com/gb/en/diy/t ... .jsp#tab_1
and the expensive pros 15 L/sec
https://www.bosch-professional.com/de/d ... 06019E3000

Looks enough to me for those but the cheaper ones will probably not work

2) Sand
I mainly kite in places that have small pebbles but I believe that unless you place it to suck directly sand, it will be ok. (Just empty the bag afterwards)
Potentially an extra filter paper wrapped around the inlet

I wanna try but I do not have a battery vacuum cleaner and my foil kite is at my vacation house . I'm thinking to buy a dual use!

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby EricSanders » Sat Sep 23, 2017 12:23 pm

What I use is an older version of this Coleman Rechareable Pump
https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Recharge ... B00005JD40
I think I paid $20 for it off of eBay. I see it in stores for $30.
It works pretty quickly. I inflate through the deflate valve, then finish off with the pump.
Eric

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby evan » Sat Sep 23, 2017 12:33 pm

EricSanders wrote:
Sat Sep 23, 2017 12:23 pm
I inflate through the deflate valve, then finish off with the pump.
Eric
Pump? We are talking foilkites here that have "a little bit" more volume to fill.

I think pumps are more of a hassle than improving your skills inflating in low wind, i never have any issues filling my kites starting in the side-launch snaking position. It there is too little wind to launch my 20m that way i just walk fully upwind for a hot launch. Never takes more than 1 minute without any pre inflation.

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby Rufusz » Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:08 pm

Perfect example of 1st world problem ;)

Once I saw a guy inflating a 21m2 FS speed with a similar gadget. I'm sure he had board leash as well, an other must have accessory ;)

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby Kykeon » Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:40 pm

Rufusz wrote:
Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:08 pm
Perfect example of 1st world problem ;)

Once I saw a guy inflating a 21m2 FS speed with a similar gadget. I'm sure he had board leash as well, an other must have accessory ;)
I'm a complete newbie when it comes to foils. (Thanks for the sarcasm Rufusz, I guess you were born expert)

Flying them is ok
but launching, especially if the wind is low, is my biggest challenge.
If the kite is inflated it gets much easier. (sometimes it gets inflated after failed launch attempts)

I find inflation super hard because the wind is low down at the beach and I also have to place the foil 4-5 meters from the water.
In between the kite and the water there is a small (0.5-1m) hill crest that kills the air even more.
Do you imply that a natural pre-inflation is always possible?

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby Windigo1 » Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:46 pm

My 22M Aurora 2 inflates in under a minute in 3 or 4 knots I had flysurfers before same thing. You pull the front lines very hard and you walk back and the kite will inflate and launch in almost no wind. I don't see why you would need this. If there's not enough wind to inflate it that way it won't stay in the air.

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby FLandOBX » Sat Sep 23, 2017 2:38 pm

I have seen leaf blowers and similar gadgets used to inflate foils in "sketchy" launch areas where the wind at ground level is blocked by trees or other structures. In these launch sites, the pre-inflation helps get the kite in the air and to the water, where the wind is not obstructed. So I can see the benefit of having an inflation tool in that situation.

I usually kite in wide-open launch areas, so I never have a problem inflating the kite naturally either before or during launch. Kykeon, I think your idea would work so, if you need or prefer an inflation tool, I'd say go for it, and let us know if it works. :thumb:

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby Rufusz » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:34 pm

Kykeon wrote:
Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:40 pm

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to foils. (Thanks for the sarcasm Rufusz, I guess you were born expert)

Flying them is ok
but launching, especially if the wind is low, is my biggest challenge.
If the kite is inflated it gets much easier. (sometimes it gets inflated after failed launch attempts)

I find inflation super hard because the wind is low down at the beach and I also have to place the foil 4-5 meters from the water.
In between the kite and the water there is a small (0.5-1m) hill crest that kills the air even more.
Do you imply that a natural pre-inflation is always possible?
I use only foil kites since 2011 in all conditions, and never needed a gadget for pre-inflating my kite, but if you wish to make things more complicated then do it.

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby opie » Sun Sep 24, 2017 1:19 am

I am in your shoes, looking for a good deal on a leaf blower. I pulled out my dirt devil hand held rechargeable vacuum and it doesn't blow out much air at all. maybe as much as a 3 inch personal fan. This is probably the cheapest model on earth but even so it is not even close to strong enough to inflate a foil kite.
I've read someone used a bilge blower but then you need to get a battery to run it . Since I know a leaf blower will work I think that is the safest bet to avoid spending money twice for the same issue.

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Re: Hand-held vacuum cleaner for inflation

Postby PullStrings » Sun Sep 24, 2017 2:38 am

In the good old days of SP3 21 sqm and not at beach with clean wind flow this worked real well to fill it up completely...and launch in practically zero wind at ground level
The blower was used without any tip adapter....rechargeable battery 18V

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