How to seal an air mattress?

Inflatable mattresses are currently very popular - they are used not only for outdoor recreation, but also as an extra bed. Today, manufacturers produce a huge amount of this product of various shapes and sizes. But, unfortunately, all this production has one, but a significant drawback - they are easily damaged and can be torn during operation. How to glue an inflatable mattress on your own to extend its operating life, and what means to choose it, we will tell today in the article.

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Rules for the use of an inflatable mattress

Inflatable furniture is a versatile product with a lot of advantages:

• Compactness. If necessary, the mattress can always be hidden in the closet.
• Ease of transportation.
• A wide choice of shapes, sizes and colors.
• Versatile application. You can use the mattress in hiking and traveling, in the country and in the apartment, for swimming and sunbathing during the rest.
• Simple care.

However, in order not to damage the product made of rubber, you must adhere to simple operating rules:

• Do not inflate the mattress to maximum.
• Keep animals away from the mattress, as their claws can easily damage the product. Dogs, in addition, can try the item and taste.
• Do not allow children to actively jump on rubber furniture.
• Do not store inflatable furniture at low temperatures, as such conditions may adversely affect the surface shell.
• Dry the product well before storage.
• Keep inflatable furniture away from sharp objects.
• Release air gradually, do not press strongly on the surface to speed up the process, as it can damage the seams.
• Before placing the mattress on the ground, be sure to inspect the surface for splinters of glass and piercing objects.
• Do not pull the mattress with people lying on it on a hard surface, as you can break the object at the seams.
• If the product was used for outdoor recreation, then wash the mattress with a mild soapy solution. Do not use detergents containing abrasive ingredients or chemically active substances.
• Use the mattress as directed. If the inflatable furniture is intended for sleep, then do not use it for swimming procedures and vice versa.

Of course, sooner or later, even on such time-tested inflatable mattresses Intex may be damaged. Therefore, it will be useful for every owner of a rubber product to know how to seal an air mattress at home.

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Types of Damage to Inflatable Mattresses

There are several types of defects, depending on the severity of which you will make a decision - to repair the air mattress at home or entrust this work to professionals.

The main damages of rubber products include:

• Cut or puncture.
• Seam divergence.
• Rupture of internal partitions.

Important! Of course, a small cut or a puncture can be easily glued on your own, but repairing such complex problems as a gap on the seam or an internal rib break is unlikely to be within your power. The best thing to do in this case is to contact the service center for assistance with specialists. Repair of the air mattress can be carried out in the same company where the product was purchased. Many reputable companies meet customers and repair products at home.

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How to detect punctures in inflatable furniture?

Find damage in the mattress is not as easy as it seems at first glance, because the hole is often microscopic and invisible to the naked eye. You can find a hole in a rubber product in the following ways.

Method number 1.By hearing:

1. Blow up the mattress in a quiet place.
2. Listen carefully. Near the hole will be heard a characteristic hiss - this air comes out of the mattress.
3. Carefully examine the injury site and slowly slide the palm over the pierced area at a height of 1-3 cm. A thin stream of air will "cool" the palm. Circle the cut with the marker.

Method number 2.Water procedures:

1. If the product is small, lower it into a bathroom filled with water.
2. If you are in nature, lower the rubber product into a pond.
3. Determine the puncture site from the air bubbles.

Method number 3.Use detergent

Use for this method any detergent that quickly whip into foam. If the product is too large and there is no point in lowering it into the water, proceed as follows:

1. Blow up the mattress.
2. Whisk in a soapy foam any detergent( dish soap, soap, etc.).
3. Apply foam to the areas of the mattress where the damage is suspected.
4. In the places of cuts and punctures, the foam will bubble.
5. Mark the defect with a marker.

Method No. 4.

dusting In addition to wet methods, there is also a dry method. It, for example, is used in case it is necessary to glue a velor mattress. Soapy solution on this surface foams poorly, and wet furniture, albeit inflatable, is not the most pleasant thing in the house. Therefore, we suggest in this case to use starch, flour or other powdery light means in this way:

1. Dry the mattress powder powder at the site of the proposed puncture.
2. Light powder will be blown off by air coming out of the hole.
3. Puncture the circle with a marker, and collect the powder with a vacuum cleaner.

Method number 5.Water + detergent

This is a more laborious, but effective method. Step-by-step instruction:

1. Let the air out of the mattress.
2. Enter 3-5 liters of water.
3. Mix water with any cleaning liquid: liquid soap, dishwashing detergent, etc.
4. Pour the received liquid into the mattress.
5. Blow up the product.
6. Flip the object in different directions, trying to determine the location of the cut. In these places the water will flow with a slight whistle.
7. Mark the damaged area with a marker.

Important! This method of detecting damage is very effective, but after it is necessary to thoroughly dry the product. In addition, on the surface of the rubber object from the soap foam there may appear white stains.

Method number 6.We use the stretch film

This is the most universal way of detecting punctures and cuts on rubber products. Proceed as follows to check whether the air mattress should be sealed:

1. Blow up the mattress.
2. Spray water on the surface of the product with an atomizer.
3. Put a strip of stretch film on the wetted surface.
4. Carefully level the film and remove air from it.
5. In the damaged area, an increasing air bubble will be visible.
6. Remove the film from the mattress. On a gurgling and squeaking sound determine the place of cut.
7. Circle the damaged area with a marker or a felt-tip pen.

Important! To accurately find the hole location after you have found the location of the location, use the shaving foam.

So, as soon as you find a defect in the air mattress, prepare a set for repair.

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How to seal an inflatable mattress?

To seal the inflatable mattress Intex is best of all a special repair kit of the same company. Usually it comes complete with the purchase of the product.

The repair kit for rubber products from Intex company consists of the following components:

• Flock grips.
• Adhesive.
• Transparent vinyl film.
• How to use the kit.

The repair kit for PVC products is very compact, you can always take it with you on the road. However, if there was no such kit at hand, then you can use alternative options, for example:

• The patch can be cut from any old toy made of PVC, or any other unnecessary rubber thing.
• Instead of glue from the repair kit you can use:
  • Rubber adhesive from natural rubber "Desmokol".
  • Adhesive for rubber boats "Uranus".

Important! Do not use instant glue to repair inflatable mattresses, since it can further damage the surface of the product.

In addition, for repair work you will need the following materials and tools:

• Scissors.
• Brush for glue.
• Fine-grained sandpaper.
• Surface degreaser - alcohol, acetone or gasoline.
• Soap or any detergent.

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Repair of

air mattresses In order to repair the rubber product accurately, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions and adhere to the safety measures:

• Use the adhesive very carefully, do not breathe it in any case.
• After use, wash your hands with soap and water.
• Do not repair near open sources of fire, because the glue used for repairing rubber products is highly flammable.

How to glue a small puncture or cut?

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Prepare space for product repair.
2. Carefully straighten the damaged area in a flat place.
3. Strip the puncture site with fine-grained sandpaper. The cleared area should be slightly larger than the cut itself.
4. Degrease the place for the patch. Apply one of the means - pure alcohol, a means for removing varnish, gasoline for lighters. Please note that after treatment, there should be no residue from the degreaser.
5. Take an appropriate patch from the Intex repair kit. If there is no such patch, cut a circle or oval from a suitable material. The size of the patch should be more than the damaged area for 3-5 cm.
6. Squeeze out the adhesive on the patch and apply evenly glue to both glued surfaces. Ensure that the glue does not enter the hole.
7. Firmly press the patch against the fault site.
8. Put the repaired mattress under the press for a day. For a press any solid object suitable for this purpose is suitable. Do not bend the product in place of gluing.
9. After 24 hours, blow out the mattress and check the repair quality.

Important! If there are several damages, then they need to be repaired in stages, waiting until the previous pasted patch has dried completely.

If the defect is formed on the side with a flock coating, then soft pile( velor) first gently peel off the skin or rinse with alcohol, otherwise - the patch will not stick. Next, follow the instructions, but use a special patch - from the flock. Unfortunately, it's impossible to paste such a patch, so try to glue the product from the inside in this way: by helping yourself with a ruler, pull up the defective area to the inflation hole and turn it out. After sticking the patch, wait 12 hours and turn the product back.

If you did everything right, and the mattress after inflation, it still blows away, then maybe the reason in the valve and its loose fit.

Repairing the air mattress valve

In order to check the malfunction of the valve opening:

1. Blow up the mattress.
2. Pour the shaving foam into the valve opening.
3. If there is damage, foam will appear around the valve.

To repair the valve, proceed as follows:

1. Remove the adjacent valve.
2. Remove the rubber gasket.
3. Sand the end of the valve with a sandpaper.
4. Lubricate the valve end with silicone grease.
5. Insert the valve back.

How to glue an intex mattress on joints?

If the vinyl mattress has burst on the seam, it can be sealed in two ways.

Method number 1:

1. First, rinse the pile in places of damage with alcohol.
2. Attach the patch from the repair kit following the instructions.

Method # 2:

1. After detecting the defect, with the help of hands and ruler, pull the damaged area through the hole in the valve.
2. Wipe the cut with alcohol.
3. Dry the cleaned area.
4. Cut out the necessary patch size from the rubberized fabric.
5. Apply glue to the inside of the lacquer.
6. Attach the patch to the damaged area.
7. Firmly press the patch against the surface of the product.
8. Leave the mattress for 12 hours to dry.
9. Remove the mattress and inflate.

Important! Do not repair yourself if the damage is more than 5 mm or there is a problem with the internal partitions. It is almost impossible to fix such damage yourself. Contact the service workshop and specialists will evaluate the defects and, if necessary, restore the product, replacing the old canvas site with a new one.

The right choice of quality inflatable furniture, as well as its correct application, in accordance with its purpose, will help to significantly extend its service life. So - you will get a lot more joy and positive emotions from its exploitation.