Updated and bumped Steve Skubinna in the comments: "Simplest solution is to fart into the mattress, and then sniff around the outside.Or alternately you could fart in the room, and then sniff around the mattress until you get to a spot it smells clean."
Does anybody out there know how to find a leak in an inflatable air mattress? It's a kind of medium-slow leak (mattress gets noticeably softer overnight). We tried close listening for a hissing noise, sprayed it with water, just can't seem to find where the air is coming out. Mrs. Paco called the manufacturer and asked how to find a leak, and they just sent her a new mattress (maybe that's a bad sign; maybe they don't know how to find a leak, either).
Anyhow, yeah, the company replaced it, but the thing is pretty nice and I hate throwing stuff away, so if you've got any ideas, send them along.
18 comments:
I used to hold inner tubes under water to look for bubbles.
I'm not sure if that helps.
You could just blame Trump for it and be about your business though.
Maybe pump it up as hard as you dare and try the water bottle again? Neighbors with a swimming pool? I've done tons of patching but it's all been Hypalon or neoprene(river boats) the mattress is most likely PVC which is harder to patch, to bond properly both surfaces have to be chemically melted together, not nearly as easy as rubber cement.
A pool might work, but I doubt that my neighbor would be too pleased (Bob's kind of fastidious about his pool). Maybe blowing the mattress up to the point where it's about to pop might work (hope I don't cut it too close!)
Yes, it's curious they just sent a new one. Makes me wonder if they had a bad batch with some type of defect that results in a very slow leak like yours has, and they'd rather just quietly replace any that are reported, and not risk bad publicity. Just a thought.
I agree, probably the only sure way would be complete immersion, and look for bubbles. A really slow leak wouldn't show up if you just spray it with water.
BTW, Paco, you sound like me not wanting to just throw it away. Probably because I'm Henry Bissey's grandson. My maternal grandfather was well know for pinching pennies, but he raised 10 kids during The Great Depression, so that might explain it. :)
R-man: you may well be right about that; maybe the company did realize it had some duds on its hands.
Raising that many kids in the depression, I'm sure Grandpa Henry, very justifiably, held on to things and made do.
I certainly don't wish for such a thing, but I sometimes wonder if an economic shock similar to the Great Depression might not knock some of the narcissism and entitlement b.s. out of our would-be anarchists. I can't help but think that many, if not most, of these idiots would be improved immensely by being subjected to a real sink or swim, work or starve struggle.
Reminds me, 35 years ago me and the wife travelled around, sleeping on a couple of single inflatable mattresses, one of which would slowly deflate during the night.
What brand is it? Some outdoor recreation equipment companies routinely replace items they get complaints about. Packs, shoes, socks, sleeping bags, tents. It's good customer service. As far as finding the leak, I never used one so don't have any idea.
Don't know off the top of my head (i.e., too lazy to go upstairs and see), but you're probably right. Easier to replace.
Water in the bathtub.
Push mattress under and look for bubbles.
This is a throw away culture, Paco. Which makes many of us anachronistic, but I can live with that. I tend to be a pack rat for some items -- I learned that from my parents, whom lived through the Depression, and then the rationing throughout WWII.
Back to the air mattress -- it may not be fixable. I had one as well, and it developed a slow leak after several uses. As you've experienced, most companies will simply send a replacement, at not cost, for defective items. SInce they are in the business of making money, that implies that the cost to manufacture and ship those moattresses is far below the market price.
I concluded that either the original design was flawed, or the construction was shoddy, and the seams simply wouldn't stay sealed. A pity -- those air mattresses are a good concept, but with poor execution.
Mike: It's just way too big for a bathtub. Maybe I'll just wrap it all in duct tape.
Simplest solution is to fart into the mattress, and then sniff around the outside.
Or alternately you could fart in the room, and then sniff around the mattress until you get to a spot it smells clean.
I think I would just give up and get rid of it, or see if there's a alternative use for it when it's deflated.
Like putting it on the floor of the garage under my old tractor, to catch the oil that drips from every oil seal in the back half of the tractor. :)
Deluxe tractor-oil floor tarp for sale at the crazy low price of $20, today only!
I saved a bad one for just that sort of use Paco. It worked great. I left it behind on a move or I'd still have it.
That's actually a pretty good use for it.
Cut it open and you have two.
That's what I did.
It could be a bad valve. Since Bob's pool isn't available, perhaps you could use a resource at hand such as a lake, pond, or river. Make it day. Maggie could help. Or coat it in Flex Seal. If Phil Swift can make a boat out of chicken wire, or glass, then an inflatable mattress should work fine. Good luck, Paco!
I hate throwing things away, or seeing good items discard. We take our trash to the dump on mostly every Saturday. It is amazing to see what other people bring. Sometimes there are antiques. Some must have been family heirlooms like the old saddle I saw a few weeks back. The gentleman who runs it rescues things like that saddle. I'm a rescuer too of things and cats.
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