micro-leak in bladders?

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked

Is it possible to have a leak in a bladder that's so small that you can't hear it, and it takes 1hr+ until the kite starts to have a noticeable loss in pressure?

I seem to be in that situation and it's hard to figure out where the hole is.

Should I be looking at valves instead of bladders? Is it possible to have a leak like this in the bladder itself?

unhooked12 · Since 09 Jul 2008 29 Posts Cozumel,Mx

slow leak...pain in the ass! Hope its not your LE. take it out pump it up enough to feel firm, NOT TOO HARD! hold it under water. If its super small you will have to look closely. good luck!

Blue · Since 03 Jul 2007 469 Posts I used to be Obsessed

Check your valves first. Described in detail in this topic.

wylieflyote · Sun Sep 07, 08 11:36 am

Jonah,
I had 7 pinholes in the LE of a free 16m, 2007 Rebel that was given to me. Take some dish soap & water solution, pump up the LE, sponge it all over, you'll see the hole/holes.
I ended up taking out the LE one half at a time. First I took out the LE from the zipper towards the left, then repeat on the right side. This was so I wouldn't put a twist in it. The job is super easy. Andy, from BKB also suggested putting a heavy black straight line on the LE bladder while it's out, this is a line that you can see through the LE fabric to again check for twists. and LOTS of a baby powder. I repaired all my many pinholes with Tear-Aid Type 1.
OH... the holes were from the previous owner crashing it into a blackberry patch, and the leak was very slow like yours. I could kite for about an hour and needed to come in and pump. All is perfect now.
Kip

pdxmonkeyboy · Sun Sep 07, 08 4:55 pm

use your bathtub to find the leak. Then use a sharpie to mark it. Tear-aid type A. i think Pepi said he was going to get some in stock.

Nak · Sun Sep 07, 08 6:01 pm **Re: micro-leak in bladders?**

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1735 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

i agree with kip's method. I had a leak in the LE and pulled it, but couldn't find the leak. I think it helps to have the bladder in the kite so it can be pumped barbie firm. then use the dish soap in a spray bottle, but also spray on your valves to ensure they are sealing.
not too much work pulling the LE bladder, unless it's a one pump system. Have fun with that!

stringy

hebrew_hammer · Since 27 Dec 2006 31 Posts

I use the dish soap method all the time....works flawlessly.

Nak · Sun Sep 07, 08 8:19 pm

Like was said, verify it's not the valve caps first.

First you should verify which bladder is leaking. Pretty easy to do unless it's an internal one pump system. Pump the kite up to normal pressure. If it's a clipped one pump, clip all the struts. The bad bladder will go soft.

Pump the kite up again very firm. As firm as you would at the beach. Now spray the strut or LE that's leaking with soapy water. (1/3 dish soap, 2/3 water.) Really soak the sucker down. It will start to bubble in the general vicinity of the leak. (Not necessarily right at the leak. The air can migrate a bit under the Dacron. If it's an internal one pump, you'll have to do this to the whole kite. (Do it one strut at a time.) Now you know pretty close where it's leaking. If it's bubbling where the valve pops through the Dacron, it might not be the valve, like I said the air can migrate a bit... Pull the bladder that's leaking and inflate it . JUST FULL. NOT HARD!!!!! Hold the area where you know the leak to be under water to pinpoint the leak.

That's what works for me anyways. Good Luck! Very Happy

goiner · Since 26 Aug 2006 90 Posts

Jonah
I do the same as Kip but spray it on with a sprayer bottle.
Use some mild liquid soap in plenty of water.
Use some reference point on the leading edge to make sure you can find the leak.
They can be so small that partially inflating the bladder doesn't show them well.
Good luck, I had 10 or so in mine after I dropped the kite in seagrass....
Bob

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked

Wow, thanks for all the great advice!

I narrowed it down to which bladder was busted by pumping up and pinching off each valve of the one-pump system. That got it narrowed down to the center strut and (doh!) leading edge. Amazing how it can take 1hr+ to noticeably lose pressure.

Very much to my luck, it's an Eclipse kite that is <1yr old so their kick-ass warranty repairs anything (including dumping your kite in a blackberry bush). So I'm letting the pros at Airtime handle it from here.

This was indeed caused by a blackberry bush incident. At first I thought I escaped unscathed because the kite didn't immediately deflate after the incident. Now I see that those little suckers are so small they can give you these microholes Sad

I thought I'd never use that warranty, but I'm damn glad I have it now.

kiterron66 · Since 18 Jun 2007 13 Posts spi

1. Isolate the leak- the internal 1 pumps really suck
2. Don't use dishwasher soap, it doesn't bubble
3. I found one micro leak from Michigan beach grass with soap bubbles but not the second. I found this by holding the pumped up leading edge underwater at the Spite, a section at a time. Two hands holding a 2-3 foot section under water at a time. Best done with almost no wind. Mark the hole with a magic marker that works with a damp or wet surface
4. the leaks on a Rebel 16 2008 were small enough so i could kite for more than 2 hours without losing much pressure. It was just slightly soft. The Rebel 2007 isn't a one pump. It has separately pumped struts
The bathroom and tub never worked very well for me. A helper is nice as well
Good Luck Razz

KidCorporate · Since 10 Jul 2007 563 Posts Addicted

Is this in your 10 or 12? The 10 looked legit tonight at Lyle...

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked