Power Kite Forum

airtime "one way" valves

tridude - 6-1-2012 at 06:17 AM

installed one last night on my 5m Waroo tip bladder that had a "ball" stopper that would not seat..........the difference between the airtime and the OEM valve is very noticeable...........ball valves can be unreliable and on a VERY small strut you don't need that. The newer one way valve designs are def the way to go. A built in check valve that allows air in and not back out unless you "pinch" the valve.

Remove the bladder and soak the old valve in 'hot" water for a couple minutes. This will break the bond between the valve and bladder. Remove the old valve and towel dry. Clean bladder area where valve is to be applied with an alcohol pad, let dry, peel and stick new valve, pump and leak check.

Sealing surfaces often are the major causes of bladder leaks. The surface area of this valve is at least twice that of the OEM valve. Leak check was good, reinstalled tip bladder, pumped the entire kite...............one hour later all rock solid. I need to do the others eventually.

If you need to replace any bladder valves I would highly recommend these. A bit expensive ($15) but built to last................:thumbup:

PHREERIDER - 6-1-2012 at 07:13 AM

small ones are tough without some kinda stop. definitely agree on surface prep and the check valve simplicity.

interesting point here...got few kites with old repairs with "deflate on the fill spot", so theres NO stop feature and it sucks, GETTING THE RIGHT Valve is important ...and remove ing u-stick things is ugly because those jokers on ON THERE!

wow if you had to buy the valve and the bladder...like $50 total??? five struts $250 holy crap.

i think an LE bladder is $125 maybe plus inflate/deflate valves. getting pricey ...that adds up quick.


the wide base U stick is a great product. the ones i have had to remove are mothaphuckas for sure to get off. there faults seem to be in application. the smallest crease or flaw in the lay down against bladder and it will leak esp. with the wide base kind. have had just to cut them out and patch over, then add the valve.

lost the ball one time on one of the ball types , harvested a bead from my kid's kabillion bead set, sealed the hole... works like fresh ( pink one in the ovando!)

nice repair DON!

tridude - 6-1-2012 at 07:40 AM

thank s Phree.....yeah the $$$ add up and I dont use the 5 all that much (great buggy motor in 20+mph)...................use outweighing cost at the moment. I would imagine removing an airtime valve would be a bear. Now they are selling assembled bladders too. Either way a reseal or replacement is fairly easy and fun to do.................hope to get a low wind sesh on the 13 Ovando over the next couple of dayz before the swap. Ive got her and the 6' Fish in back of the Tundra ready to roll.......................

macboy - 6-1-2012 at 04:28 PM

Thanks for this guys. I've got a replacement Airtime center strut and all the valves for the SS One Pump for my 9m sitting right over *there* (tipping my head in the leftward direction which is where the "kite shelf" is in my office). Maybe I'll unroll it this weekend and get to it.

BeamerBob - 6-1-2012 at 06:04 PM

Will these work on my arcs? :eureka: :cool: Sorry I could not resist. That is nice to know there is a good aftermarket valve available for repairing a strut valve. Tridude I also see why we get along so well. You aren't afraid of diving into something and fixing it yourself.

tridude - 6-1-2012 at 07:52 PM

thanks Bob..................nothing like a successful DIY.................Mac, dont forget to tie line to your bladder ends before you pull them thru. Once removed, untie and leave lines in the pockets for reinstall..................

RedSky - 30-3-2013 at 10:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by tridude
installed one last night on my 5m Waroo tip bladder that had a "ball" stopper that would not seat..........the difference between the airtime and the OEM valve is very noticeable...........ball valves can be unreliable and on a VERY small strut you don't need that. The newer one way valve designs are def the way to go. A built in check valve that allows air in and not back out unless you "pinch" the valve.

Remove the bladder and soak the old valve in 'hot" water for a couple minutes. This will break the bond between the valve and bladder. Remove the old valve and towel dry. Clean bladder area where valve is to be applied with an alcohol pad, let dry, peel and stick new valve, pump and leak check.

Sealing surfaces often are the major causes of bladder leaks. The surface area of this valve is at least twice that of the OEM valve. Leak check was good, reinstalled tip bladder, pumped the entire kite...............one hour later all rock solid. I need to do the others eventually.

If you need to replace any bladder valves I would highly recommend these. A bit expensive ($15) but built to last................:thumbup:


+1 for U-Stick valves and Airtime bladders. I fit all bladders and valves to a 9m slingshot fuel a few years back and it's still holding pressure drum tight.

The reason I'm posting is to say that I bought an 07 5m waroo off ebay and it arrived today. All was fine until I started to pump the struts, the balls won't seat. :(

So it got me thinking why ?

The only reason I could think of was that the valves and their stopper balls must have sand stuck around them to prevent a perfect seal.

I found an old spray bottle of kitchen detergent and emptied it. I then filled it with water and sprayed jets of water into the valve while holding the back of the valve to prevent filling the bladder. This seemed to wash away the sand....and with some cotton ear buds I lubed the ball with some light oil and hey presto...it worked like a charm!! :D