hi there ,i have a 1om sandgroper kite that i bought of of e bay
it was a demo model that had never been flown the problem is the 2 times ive taken it out the plug for the air bladder on my leading edge comes out after only a couple of runs
does anyone know any tricks i can use to make it any tighter apart from buying a new bladder
thanks

most kites have velcro to stop the plugs from coming out, shouldnt be too hard to sew some to either side of the valve. but that the bladder out first :)

A small cable tie around the outside of the valve will also help tighten it a little. Mine had a small leak past the valve and this stopped it....

Hey Cruiser,

Sometimes the neck of the valve can stretch if the plug is left in. Ie most newer kites have a deflate and an inflate, the inflate is left plugged and the deflate is always left out after use.

This inflate plug stretches the neck. The trick to solving it is to boil up some water and place the valve neck and body into the water for a few minutes and allow to cool with the plug "OUT". This should reset the "memory" of the plastic and it will seal well again. If this fails, the good old cable tie or insulation tape will help.

Good winds,

had similar issue. Tried hot water tricks, but didn't work for me (probably didn't do it right). But insulation tape worked perfectly. Just stick a bit around the lid and it will sit tighter. Then use cable tie for extra assurance, although it's not that critical. This also solved the air leak I had.

i reckon anyone who has an 06 waroo has this problem - i have three with the same problem on the deflate valve. grrrr.

i just use zip ties, and they work a treat. but then you cant use the deflate valve 8(

I've also had luck making the plastic plug bigger so it fits more tightly.

I did this by removing it from the kite and jamming it onto the end of a ball point pen (or anything that forces it open) as far as it could go, the plug is "hollow".
Then dip into boiling water, then dipping into freezing water.

This reset the shape of the plug at a larger diameter and it fit the valve better.

Cheers
Gav

Select to expand quote

Flying Kiwi said...

I've also had luck making the plastic plug bigger so it fits more tightly.

I did this by removing it from the kite and jamming it onto the end of a ball point pen (or anything that forces it open) as far as it could go, the plug is "hollow".
Then dip into boiling water, then dipping into freezing water.

This reset the shape of the plug at a larger diameter and it fit the valve better.

Cheers
Gav

This method works every time, and a bit of tape around the top of the valve helps too.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve