Just thought of a way to find pesky leaks in bladders, and by all means tell me if you think its a bad idea or not or if you have heard of it.
Materials:
Fog machine( i got mine for 20 bucks a walmart 3 years ago)
Kite pump
air compressor(if available)
Basically take your connector tube off your kite pump and hook the inflate end into your kite, close the dump valve.
Turn on your party fog machine and shoot about im guessing 15-20 seconds of fog into your bladder. Now connect your tube end that you just used to fog
back into your manuel kite pump and fill her up. This is where your air compressor would come into play if you have one.
now turn on the garage lights and start searching for smoke!!!
.......
Ive been having a slow leak issue, and recently took out my frustation on my dump valve resulting in melting it shut thinking it was where the leak
was. I dont see how this method could fail. ive tried the water hose technique and since the leak is so slow i could never find it.
Most fog solutions are completly cool to use they are very dry, there is some gressyness but i cant see it harming a bladder.arkay - 12-1-2010 at 01:54 AM
neat idea! Does the fog condense at all?Houston AirHead - 12-1-2010 at 11:09 AM
its not really fog, its more like a dry steam.bobalooie57 - 12-1-2010 at 11:26 AM
Is the solution used to create the fog petroleum based? If so it could react with the material the bladder is made from? Just a guess.zero gee - 12-1-2010 at 11:35 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by bobalooie57
Is the solution used to create the fog petroleum based? If so it could react with the material the bladder is made from? Just a guess.
nozzles and one pump tubing too.
I understand that the residue is similar to "mineral oil" and is also used to cool and lube the motor and pump in some machines. I would also be
concerned about the residue sticking your bladders together too.Houston AirHead - 12-1-2010 at 12:46 PM
well they say you can breath in the stuff all day long with no harm. I really cant see it harming bladder material. Especially bladder material
because its so resistant to corrosion IMO.
its not typical sandwitch bag plastic, i dunno. But i do know it takes a long long time to dissapate. Im guessing by the time you locate your leak
your still going to have ample opportunity to get most of the fog out simply by deflating.
Im going to try it tonight if im not too tired from work, ill post pictures and results aswell.wind-dave - 12-1-2010 at 03:10 PM
Dang...that sounds like a great idea HAH.
I also have a very slow leak (takes about 4 hours to notice) which I can't find. I was about to take my kite over to a buddies pool. I figure if I
pump it up tight and hold it under water I'll see the pin hole leak. Your ideas sounds good, I'll be interested to hear the results.
Davepower - 12-1-2010 at 05:25 PM
Might cause mold to grow in the bladder. But that's sure a heck of a lot easier than covering the bladder in soap and bubbles and looking for a leak.renegade kiter - 12-1-2010 at 05:44 PM
The best way is submerge in water, pool or lake ect. Even a tiny leak will show. most slow leaks usually turn out to be valve related. Check to make
sure the stoppers seat real well and dont leak. There is a trick for fixing that too if ya need it.power - 12-1-2010 at 05:46 PM
Do lots of LEIs have bladder problems like slow leaks? I hear a lot of guys complain about it but it doesn't really seem to be an issue at least for
me.renegade kiter - 12-1-2010 at 05:58 PM
Yea kinda funny i dont have much problems either. Well except the time i was flying and the bladder poped and turned my kite into confetti.zero gee - 12-1-2010 at 07:09 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by power
Do lots of LEIs have bladder problems like slow leaks? I hear a lot of guys complain about it but it doesn't really seem to be an issue at
least for me.
Now you've gone and done it. :wink2:power - 12-1-2010 at 09:12 PM
Houston AirHead - 14-1-2010 at 11:10 AM
conclusion:
didnt work as i had planned, there wasnt enough pressure from the fog machine to really fill up the bladder enough to make a solid effect. Although
the smoke did come out of the bladder quickly.
i think the pool method is the best so far....Flying G Zeus - 2-6-2010 at 02:44 PM
It was a good idea, too bad it doesn't work. I was concerned that slow leaks would let out the fog too slowly to see. Nice try though.
I recently found a slow leak in the deflate valve on my 13m Waroo (after taking the bladder out and dunking it in the bath- on two separate
occasions!).
I discovered that a dab of vasalene (petroleum jelly) works well as a quick fix. The leading edge stated fully inflated for hours. But, as someone
already mentioned, petroleum based products degrade the bladder material.
So, what else can be used?indigo_wolf - 2-6-2010 at 03:19 PM
Tear-Aid Type A can be used for bladder patches. Comes in different size patches and in rolls.
ATB,
SamHouston AirHead - 2-6-2010 at 03:20 PM
yeah, i ended up guessing it was my deflate valve, so i went ahead and replaced it.
there are built in gaskets on the inner wall of the valve that likes to seperate after allot of use.
i tried gluing it back on with allot of different glues, None held a good seal.
haha, no comment.highazakite - 2-6-2010 at 05:34 PM
We use a fog machine at work to diagnose fuel/ evap leaks. Works pretty good i must say, ours does pressurize the system to about 30 psi. The real
trick is using a real bright flood light to see the small amount of wispy smoke. We use one of those bazilion candle power 12v hand held hunting
lamps. Without the lamp you almost never find the leak unless you could have found it just buy looking at it. Good call trying it out on your bladder.
Another thought, you may not have a small leak, the air in your bladder may just be getting colder as you ride taking up less volume. Any way thanks
for sharing the trick.Kamikuza - 2-6-2010 at 05:45 PM
What we need is like that stuff you can put in car tyres that plugs holes ... but more of an aerosol kind of thing ...Flying G Zeus - 3-6-2010 at 02:25 PM
A fog machine that goes up to 30psi is more than enough as bladders only need 8-9psi. Who manufactures the machine and what's the model?
Tear Aid will not work for my application. I'm not talking about REPLACING a valve, or patching a hole. We're talking about a slow leak in a valve.
What is required is 'gunS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K- to seal tiny leaks around the plug while seated in the valve. Something exactly like Vaseline, but does'nt
react with the bladder material. That is, assuming Vaseline does in fact degrade the valve/bladder.cheezycheese - 3-6-2010 at 03:02 PM
i dunno, but this whole "fog" machine thing sounds like your blowin smoke up my arse...:dunno::D:D:smug::D:D:dunno:Houston AirHead - 3-6-2010 at 03:47 PM
lol, dude them are some texas size wheels you got on that buggy.highazakite - 3-6-2010 at 08:05 PM
@flying g... im not sure of the brand name we have at the shop but here is a generic link to a similar machine linky . They for the most part use the same juice to make the smoke as your average fog machine.. Looks like for the most part they are pricey, id
stick with pre filling with fog then pumping up to psi, I would however use a very bright spot light to look for the leak.
