Hi all, new to kiting apologies for green questions...

Ive been gifted a set of kite gear from a friend who's left island.
Playing around with them today in the park and having trouble getting them to inflate.
What would be the first trouble shooting to why they won't inflate? I suspect they've been left stored in a hot shed for the past year or so.

any advice appreciated.

The bladders are simply leaking. Most likely the valves connecting the leading edge bladder to the struts, have come apart. Heat and exposure inside a car are very common causes. Also, depending on age, many come apart on their own. Plenty of videos on utube on how to repair. Or take it to your local surf shop

Is there a separate deflate valve that needs reinstating or maybe leaking

Old valves peeling off, very common on those kites. We sell replacement valves if that helps you, however, it can be an expensive job and may not be worth it.

Back in those days, kite valves were glued on an with the heat we have in Australia, they eventually peel off. Nowadays, all kite manufacturers plastic weld the valves onto the bladders so they can't come off.

hope this helps,

Christian

I kept a Switchblade 3 in a garden shed, no shade, in Central Qld for 5 years. Recently pumped it up and it held pressure for a couple of hours before I deflated it. Cab must have used the good glue

Thankyou for the replies and advice.

I suspect the glue has expired on the valves.Consensus of youtube is to use Aquaseal glue.

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jdol said..
Thankyou for the replies and advice.

I suspect the glue has expired on the valves.Consensus of youtube is to use Aquaseal glue.

It can work if done properly using Stormsure glue www.whitworths.com.au/stormsure-flexible-repair-adhesive-15g

You need to make sure your valves are in good condition i.e. not cracked, not yellowing.

Also if you fail at any re-gluing you are usually pretty screwed as there is no turning back.

Fair shout airborne.
I'm on a smaller island in the Caribbean and glue options are limited. I've got a feeling I've seen aquaseal at one of the dive stores. If not the chandlery has rib repair glue that might do the trick.
will report back on the progress.

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jdol said..
Fair shout airborne.
I'm on a smaller island in the Caribbean and glue options are limited. I've got a feeling I've seen aquaseal at one of the dive stores. If not the chandlery has rib repair glue that might do the trick.
will report back on the progress.

U stick valves' clean with alcohol wipes' or maybe RUM 'plentiful on a Caribbean island

You can use the same glue thats used for repairing IRB boats or inflateable SUPS if your careful
Hope this helps
George

Check the pump and make sure the hose is connected to inflate. Some (most) pumps will also deflate.

Do they pump up and then deflate after a few minutes, or is no air going in at all?

If they don't even look like there is air moving around in there could be something else going on

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Adventure Sports Noosa said..
You can use the same glue thats used for repairing IRB boats or inflateable SUPS if your careful
Hope this helps
George

The glue that a guy near me uses for repairing rib's is not suitable for kites but will get you very high without a kite or woo.. Use stormsure or aquaseal..
Bad advice unless you want too get high!

Switch used to be pretty good at providig parts for all their superceded models on their website. Looks like at least one of yours is an old switch. Might be worth asking them for a set of bladders if you get sick of mucking around with glues etc. Would give you better peace of mind too. Thats assuming you have valves falling off....

The black valves fail regularly, but easy to glue back on if you have glue. Soak in hot water and the valve will peel off with no damage. Clean both surfaces. place a piece of baking paper inside the bladder so the two sides don't get stuck, no need to try and remove it after. Make a block to apply pressure, see pictures. Apply glue and fit valve, block and some weight on top. Let glue set for required time. Test by lightly inflating bladder and applying soapy water.

Before you start buying glue and pulling kites apart you need to confirm the problem. At that moment it sounds like your taking a best guess based on youtube and forum opinions.
Will they inflate but not hold pressure, or not pressure up at all?
Some kites have 2 valves... 1 inflate and 1 dump valve. If the dump valve dosent have its bung in the kite wont inflate at all. If they pump up but lose pressure then there is a leak somewhere.
The kite at the front of your pick is a Switch kite which like most kites has 1 valve which doubles as the dump valve.
To locate leaks pump the kites up and either submerge in a swimming pool or spray or paint with soapy water.
Leaks can be from anywhere... valve, leading edge, struts, one pump elbows and pipes. Multiple leaks are also very possible.
Pumping the kite as hard as possible and then locking off the struts and waiting for 1 hour will usually indicate if the leak is in the leading edge or a strut.
First things first... find the problem. If youv'e been gifted the kites and then buying new bladders where needed is a small ask,much easier and much more reliable

Just take it to a repairer man. Sounds like no one here has any idea.