Intex air mattresses are in great demand due to the variety of shapes, sizes and affordable cost. However, such products are quickly blown away, because the valves installed on them cannot be called a model of reliability. What to do if you do not hold the valve of an air mattress?
Valve Leak Test
How to determine how tight the valve is for an air mattress? To do this, prepare a soap solution. In addition, to check you need a brush with a soft pile or a regular piece of fabric.
At first, it is recommended to clean the valve for an air mattress from dust, small debris and rinse under the pressure of water. In some cases, already such actions can increase the tightness of the device. After all, the mattress valve, in a sense, acts like a vacuum cleaner, drawing in blockages from the outside. Thus, between its membranes there may be layers of dust, hair, threads and so on. It is the garbage that most often makes the valve for an air mattress leaking.
After cleaning, it is worth dipping the product, pre-filled with air, in a soapy solution. If fluid begins to bubble in the valve area, then clogging is not the cause of poor tightness. In this case, it will have to be repaired or replaced.
Repair of the valve of an air mattress
If an air leak is detected, it is necessary to determine which element of the system is causing the malfunction. The valve can be removed by pressing on its side ears. The rubber gasket is pulled out by pulling its tail.
Having disassembled the valve for an air mattress, you can begin to determine the main problem. Often the cause of insufficient tightness of the product is the presence of cracks in the place where the pump adapter is connected. Damage occurs on the surface of plastic elements as a result of excessive pressure on the inlet during the filling of the mattress with air. If cracks are found here, the valve will have to be completely replaced.
What else could be the malfunction? Intex mattresses are often equipped with valves, the surface of which contains factory irregularities. In particular, slight roughness may occur on rubber gaskets, which are responsible for maintaining tightness. To eliminate the defect, it is necessary to disassemble the valve. Then you should wipe the surface of the gasket, first coarse, and then fine-grained sandpaper. Before installing everything in place, the gum should be treated with silicone grease, which will improve the tightness. If earlier the valve held air in the mattress for 8-10 hours, then grinding rubber pads will increase this figure to 24 or more hours.
In addition to rubber gaskets, an external plastic cover is responsible for holding the air passing through the valve outward. Closing it too tightly or impacting the surface can lead to cracks. Therefore, in identifying the reason why the valve does not hold air, it is also worth checking the tightness of the cover. Perhaps it needs a replacement.
How to protect the valve from damage?
To avoid problems during the operation of the product, it is recommended to pay attention to the following points:
- Do not pump the mattress. It is enough to fill it with 80-85%. Otherwise, excessive pressure will be applied to the valve. Over time, this can lead to rupture of the joints at the junction with the rubber part of the product.
- In no case should you jump on an air mattress. This is fraught not only with diverging seams, but also popping up valve elements out.
- It is only necessary to inflate a mattress using a factory-designed pump intended for these purposes.
- To avoid damaging the valve, it is not recommended to sleep on a mattress designed for swimming.
Finally
As you can see, itβs not so difficult to repair the valve of an air mattress with your own hands. The main thing is to determine the exact cause of the breakdown and perform actions aimed at eliminating the defects. Ultimately, in order to never have problems with insufficient tightness of the valve of an air mattress, one must not forget about the rules of operation of such products.