Kite nozzle repair

[maxsteamer]

I have a slice on one of my nozzles on my kite. I would like to avoid removing the bladder and replacing that bladder and all the nozzles. Is it possible to melt the plastic at the cut so that it bonds, or is there a glue that works for this sort of damage

Hello jimbo,

I have fixed many of these for my crew here at shellgate, and a sure fix is to remove the old valve with hot water...and replace it with a new one... I would not try to glue that area as it will most likely rip on the other side. if you do the repair yourself ? after the fix you need to inflate the kite and take it to the water and push it under from side to side to make sure you have a good seal, take your time as this is a good time to check out the other valves.

Max be with you #-o glue!!!! ](*,)

[yojimbo]

i was gonna soak the nozzle in hot water and hope it peels off. In case this does not work, Sonny mentioned cutting the old nozzle out. I assume this means around the base of the nozzle, so that you have a sizable hole left in your bladder, and then you afix your repair nozzle over that hole.

The other thing I was thinking was if I cut out the nozzle, I would apply a bladder patch over the hole, and then apply the repair nozzle over that. How do you avoid adhering to the opposite inside of the bladder when sticking on the repair nozzle?

[soupdumpling]

on some brands, it will peel off when you soak in hot water. But, the fix it valve is much large than the original valve, so you can cut out the original valve.

Ah, you're right. Thanks!

[maxsteamer]

If you have to cut the old valve out ?? take your time to make a perfect circle as it will have to be symetrical so you don't get a wrinkle or kink..around one side or the other..when you put air in the strut only put enough air to check the valve for leaks.. before you pump it all the way.. after you do this once you will be a pro..I keep a few over sized valves in my kite box as it can make or break a vacation if you can't find them.

Max be with you now if I could just fix some wind

[lieutenantglorp]

How do you avoid adhering to the opposite inside of the bladder when sticking on the repair nozzle?

Cut out a piece of parchment paper (similar to wax paper except uses silicone) an inch or two bigger than the hole. Fold it up and stick it in the hole. Unfold it inside and position it under the hole to protect the repair from sticking. When the repair is complete, you can work the paper out to the deflate valve and pull it out of the bladder. Another way is to use a sandwich bag or similar plastic in the same way and then just leave it in there if it sticks well enough to the repair.

[chwingman]

i just had this happen to me, i called the kite company and they shipped me a new bladder in 3 days. it is a one pump and took about 40 min to replace, def a good time to through all the ty-wraps and connections. my question did this happened because of how i insert and remove the plug?

[michkrom]

For what it's worth, I have described strut replacement due to a cracked valve here:

http://minkbot.blogspot.com/2010/10/kitesurfing.html

As I payed for "professional" repair that luckily failed before I went out again...I decided to fix it right. I used AirTime products - bladder and u-stick valve.

Michal