Find a Leak In Inflatables

Ever have a deflated inflatable stuff and find it’s headache to figure out where exactly the tiny leak point is, and not to mention more leak holes. Here I have tried collect as many as possible ideas and methods from other people’s experiences and wisdom, and some came out by myself.

The most effective method so far is using bubble detection, get a bucket of soapy water, brush it to the surface of inflatables, and observe if any unusual bubbles pop out. You can use laundry or dish detergent to make that foams.

However, there are other methods you may find useful for your own situation.

Underwater

Submerge your wholesale inflatable into water, see if there are any bubbles. This method might only working for small inflatables like mattress, pad, air bed, because we don’t often have the big enough water pool and what can you do if you are outside like in the filed or mountain.

Wind

There will be feeble wind come out from the leaks, so holding a single layer napkin and slowly move around the inflatable until you see some movement of the napkin. Of course make sure you do it indoor or outdoor without any winds. It takes time, but it could be work. You can replace the napkin to other thin and light stuff, such as newspaper, toilet paper, silk cloth etc. If you are confidence with your hands, use them.

Sound

Sometimes the leaked air may make a little sound, but it’s tricky to hear directly by our ears. So a sound amplifier could be helpful.

Ask for help

If you have a super large inflatable water slide or something like that, you can’t do it alone. This is the part which you ask for your family and friends help. The more people work together, the sooner and higher possibility to find all leaks.

Bizarre Methods

Here are some crazy thoughts, some of them might work, some are just for laugh, some will even ruin your inflatables for good.

• Fill water inside your inflatables, then check where’s water leak.
• Pump some special smell through the inlet, then smell around like a dog.
• Pump some colored gas by the blower, see any that gas rise.

Do you have any actionable idea, share with us.