How do you find a leak in an air mattress since you’re a newbie? See, leakages are inevitable with the use of an air mattress.
Either sooner or later, you’d find a need to patch it up. And you’d want to see the leaking spot before you make amendments. Of course!
Besides, that’s why manufacturers add patching tools with their products so that one would be at the safer end every time. However, it’s paramount that users check their air mattress before they begin to inflate it. You know why?
Provided that you’re using a manual air pump, it could cost you time and effort even more compared to when using an electric air pump. Therefore, for you to avoid this, you need to check if there is/are leak/leakages on the air mattress before any other thing.
The task could be difficult in the first place, but you can learn the procedure with the use of this piece. This article would be providing you with needful tips that are required in detecting leakages on your mattress.
The steps are systematic, and the approaches will be easy to imbibe. Check out for the full information below:
8 Things to Consider about How Do You Find a Leak in an Air Mattress?
1. Preparation
- Remove the bedding from the top of the air mattress and other added accessories that you must have put on its surface.
- Take the air mattress to a place with ample spaces. Provided you’re outdoor, you can put your air mattress inside a tent or inside the car and lock the door against yourself.
- Flip the air mattress as you cautiously check every part of the air mattress.
- If your air mattress is separable into segments, then you might need to take your approaches step by step.
- Provided that the spot is not conspicuous and your air mattress is not inflated, then you can consider the next steps that we’ll be enumerating in following points.
2. Inflate the Air Mattress
- Since this can still hold the right amount of air without effusing them quickly, then you can go ahead with the inflation.
- The use of an electric air pump would make your effort easier and faster. And, you can still use a manual air pump. All you need is to pump it a bit.
- However, if you’re using an electric air pump, then you might need to inflate it thoroughly so that you’d be able to spend enough time in detecting the spot that the air is leaking from on the air mattress.
- Press the surface with the palm of your hand and see that it’s smooth and stable.
- Afterward, move over to the next step.
3. Scrutinize
While scrutinizing, the first step to check is the seamed parts at the edges. Check for spots that their stitches don’t look synchronized with others.
Try using your hand to feel or move straight to the use of soap at point six to learn how to use it. Or, you can plant your saliva on that spot to verify. If it bubbles, then that’s the spot, but if it doesn’t, then you might need to proceed.
Another method of detecting a flaring air is rubbing water at the back of your hand. If you place it against the spot and it becomes cold, then you’ve indicated the right spot.
Having done that, but your effort was to no avail, then you would have to ensure that every part of the air mattress is dried.
4. Filling with Water
- Since the leak is hard to find, we advise you to inflate the air mattress once again, though this is optional.
- This time, pass some water into the air mattress. However, make sure that the exterior is dry before you do this.
- Gently flip the mattress from one side to another as you observe the area that would become wet first.
- Make sure that you seal the valves so that the mobility of the air mattress would be easy.
- You can use the palm of your hands to run through the surface of the exterior so that you could be sure the very wet spot.
- Peradventure the water seeps either due to the nature of PVC used or because the valves on other sides don’t hold water so well; then you can proceed with other steps.
5. Inspection of the Valve
If you had checked and practice the tips that were mentioned aforetime but no result, then you might need to check the valve.
The neck of the lid or the plastic used for the design of the valve cover could cause air to flare off.How you can detect leakages in this region is by inflating the air mattress first and seal the valve with the valve cover.
After that, observe the area and see whether air is effusing or not. Of course, you can use either your saliva or soap to detect if the stored air is flaring from it.
6. Using Soap
- Get a sprayer, a container filled with water, and a soap.
- Mix the soap with the water and shake the mixture vigorously until it becomes soapy.
- Pour the soapy mixture in the sprayer while you apply it judiciously to the surface of the air mattress.
- You can use a hand towel as a support. Lay the sheet beneath the spot you’re about to spray so that the water won’t run down to other parts.
- Spray the spot, wait for some seconds, and detect the leakages.
- Do this to every part of the air mattress, including the seamed, the back and front, and the valve.
- What happens when a hole is detected is that the soapy water bubbles.
- Once that’s detected, wipe off the water and repeat the act. If the same thing happens, then move on to the next step.
7. Mark the Spot
Peradventure your air mattress is wet, then you can use a permanent marker to mark the spot. After that, sundry the air mattress until you’re satisfied. Once that’s done, you can patch the place for the continual use of your air mattress.
8. Repetition
And, peradventure the leakage persists, then you might need to practice this all over again so that you can detect more holes.
However, if the leakage should emerge from the valve, then you’d have to consider replacing the air mattress itself or take it to a professional repairer for help.
That’s why users are advised often to lay cover beneath and upon the air mattress before using it so that it won’t be vulnerable to punctures.
Final Verdict
That’s how to find leaks on air mattresses. You’ve seen how natural the whole processes are, and you can see how the various approaches can aid you in achieving your aim at any point in time.
Nonetheless, we hope that you’ve got all the information that you need. Indeed, you can rely on them for optimal use.