Edit ArticleHow to Repair an Aerobed Leak Six Methods:Preparing the MattressStopping a Pinhole LeakPatching a Small Hole or TearFixing a Leak in the SeamRepairing the ValveChecking your workCommunity Q&A Air mattresses are useful items for camping trips and accommodating guests. Unfortunately, after time even the best air mattresses are prone to leaks. Given that a top-of-line air mattress can cost quite a bit of money, it’s worth considering repairing the leak yourself.From simply listening for the leak to spraying the mattress with soapy water and looking for bubbles to more extreme tests like submerging the mattress in a tub or swimming pool, the many tests for find a leak in your air mattress are detailed in 5 Ways to Locate a Leak in an Air Mattress. However, the most reliable methods seem to be the easiest: using your ears and spraying the mattress with soapy water. Whichever method you choose, always inspect the mattress systematically. First inspect the valves.
Then, check the seams. Finally, inspect the flat surfaces of mattress.Use a permanent marker or a piece of masking tape. For “flocked” (fuzzy) mattresses, use fine grit sandpaper or an emery board to smooth the area before attempting to patch it. And make sure to remove any debris with a damp cloth or vacuum cleaner before proceeding. Alternatively, use acetone—an ingredient found in many nail polish removers—to smooth the flocked area before patching it. Wet a cotton ball with a small amount of acetone and dab the area around the hole. Then, use something rigid like a spoon to scrape away the flocking. Finally, use rubbing alcohol to clean the area thoroughly. Dry the mattress completely.You will need a urethane glue like McNett’s Freestyle , Seam Grip, or Aquaseal, or Coleman’s Seam Sealer. Smear a small amount of glue over the hole.As the mattress inflates, the glue should seal the hole. In the event that you are unable to seal the hole with glue alone, proceed to Method 2, “Patching a Small Hole or Tear.”
Let the glue dry. This will take 24 hours. Make sure the glue is dry before you use the mattress.You will either need an air mattress repair kit or the equivalent components: an adhesive and a piece of vinyl that’s larger than the hole you’re repairing. Use any vinyl repair kit instead of an air mattress repair kit. Choose an adhesive that’s made expressly for sealing seams. Try McNett’s Seam Grip or Coleman’s Seam Sealer. You can also consider using rubber cement. Duct tape can be used in place of the vinyl if no other alternatives are available. You may also need something with which to apply the adhesive. A small paint brush is ideal. Measure and cut a patch that’s at least ½ inch bigger on all sides than the tear. Apply the adhesive to one side of the patch. Use the applicator that came with the adhesive or small paint brush.[12] Make sure you cover the entire surface of the patch. If the leak is small and in an area where a patch cannot make full contact with the mattress fabric, you can try plugging the leak with a small a bit of adhesive.
Press the patch, adhesive-side down, onto the tear or hole. Press firmly and smooth it out. The goal is get the patch to make full contact with the mattress. Consider weighting down the patch with a 10-pound weight to ensure full contact between the patch and the mattress. Let dry for several hours. Exact drying times will depend on which adhesive you’ve used. Refer to the directions on the package. Consider returning the mattress. If the mattress is new, a leak in the seam may indicate a defect or poor quality.You will need an air mattress repair kit or the equivalent components: a vinyl adhesive and a vinyl patch. When purchasing adhesives, look for urethane glues like McNett’s Seam Grip or Coleman’s Seam Sealer. Instead of urethane glue, you can try rubber cement. Cut a patch from a repair kit or a spare piece of vinyl so that it will cover the tear. Smear an ample amount of adhesive over the tear. Use the applicator that came with your adhesive or a small paint brush.
[20] Make sure the adhesive extends ¼ of an inch beyond the edges of the tear. If you’re fixing a seam on a flocked surface, use more adhesive to ensure that the two sides of the seam stick together. Press the two sides of the seam together. The goal is to make sure that both sides of the opening remain in contact while the adhesives sets up. Consider using clothespins to hold the two sides of the tear together. Just be careful not to glue the clothespins to the mattress. Let the adhesive dry almost completely.[23] This is called “setting up” and will take a few hours. Apply a layer of adhesive to the patch. Place the vinyl patch onto the newly applied rubber cement, following the instructions on your repair kit. Allow the adhesive to dry completely.[26] Drying times will vary depending on the adhesive but 6-8 hours is a good bet.Is there a hole or a crack? A hole will be easier to fix than a crack. If there’s a crack you might need to order a new valve from the air mattress manufacturer.
This is a long-shot method and may not always work. Often, a severely damaged valve means that you’ll need to buy a new mattress. Plug the hole by filling it with rubber cement or seam sealer.If the valve is leaking air because the valve plug isn’t properly sealing against the valve stem, you can line the stem with a thin piece of plastic to help it seal properly.If the valve is damaged beyond repair, order a new one from the manufacturer and replace it according to the instructions. Place a weight on the mattress. This PDF is available to Subscribers Only Sign in as individual > Sign in as institution >How do you provide emergency medical care in a conflict zone? We join Mike Denison and a Red Cross surgical team in South Sudan. As a biomedical engineer, I have worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for six years in various countries, but never before in a mobile field hospital. So I was full of anticipation as I flew to South Sudan for a two-month assignment.
When conflict broke out in the world's newest nation in December 2013, thousands of combatants and civilians were injured across the country. The ICRC had been supporting a teaching hospital in the north but was forced to evacuate during the conflict. So the next option was to form mobile surgical teams, which could be deployed at short notice wherever the injured required emergency assistance. Mobile surgical teams comprise an anaesthetist, a surgeon, an operating nurse and a ward nurse. These are supported at times by a laboratory specialist, a physiotherapist, a water and sanitation engineer, and occasionally a biomedical engineer like myself. South Sudan Red Cross volunteers are always involved, and an enormous asset to the team. South Sudan is large and flat, with a prolonged wet season that leaves much of the country flooded. Four-wheel drives churn the wet soil into a thick, clinging mud. Roads become impassable, so teams are flown in, either in a light plane or a helicopter if the plane cannot land.
Teams are dispatched with a kit of drugs, bandages and surgical equipment; as well as tents, food, water and a small electrical generator. In the field, we sleep on air mattresses in tents or small mud huts called tukuls. In these malaria-prone areas, mosquito nets are essential. War surgery is brutal. Bullets tear flesh and break bones. Wounds invariably become infected and amputations are common. The equipment in a field hospital's operating theatre is quite basic: an operating table (or bench) to place the patient; a light so the surgeon can see their work; a suction machine to remove blood and secretions from the wound; a machine to measure oxygen in the blood and another to produce oxygen if the patient needs it. There is always an autoclave to ensure surgical instruments and bandages are sterile before use. My job was to ensure that medical equipment was working as it should, and repair broken items: whether by tightening a few bolts, replacing a part or ordering a replacement.
Sometimes I taught local staff how to use a piece of equipment or how to repair it when it breaks. Some mobile teams operate in semi-permanent facilities such as a community health centre. Other teams are flown in after a particular battle, where injured people have no other access to treatment. They may stay a few days before flying back to base, sometimes taking patients who need follow-up care. There were times when there was little to do but wait for someone or something to arrive, and other times when a crisis demanded long hours of frantic activity without rest. I found it important to keep a good sense of humour, as well as a sense of perspective about my individual contribution within the scheme of things. South Sudan will certainly need support and patience from the international community as its proud people establish the society and services they deserve. I find it incredibly rewarding to contribute to this, even in a small way, alongside the amazing individuals in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.