Pluggin’ holes in my pad

More is not always better, but I am wondering if you are either using too little sealant or not waiting long enough for the sealant to "cure"? You need to smear the gooey sealant with a bit of pressure, over an area sufficiently bigger than the pinhole itself. Remember, when inflated, and esp. with you lying on top, there's a lot of inside pressure trying to escape by pushing away at the sealant/pinhole!

I would use a dab of sealant, wait for it to cure, test to make sure the sealant works OK, then finally cover over with a small round patch to protect the sealant from abrasion.

Well, Ben, the instructions said to wait at least 30 miniutes to cure, and I waited longer than that. On the third attempt, I gave it at least an hour. This was inside, with AC on, so not much humidity. I just dabbed the sealant on. Perhaps I'll remove the unsuccessful repair with mineral spirits and start over, or just apply some patches and be done with it.

P.S. Keep your cats off your inflatable pads.

Is it really just a coincidence that a microwave is sized perfectly for cats?

> I followed the suggested method of repair (inflate, submerge, etc) and located a few pinholes in the pad. When I use a dot of the supplied sealer, as recommened, the air seems to escape around the edges of the fix.
Let's think about what is happening at the fabric surface. Air is coming through a little hole – we know that. You have put some goo on top of the fabric and it has cured – OK. But air is leaking out around the edges. HOW is it leaking out?
Through the fabric layer itself. Yes, you have put the goo ON the fabric, but to make it seal you have to get the goo to contact the air-barrier layer below the fabric. In short, you have to rub the goo hard INTO the weave of the fabric so it contacts the coating on the inside. You have to wet out the fabric with the goo. Unless you do that there will be an air path. Think of the fabric as a layer of very porous open-cell foam.

I doubt you need to use a fabric patch, and in fact it won't help if you haven't got the goo INTO the weave of the fabric anyhow.

> Also, would SilNet work as a sealeant?
Well, it might, but SeamGrip would be far better if the fabric is not silnylon. SilNet will not bond to a PU layer, and I suspect that's what is inside the fabric. SeamGrip will bond.

Cheers
Roger

Actually, if it's a polyurethane sealer that you're using, it prefers HIGH humidity to cure (it will cure under water)

Also, running with Roger's idea, I would fully DEflate the pad before apllying the sealant, to attempt to pull it down into the hole as the pad trys to inflate through the tiny holes.

Good luck, Rod

I missed the part about SilNet. I agree with Roger that SeamGrip — or similar gooey stuff that comes with most repair kits — will work much better than SilNet. SilNet is designed for silnylon, and it can peal off fairly easily when used on regular nylon or poly.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll pull off whats on there now and use a more vigorous method in appyling the sealer on the next go-round.