This article teaches several methods to find leaks in an air mattress. If you have an air mattress or you’re about to get one, you may want to read the article. Being able to find leaks in an air mattress will save you a lot of time and effort.
Do you have an air mattress? Or are you’re planning to buy one? Then you need to read this article. The article teaches users how to find leaks in an air mattress. As portable as an air bed is, it has a major challenge. Since it is filled with air, it is prone to leaks.
That’s why it is not advisable to use an air mattress where there are kids or pets. For some reason, kids are usually tempted to puncture the mattress. Also, the mattress can be punctured by other items. For instance, it can be punctured on the campground when you mistakenly place it on a sharp object.
And sometimes, it can start leaking without being punctured. That’s why it sometimes comes with a few patches. In case it starts leaking, you can easily patch it on your own. While patching is easy, finding the point of leakage is the harder part. Of course, you can’t do anything if you don’t find the leaking point.
A lot of users have complained of how difficult it is to look for the leaking point in their air mattress. Thankfully, we have discovered a few methods that make the task a breeze. With the tricks we are about to teach you, locating the point of leakage will be very easy.
After that, we’ll also answer a few frequently asked questions about air mattresses. Make sure you read the article to the very end.
How to find leaks in an air mattress
There are several ways to find leaks, and we’ll teach you some of them.
1.Submersion method
Step 1 – Pump your leaking air mattress and wait until it is half-filled.
Step 2 – Submerge the mattress in a pool of water. This is easier done in a swimming pool.
Step 3 – The air inside the mattress will come out through the leaks and lead to bubbles. Anywhere you see bubbles is where the leakage is.
If you don’t see bubbles, you need to turn the air mattress the other way. This is the most popular method, but it is not the best. In fact, we don’t like it. You may find it impossible to get all the water out of the mattress, and this could lead to mold. So, we’ll advise you to choose other methods below.
2.Baby powder method
Although this method is messy, it is preferable to the submersion method.
Step 1 – Dump some baby powder all over the leaking mattress.
Step 2 – Slowly pump some air into the mattress.
Step 3 – As air enters the mattress, it will find its way out through the leaks. When it is coming out, the air will blow the powder, causing a cloud of powder. Look for the cloud of powder. Any point you see powder being blown is the leaking point.
3.Soapy water trick
To implement this method, you need the following items.
- Warm water
- Any bleach-free dish soap
- A sponge or rag
- A bucket where you will mix water and soap
Step 1 – Pour some water into the bucket.
Step 2 – Add the bleach-free dish soap and stir the mixture.
Step 3 – Drop your soap inside the water and stir to make it lather.
Step 4 – Remove the soaked sponge and wipe it all over the mattress. The lather will bubble at the point of the leak. So, you should look carefully for bubbles. Anywhere you see bubbles is the location of the leak.
Step 5 – When you eventually find the leaking point, mark it with a marker. Then, you’ll patch it later.
4.Manual Inspection
This method involves the manual inspection of the whole mattress.
Step 1 – Remove the bedding to leave it bare.
Step 2 – Inflate the mattress to the maximum. The more air in it, the easier it will be to detect the leaks.
Step 3 – Move it to an enclosed area where there’s little or no breeze flowing around.
Step 4 – Inspect the valve first. This is necessary because the valve is a common source of leaks. Put your hand around the valve. If it’s leaking, you will feel the air on your hand.
Step 5 – If you’re sure it is not the valve, you can then hover your hand around the mattress easily. Move it around the top. Then, inspect all four sides before you turn the under surface up.
Now that we’re through with all the methods let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell where my air mattress is leaking?
Answer: It is quite easy. When you pump it to capacity, the mattress will be turgid and firm. If it’s leaking after a few hours, the mattress will no longer be firm. There’ll be a little depression on its surface. And when you sleep on it, you’ll notice that it is no longer as firm as it used to be.
And if the hole is big, you may hear the sound of the escaping air buzzing. To be double sure, you need to inflate the mattress to capacity again, and if its turgidity drops again, then you can be sure that it is leaking.
How do you find a hole in an air mattress with tissue paper?
Answer: This is another easy trick to find the hole in your air mattress. Here are the steps to follow.
Step 1 – Remove the bedding.
Step 2 – Inflate the mattress until it is filled.
Step 3 – Hover the piece of tissue paper over the valve of the mattress. If the valve is leaking, escaping air will make a hissing sound as it hits the tissue paper. If the valve isn’t leaking, you can move to the next step.
Step 4 – Hover the tissue paper on the other parts of the mattress. You may need to flip it over to inspect the surface under. Once you get to the leaking area, you’ll hear the hissing sound.
Why does my air bed deflate overnight?
Answer: This is a very interesting question. There are several reasons why your mattress will lose some of its air. You can find out some of the reasons below.
Change in temperature – When the atmospheric or room temperature reduces, the pressure will also reduce, and your mattress will lose its firmness. This happens mostly at night because it is usually colder at nights than during the day. So, if you notice that your firm mattress sags in the night, this is probably the reason.
Stretching of the material – Air mattresses are made of materials that can stretch, and it takes several sessions of pumping for your mattress to stretch to its capacity. So, if your mattress is new, it is possible for it to stretch further after pumping it. And when that happens, your mattress will lose some air and sag a bit. You’ll have to top it up before you sleep on it another time.
Overloading – Every air mattress has a maximum capacity of weight it can take, and it is usually written in its manual. But people often ignore this piece of information. If you overload your mattress, it is likely to start deflating gradually. Even if you top it up, it will deflate again.
Misuse – Mattresses are trampolines to many children. They enjoy jumping on it. While this may not be a problem to the regular mattress, air beds can’t take such a beating. They (air beds) are likely to go down. So, you should discourage your child from jumping on your air mattress. It will not only deflate but its lifespan may also be shortened too.
Leaks – This is the most common reason for gradual sagging of air beds. When you notice that your air mattress deflates, the first thing to do is to inspect it for leaks. Start with the valves. After that, you can check the other parts of the mattress.
How do you find a leak in an air mattress without water?
Answer: If there’s no water around or you don’t want to use water to find a leak in your air mattress, you can use any of the methods discussed above.
- You can hover a piece of tissue paper around the pumped mattress.
- You can wipe the mattress with soap lather and check for bubbles that may have been created by the air escaping from the hole.
- You can also inspect the entire mattress manually for leaks.
- Spreading baby powder all over the mattress is another easy method. The air escaping from the mattress will blow up the powder, and you’ll see it.
Final Word
Out of all the methods discussed above, we’ll advise you to start with manual inspection. If it doesn’t work, you can use any other method. But the submersion method should be the last resort. If you fill your mattress with water, you won’t be able to get all the water out of it, and this could lead to mold. One more thing – you should look further after detecting a source of leaks. There could be more.
