How to fix a leaky air mattress? How to glue an air mattress: an overview of the most effective ways From the smooth side

An inflatable PVC mattress or an inflatable bed is a useful thing, both for outdoor recreation and as a spare sleeping place for guests, and sometimes for oneself. But besides convenience, there is a drawback in Intex or any other air mattresses, they must be carefully handled in order to avoid punctures, cuts or tears, and this is true both for the velor top of the mattress and the base made of polyvinyl chloride. A puncture or rupture is sometimes noticed when you wake up prematurely from touching the floor of the room. Or if you unsuccessfully try to inflate the mattress tightly after storage. Such an unexpected event immediately causes confusion, what to do, how to repair, how to glue or how to fix an air mattress with your own hands? Where can I find the patch? What kind of glue to glue? You don't have to look for a workshop! You can glue the inflatable mattress with your own hands.

How to glue an inflatable mattress with your own hands

First of all, you need to prepare a repair kit: PVC glue, patches, emery cloth (fine grain), degreaser. Glue and patches are included with each mattress, it is good if they are preserved. The unused tube of glue supplied can retain its contents without drying for 2-3 years. How to fix it correctly and what is the best way to glue patches on an air mattress? If the glue is lost or dry, it will be replaced, for example, by the Kristall polyurethane glue of the Moment series. You can also use professional glue. PVC shell of the mattress - very well and quickly glued with polyurethane shoe glue (desmakol, boccol, sar, etc.). "Kristall" - also refers to polyurethane, but it is more difficult to work with it, since, unlike shoe glue, glue does not allow thermal activation of the adhesive film and, accordingly, requires more time before the mattress is used. It won't work quickly. You can get around this drawback - by violating the gluing technology described by the manufacturer and fulfill some conditions, namely: apply glue on both surfaces and dry completely, about 20 - 30 minutes, then either "activate" the glue film by applying 5- 7% solution of glue in acetone or ethyl acetate, or by applying a thin layer of glue and drying it "until tacky" - when the glue stops being liquid, and putting the surfaces together, squeeze strongly. For gluing, the compression force is more important than the time under pressure. Such a scheme allows the product to be used an hour after gluing, but it requires skill to "catch" the active phase of the glue.

In the absence of patches, some inexpensive inflatable PVC toy for children can serve as material for replacing them. Cut out a patch in the shape of a circle from the toy. Sandpaper is purchased from a hardware store. Degreasing agent - alcohol or gasoline.

We are looking for a hole, hole, puncture, rupture or torn seam in the mattress. We need to be optimistic and patient. I offer the following simple instructions for finding a puncture and repairing an air mattress:

1. In a quiet room or room, inflate the mattress as tightly as possible.

2. We listen and try to localize the leakage area by the sound of the outgoing air.

3. Carefully study the area of ​​the leak, for example, slowly moving your palm at a distance of 1-3 cm from the surface to localize the hole of the hole. A thin stream of air will "cool" the palm.

4. If the hole or holes are visible, mark them with a ballpoint pen or felt-tip pen.

5. Very small holes are sometimes difficult to see, then you will need to use soapy water, the place of bubbles is also marked.

6. In INTEX mattresses, the sore spot is the valve, so the bleeding is not always the result of a puncture, the valve is also checked with soap and water. Attention! Do not check the valve of the built-in pump in this way or dry it thoroughly before switching on.

6. Prepare a patch of the required size, the edge of the patch should be no closer than 15 mm from the hole.

7. The place of repair is dried, cleaned with sandpaper, and the patch is also cleaned. You can try to clean the fleecy surface with a cotton swab dipped in acetone.

8. Put the patch on the place of gluing and trace its contours on the mattress, this will allow you to gently apply the glue.

9. Degrease the place of gluing and blow off the air from the mattress. For acceleration, you can rearrange the hose on the pump or use a vacuum cleaner.

10. Apply glue to the marked area on the mattress and to the patch.

Place for glue

11. After applying the "Crystal" glue, pause for 5-10 minutes and strongly squeeze the patch and the surface of the mattress. Of course, the surface of the mattress is not always even. Compression density during gluing can be ensured as follows: We try to lay the canvas in the place of gluing on a flat surface. Quickly without the formation of bubbles, roll the patch onto the gluing site, put a piece of polyethylene on the patch, then a piece of foam 3-5 mm thick, slightly larger than the size of the patch, and put a load on top. This sequence of actions is best done before gluing. After installing the load, it is necessary to press firmly on the gluing place for 5-15 seconds and leave the gluing alone for several hours.

Patch cake

12. If everything is glued well and there is no other damage, then we pump up the mattress in 24 hours and use it.

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Inflate the mattress, remove all sources of noise, and listen carefully. Damage to the mattress can give off a slight whistling sound. To be sure, the noisy part can be immersed in water: small bubbles will indicate the location of the puncture.

If the previous method did not help, it's time to feel like a real barber. In a container, beat water with detergent and apply a thick soapy foam to the surface of the mattress with a brush. The foam will begin to bubble at the puncture sites.

After you find the damage, circle it with a pen or crayon so as not to lose it.

2. Prepare the surface

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Let all the air out of the mattress before starting. Clean the area around the puncture from dust and dirt, degrease the surface with gasoline or alcohol. If you need to glue a velor or flock mattress, it is important to remove the lint with acetone or fine-grained sandpaper before applying the patch.

3. Prepare the patch

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Sometimes the mattress comes with special repair kits. If you don't have one, take pieces of thin rubber from the inner tube repair kit or cut up your child's rubber toy. The patch should correspond to the size of the puncture with indents of 2-3 cm and be oval or round. Degrease its surface with petrol or alcohol before use.

4. Cover the air mattress

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How to seal the hole in the mattress? Suitable glue for PVC, universal "Moment" or polyurethane shoe glue.

How to do it? We already have a mattress ready for repair and a cut-to-size, grease-free patch. Now apply an even layer of glue to the mattress and patch, wait 5 minutes for the glue to set a little, and align them. For a greater effect, a load can be put in place of gluing for a day.

What to do if you need to glue the mattress along the seam

If the mattress is torn at the seam, a patch on the outside may not help. In this case, it makes sense to glue the inside of the mattress. To do this, use your hands or a ruler to pull the damaged area through the valve opening. Then glue the patch (according to the instructions from the previous point) to the inside of the mattress. Unscrew the mattress and use it as usual within a day after the glue has completely dried.

How to avoid new damage

To keep your repaired air mattress happy as long as possible, follow these simple rules.

• Before placing the mattress on the floor, grass or sand, inspect the surface for any piercing objects.
• Do not play with pets on the mattress; they can pierce it with claws or teeth.
• Do not pull the mattress on the floor with people lying on it: the seams may come apart.

The inflatable mattress has one significant drawback - the product can be easily punctured or cut. This problem can be solved with a few tools and specially selected glue.

How to glue a velor mattress at home

To glue the velor mattress yourself, you need to prepare:

• Solvent 647 or analogue acetone;
• PVC fabric patch;
• Hair dryer;
• Scissors;
• Dull knife;
• Hard roller;
• Cargo (for pressing down surfaces);
• Glue brush;
• Glue.

Not all glue is suitable for sealing holes and seams. It is necessary to purchase an adhesive mixture designed specifically for rubber, PVC or polyurethane.

• Clay Uranus. It is a synthetic rubber mixed with organic solvents. Fixes rubber, PVC, polyurethane, plastic and other materials firmly to all substrates. Can be used for both hot and cold gluing methods. Provides an elastic glue line, waterproof. Great for repairing rubber and fabric products.
• Kleyberg Master Glue... Waterproof, transparent adhesive mixture. It is used for bonding a wide variety of surfaces: rubber, PVC, polystyrene, metal, wood, ceramics, paper, fabric and other materials. Waterproof, retains a strong connection during temperature extremes. Gives a transparent glue line and does not leave marks. The cost of a 30 ml tube: about 60 rubles.

Repair instructions for holes and seams

A hole in the air mattress can appear from the velor side, often it breaks at the seam. The first step is to find the puncture.

This can be done in several ways:

• Inflate the mattress and apply shaving foam on it - where there are holes, the soap foam will bubble;
• Immerse the inflated mattress in a large container of water, if there is one (it will not fit in a regular bathroom). Bubbles will come out of the punctured areas.

When you find problem areas, you can independently seal the hole in the mattress from the velor side:

1. Spread the mattress well on a flat surface;
2. Before gluing the patch, remove the fluff from the puncture site and the area around it that is about a coin in diameter. This can be done with Thinner 647 from a syringe without a needle. After a couple of minutes, the pile is easily removed with a blunt knife;
3. Attach PVC cloth to the hole;
4. Circle the place for gluing;
5. Use scissors to cut a piece of PVC fabric to the desired size. It is best that the patch be free of sharp, rounded ends. Its length should be 2-4 centimeters longer than the puncture length;
6. Squeeze the adhesive onto the damaged area and patch. You don't need to apply it a lot. The optimal amount will provide the most reliable fastening;
7. Spread the glue evenly on both surfaces to be glued with a brush;
8. Wait for the glue to dry;
9. After 10 minutes, do the same procedure and let the glue dry again for 5 minutes;
10. Then proceed directly to gluing. Heat the applied glue with a hairdryer, but do not overdo it so as not to melt it;
11. Apply the patch to the velor side of the mattress so that no air voids form under it;
12. Press and roll the patch with a hard roller;
13. To allow the glue to dry completely, leave the mattress for a day. It can be folded in any place convenient for you, but at the same time do not allow bending in the place where the patch is glued.

VIDEO INSTRUCTION

Repairing a mattress is not limited to just gluing holes. If it is regularly inflated to the very stop, the seam may rupture.

Repairing a seam is more difficult than gluing a regular puncture.

1. Pull the damaged section of the seam through the valve with your hands or using a ruler;
2. Degrease and clean the punctured seam from dirt with alcohol or acetone;
3. Wait for the area to dry;
4. Apply a small amount of glue to the patch and the damaged area;
5. Spread it evenly over the surfaces to be glued with a brush;
6. Press the surfaces firmly and fix them in this position with any heavy object for 10-12 hours, until the glue is completely dry;
7. To prevent the load from sticking, put a plastic bag over the patch;
8. After the glue has dried, turn the seam back out and inflate the mattress.

If you want your inflatable mattress to last a long time, you need to know how to use it correctly:

• On inflatable velor mattresses it is impossible not only to jump, but even to stand - this product is designed only for the fact that a person will lie in a horizontal position;
• It is not recommended to allow pets to access the inflatable mattresses. With their teeth and claws, they can easily make cuts and punctures on the surface of the mattress;
• You cannot often pump up an air mattress - this should be done no more than once every five days;
• When deflated, the mattress should be stored dry, in a dark place.

These simple rules will help to avoid damage to the integrity of the mattress and you will not have to waste your time gluing punctures and restoring seams.

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An inflatable mattress is a useful and necessary thing. Lightweight and compact, you can use it as a spare bed for guests, take it to your tent or to the beach.

To keep the weight low, the walls of the shell are made very thin, so they can be easily punctured or torn. Microcracks often appear in seams and other joints due to material wear or excessive inflation. In the forest, you can accidentally ruin soft plastic with a branch or sharp stone.

Even at home, on a smooth floor, damage occurs, for example, from the claws of a cat. Fortunately, the mattress can be repaired. In order to seal small holes, you need very little skill and a minimum of materials.

Locating air leaks can be tricky, and small punctures on the flock surface are especially hard to see. If you still manage to find the hole, you need to circle it with a pen or felt-tip pen so that you know later where to stick the patch.

Immersion in water

The easiest way to spot a hole is to submerge the inflated mattress in water. A string of air bubbles that pop up will indicate the puncture site. The disadvantage is that the size of the mattress does not allow it to be done in a basin or bath. This method is convenient to practice near a lake or pool. After completing the search, the mattress must be thoroughly dried before starting repairs.

Lather

Soapy foam applied to the tightly inflated product clearly indicates the damage. Where air leaks, the foam begins to actively bubble. If you dilute a lot of soap in water and foam the solution, then with the help of a sponge this composition can be used to cover the entire mattress in order to detect a defect in the material. When the location of the damage is approximately known in advance, there is an option to use ready-made shaving foam.

Exiting air sound

Air escaping under pressure from the narrow opening produces a hiss. If you listen carefully in a quiet environment, you can understand from which part of the mattress this sound is heard. To accurately determine the puncture site, you need to bring your hand to a suspicious place in order to feel a thin cooling stream.

Liquid filling

A certain amount of liquid is poured into the mattress, when you press on it in different places it will be seen how the liquid comes out through the holes. If you add soapy water, it will foam and make the leak more visible from the outside.

There may be several holes, therefore it is recommended to check the entire mattress. But you need to apply patches sequentially, one after the other.

Surface preparation for patching

A quality repair is possible only if the mattress surface is carefully prepared. The holes are always glued on the deflated product.

First of all, the mattress needs to be well dried and cleaned of dirt and debris. Plastic is degreased with acetone, gasoline, alcohol or other available means.

If the mattress is flocked, the lint must be removed. The smooth plastic or rubber surface does not need to be subjected to any mechanical treatment, such as rubbing with sandpaper. Modern adhesives, and without this, firmly connect materials of this kind.

Repair kit for inflatable mattress

Mattress manufacturers offer special repair kits in addition to their products. Such repair kits are included with the product, or purchased separately. The repair kit includes glue and several different sized patches.

The place of damage and the patch must be degreased and, if necessary, sanded with sandpaper.

Both surfaces are lubricated with glue and after 10 minutes they are tightly pressed against each other. After a day, the mattress can be used again.

It is recommended to purchase a repair kit together with the mattress, it will probably be needed sooner or later, and the glue in a sealed tube perfectly retains its properties for two to three years. On the plus side, the manufacturer's glue is likely to match the material of the product and the attached patch.

Given the wide range of plastics, choosing an adhesive for a mattress repair can be challenging. General purpose and rubber varieties and PVC adhesive are generally recommended. In any case, the adhesive should, after drying, form a strong, elastic and waterproof bonding layer. It is undesirable to apply a large amount of the composition; literally a couple of drops are enough to seal small defects.

Adhesive Moment universal

As the name suggests, Moment universal glue sticks together almost all materials. It is also suitable for joining in various combinations of rubber, fabric, PVC and other plastics. To seal the hole, wipe the surface of the mattress at the repair site with some kind of grease remover. Do the same with the patch.

Then they are greased with glue and, after waiting 10 minutes, pressed tightly against each other. The product is ready for use in 24 hours.

Polyurethane Shoe Glue

The glue used in the shoe industry can also be used to patch up a leaky mattress. It is very reliable and creates a strong and flexible layer between the surfaces to be bonded.

It is necessary to apply the adhesive to a clean material and dry for 10 minutes. After that, the glue is activated by heating. It is convenient to use a home hairdryer for this. Then the surfaces are connected, and unlike Moment, it is not necessary to press them strongly against each other.

PVC adhesive

Since air mattresses are often made of polyvinyl chloride, special adhesives are used to repair them, designed for gluing PVC parts. The glue is applied to both parts, and after it dries, it is recommended to apply another layer on top. Now you need to wait about 20 minutes and attach the patch to the prepared place.

Glue Super-Moment

If necessary, instant adhesives can also be used to adhere the patch to the air mattress. But sometimes they contain substances that can damage the surface. The disadvantage of this glue is that it turns into a solid when it dries and can crumble at the folds.

The materials from which the air mattresses are made are extremely elastic, and rubber-based adhesives are better suited for them.

Natural rubber glue

Rubber adhesives provide a flexible glue line and do not stain. The glue is applied to the product in two layers, it is allowed to dry, then the surfaces are pressed tightly. In this case, the compression force is important. The sealed place must be pressed down with a load and left to lie on a flat surface for 24 hours.

Other adhesives

In the absence of glue, craftsmen put pieces of PVC for a long time in a solvent. The plastic softens and the result is a composition that successfully performs the functions of a purchased glue. For example, you can take plastic bottles and acetone for this purpose. Any glue is toxic, so when working with it, you need to take care of ventilation and fire safety measures.

You can see clearly how to seal a hole in an air mattress in the video.

What can the patch be made of?

If there is no branded repair kit, a piece of any thin rubber will come in handy as a patch. This can be a patch for a car or bicycle camera, a piece of a child's rubber toy, or any other rubberized item. Ordinary cotton fabric will work as well, but it should be soaked with rubber glue before repairing. After the fabric patch dries, it is glued into place according to standard instructions.

How to glue a velor surface at home

If the mattress has a fluffy velor surface, you will not be able to stick the patch directly over the pile. First, you need to clean a patch the size of the future patch around the hole. To weaken the bond of the velor to the base, the surface is moistened with a solvent such as acetone.

Now you can gently scrape off any excess with a blunt knife. The resulting receding hairline is again thoroughly rubbed with acetone until smooth and greased with glue.

After a few minutes of drying, a patch covered with glue is applied to it and pressed firmly.

In order not to spoil the appearance of the product, gluing can be done from the inside. On the inside, the material is usually smooth, there is no velor or decorative embossing on it. The area to be treated is pushed out through the inflation valve. It is, if possible, straightened and processed according to the standard scheme:

• degreasing;
• glue application;
• drying;
• gluing.

Seam sealing

Even with careful handling, the seams of the material may come loose. It is especially difficult to eliminate air leakage from the seam. The junction of two layers of material, as a rule, is uneven, and microdefects remain under the patch that violate the tightness. When gluing the seam, the surface is thoroughly treated with alcohol, and then proceed according to the instructions on the package with the glue. It is recommended to seal the breaks of the seams from the inside, so it is easier to achieve a good result.

Features of repairing rubber mattresses

Modern industry practically does not produce inflatable rubber products. This material weighs much more than PVC and begins to crack over time. But if you have a rubber mattress in stock, it is best to use rubber glue to repair it. The surfaces are sanded or degreased with gasoline, and then glued according to the instructions.

Should I go to a workshop?

If you are not confident in your abilities, or the cracks seem to be too large, you should still not throw the mattress away. There are repair shops, and large manufacturers have their own service departments that will help to save the product. You should contact a professional if the length of the gaps exceeds 5 cm. It is also possible to cope with severely parted seams only with the help of special equipment.

The controversial issue is whether it is necessary to contact the workshop if the internal partition has burst. On the one hand, this defect cannot be repaired at home. On the other hand, a slight bulge on the surface of the mattress does not make it less comfortable. This is rather a cosmetic defect, and if you wish, you can do without repairs at all.

Of course, if the insides of the product have become completely unusable, it is impossible to use it. But the repair then hardly makes sense, it is cheaper and easier to buy a new mattress.

A quick and hassle-free patching of a damaged mattress can prolong its life for a long time. The combination of durable modern materials and adhesives will make the product resistant to further influences. If you adhere to simple rules of storage and use, then new holes will not form, and the mattress will remain your convenient, lightweight and comfortable companion.

Inflatable mattresses (beds) are convenient when you need to quickly organize a temporary sleeping place. They are cheap and come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Most modern air mattresses are made of soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet of a small thickness. Their most common problem is air leakage through small damages (holes) that form spontaneously during normal use, in other words, the mattress is deflated.

Large firms, manufacturers of air mattresses, for such cases offer their own repair kits (repair kits), consisting of a special glue for PVC and several patches. Such a repair kit can be recommended for purchase immediately (along with the mattress), since sooner or later it will definitely come in handy.

If there is no branded repair kit at hand, then you can use the tools at hand.

To glue an inflatable mattress, you must:

1. Soapy water.
2. Glue "Moment universal".
3. Degreasing agent (acetone or gasoline).
4. Pieces of thin rubber.

Transparent glue will allow you to level the blemishes of its application.

In the car camera repair kit, you can find ready-made patches of suitable sizes. It was found experimentally that its glue is not suitable for gluing PVC.

The first thing to do is to find on the mattress all the damage from which air comes out. To do this, prepare soapy water, shake it until a rich foam is formed. Inflate the mattress tightly and start slowly, consistently applying the foam with a brush to its entire surface. An inflating bubble is an indication of an air leak. As a rule, the holes are very small, and in order not to lose sight of them, it is better to immediately circle the problem area with a marker.

Dissolved in water, "bubble bath" allows you to quickly get a lot of foam.

Air escaping from the mattress inflates a bubble.

The holes are usually very small and are most common where the inner connectors of the mattress are attached.

On a flocked surface, it is even more difficult to see a hole.

After all the damage is localized, we proceed directly to gluing the mattress, having previously expelled air from it. Degrease the patch area, as well as the patch itself. If the damage is on the upper flocked surface, then the flock must first be removed with acetone.

Degreasing (photo above) and removing flock with acetone.

Apply glue to both surfaces (mattress and patch) in an even layer of moderate thickness. We sustain a five-minute pause, apply a patch and firmly press it to the place of damage. It makes sense to press down the patch with some kind of cargo for up to 24 hours.

Glue application.

Applying a patch.

After a day, we inflate the mattress tightly and use the same soap foam to check the quality of the work performed. If air is poisoned through the patch, it can be carefully torn off and re-glued.

As practice shows, you have to glue air mattresses from different manufacturers more or less regularly, even if you use them carefully, without unnecessarily blowing them off. Apparently, the reason for this lies in the discrepancy between the strength characteristics of the material from which the mattresses are made and the operational loads that fall on them.