Locating air mattress leak?

[Peabody]

I have an air matress that's worked great for a year, but has now developed a leak.

I tried twice to locate the leak with soapy water (using Dawn liquid), but couldn't find even a hint of a leak. Well, I probably should just junk it, but in these days of the bad economy and environmental concern, I would rather fix it if I can. But I need to find the place that needs fixing. :-)

Does anyone have a tried and true method of leak detection for these mattresses - a preferred soap, or whatever other method? I had even thought of filling it with water instead of air, but I wonder if air would leak from a hole that water wouldn't. So I'm not sure that would tell me anything.

Anyway, I would appreciate any suggestions.

[charlie]

hose & bucket. add dishsoap to water. inflate, then slop on and look to see where the bubbles are.

[Heathcliff]

Maybe an odorant? Spritz some perfume in there and try to find the leak by smell?

[WW]

Did you suds check the fill valve> WW

>

[Peabody]

Yes, there are two of them, and I checked them first. Extensively.

[Peabody]

Or maybe smoke? Red smoke. What can I use to generate that?

[SteveB]

Spray with Windex, or any spray cleaner. It gives you just enough on there to make bubbles without making a lot of bubbles like you would mixing water and soap in a bucket. Spray lightly. Slightly overinflate mattress to firm before starting. Werks fer me.

Steve

[Phisherman]

Go back to the soapy water. Try a spray bottle with warm soapy water.

[Stormin Mormon]

Fill air matress with propane, and use combustible leak detector.

Fill air matrress with freon, and use a refrigerant leak detector.

Fill bath tub with cool water, and try to submerge matress. Look for bubbles.

[Red Green]

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:gqej30 $u7v$ [e-mail]:

Grab a nice fat Cuban cigar and a good book like something on the Hindenberg. Turn on some Led ZEPPELIN. Fill mattress with hydrogen. Toss in pool, get on and relax with cigar and book. You'll find the leak effortlessly.

[mm]

Burn paprika.

[mm]

Have you ever seen anyone try to find a leak in an auto tire, or a bicycle inner tube?

Do the same. Inflate it and put it under water. All at the same time, or all parts of it in turn.

[Ron]

I think you are probably a troll, but if not, DGDevin asked a question that would solve your "problem".

[David Nebenzahl]

On 3/25/2009 5:57 PM Red Green spake thus:

Oh, the HUMANITY!!!

[cshenk]

LOL, it sounds like it but may not be. When I first got married, I didnt have money yet for a bed but put a sleeper sofa on lay away. It was a 1 room apartment in a high rise in Hawaii. Kinda L shaped with a tiny kitchen section. We used an air mattress in the corner 'L' for probably 4 months until we got the sofa paid off and delivered. Once we got the sofa, we found the 'mattress' to be rather lumpy and put the air one on top for another 6-7 months ;-) That was when we were poor and rather than go use credit cards, we just saved up to buy what we needed.

I seem to recall the next stuff was a decent TV instead of my old 19 inch black and white and then a better car. The 'real mattress' just didnt seem that critical since the airbed one worked well as long as you added air with the foot pump every 2-3 days.

[zimpzampzormp]

What if you have an air mattress that has a built in electric air pump?