Honwave problem

[Mick webster]

Hi lads, l have a 2.7 honwave air floor inflatable, it has a leak on one side of the floor and takes about 7 hours to go flat!
I've spent hours with friends trying to find the leak to no avail!
I've filled it with water, there's no valve leak, turned it over and checked with soapy water, nothing!
Have any of you had this problem?, and can you advise me on anything else I can do?
Thankyou Mick.

[Fenlander]

Welcome to the forum Mick. This is getting towards what I call a slow leak and they are a little harder to track down.

I use two methods for leak detection. Either a bucket of quite strong squeezy mix slopped all over the area with a cloth... or for a harder to find slow leak spraying the mixture on with the sort of sprayer most cleaning products come in. The sprayer will usually make foam and it’s easier to see a leak increasing the size of existing bubbles than making bubbles from liquid.

Concentrate on seams, joints and any signs of nicks etc but pinpricks can be anywhere.

Valve is easy to eliminate but remember the make bubbles first trick.

David

[Mick webster]

Thankyou for your reply, David,i tried all that as well pal, I think I'm just gonna have to put up with It!
I had an Avon hypalon boat for about 20 years, never had to blow it up from one month to the next, I realise Honwave aren't the same quality of course, but it's a lot easier to launch!
Cheers pal.

[Fenlander]

Although I called it on the slow side for a leak don't give up in case it suddenly becomes a much faster leak.

If it's going down it's leaking... and a leak can always be found. Just go over it all again.

Honwaves don't generally go down unless they have a specific leak.

[Mick webster]

Hi David,
Your right pal, I'm hoping it gets worse as it may manifest itself, it stays up long enough for a fishing session, I don't think it would matter if it went down as it's not exactly a performance boat with a 2.3 up engine!
My main problem is that I have to blow the floor up each time I go out, so I can't go early on a morning as the Bravo pump would wake up the campsite! Ha ha ha!
Cheers pal Mick

[jeffstevens763@g]

hi mick welcome all as david says one thing you will find with a hole that goes inward tend to seal themselves to some extent it's particularly the case with drysuits thats why they turn them inside out to pressure test in effect blowing in the hole to find the leak i know you can't do that but just making a point, consider letting the pressure down in the tube a bit so it's not sealed the hole tight. if you put PVC over a needle and pull down the material stretches a long way before the needle breaks through hence that can form back to give a partial seal

[Locozodiac]

Standard air floors looses pressure over hours, days, will depend entirely at which PSI were inflated to and the atmospheric pressure they work with. Have not stated at which PSI do you usually inflate the air floor to become flat in just 7 hours.

The only air floors that defleate the least are the ones found in the military range, the cheapo ones will go that route, that's why air floors are not popular, needs constant re inflation to become extremely hard and work as were intended to do so.

If don't want to awaken the whole camp with the electric Bravo Pump, buy a good quality hand/foot pump and voila..

Happy Boating

[Fenlander]

>>> that's why air floors are not popular, needs constant re inflation to become extremely hard and work as were intended to do so.


Don't make Mick think his leak is normal... it's not.

In the UK air floors are popular for their light weight and ease of setup particularly on daily use SIBs. They also do not lose pressure for many days at a time unless they have a leak or there is a massive temperature change... and in the case of the temp change they're not losing pressure as we mostly use the term.

Last year on holiday the right side air floor panel of my Zodiac lasted the whole period (almost 2 weeks) without topping up. The left side needed a mid holiday top up... why?... it had a leak I found.

[Mick webster]

Thankyou for the welcome and the advice lads, I'll just wait and see what develops over time with It!
I don't use the boat a lot as I still love going kayak fishing!
Cheers, Mick

[Mick webster]

Great pics Bigplumbs!

[Locozodiac]

Hey Fenlander, what does air floors not being popular has to do with OP's air leaks ? He doen't know if counting with an air leak or not so far, was just stating proven facts about constant air floors deflation issues.

It's impossible for any standard 0.7 mm air floor not to lose pressure over hours, days. Have owned 2 Heavy Duty 320 and 360 Sibs with HD 1.2mm air floors. During summer were inflated to their max 15 PSI working pressure with a modified 12 volt tire inflator, none of them could hold 15 PSI when used next day so had to be topped back to 15 PS to achieve a hard deck that could stand on firmly.

Due to constant deflation issues ended buying complete alum panel flooring for both sibs, now use both air floors for yoga purposes, floating devices, as inflatable matress when camping, you name it.

What has a 2 part good quality air floor Aerotec type has to do with a simple plain flat cheapo Honwave air floor, can't be compared between them, to each Sib type its own air floor model. Locate yourself you lose your way with such amazing ease....

Would recommend the OP to buy a nice Bravo 4 alu hand pump or a dual action Bravo 9 foot pumpl and top his air floor on terra firme before the Sib enters water as it's impossible to re inflate an air floor with any of both mentioned air pumps on top of a flat air deck while Sib floats.

Happy Boating

[Fenlander]

You say air floors are not popular and they lose pressure over hours/days.

In the UK they are popular... loads on here own them.

The Honwave air floor is a 2-part like the Aerotec with a similar if more shallow V. They are not a simple flat air floor.

Unless they have a leak... which can always be found eventually... they do not suffer the sort of air loss you have experienced. I am sorry yours leaked and suffered constant deflation but it's not my experience or that of many here.

Thankfully I have never lost my way in matters related to being on the water yet.

[Locozodiac]

Sorry, the sort of pressure lost that have experienced will be same on new flat or deep V air floors, are not car tires, both are manufactured with thousands of criss crossed vertical fibers inside them to achieve extended floor rigidity.

Once inflated to their max factory recommended working pressure will eventually lose its max pressure inflated to due to changing atmospheric conditions through the day or night, only checkable with a precision pressure gauge. To state that only flat ones loses overall pressue it's a fallacy.

Partial defleating is one scenario, defleating extensively to be near flat its a different one. To each its own cause...

Happy Boating

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Locozodiac

.....Once inflated to their max factory recommended working pressure will eventually lose its max pressure inflated to due to changing atmospheric conditions through the day or night.....

But that’s not down to leaks, that’s physics & we all know “ye canna change the laws o’ physics Jim”. If the floor isn’t leaking, the same laws of physics will cause the pressure to rise back to the original pressure, assuming no leaks. If you are constantly having to top up your floor, or any other section for that matter, you have a leak. Obviously.

[Fenlander]

>>>To state that only flat ones loses overall pressue it's a fallacy.

You bought up the flat air floor issue when commenting... "What has a 2 part good quality air floor Aerotec type has to do with a simple plain flat cheapo Honwave air floor, can't be compared between them"

Personally I see no difference between a flat and V air floor with regard to pressure loss.

I was just pointing out the Honwave air floor is not flat and has a lot in common with the Aerotec (2 separate panels... drop stitch design... V-shape) even if fitted to the tubes in a different way.

I have owned 6 air floor SIBs and none have been sold due to excessive pressure loss.

Anyway I think Mick has the picture so I'll kind of leave it at that.

[jeffstevens763@g]

the only air floor ive had i bought for the grandkids pumped up to pressure it stayed there for months other than temperature change as we all know.

at work we own a sit resicraft air floor it's the same stays up for months

[Bigplumbs]

Old Loco is getting confused again

[Yabadabadoo]

Not very helpful but is anyone else seeing the smiley face in this Honwave? :-)

[GuyC]

It has legs and a hat as well.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Yabadabadoo

Not very helpful but is anyone else seeing the smiley face in this Honwave? :-)

Its dave trigg