How To Repair Air Sofa Bed in 6 Easy Steps

Owning an air sofa bed is very convenient, but a single hole or leak can render it useless, but this is nothing unfixable. There are easy ways on how to repair air sofa bed. Once this furniture springs a leak, you need to find the hole as quickly as possible to fix it and prevent further damage. Finding the leak can be tricky unless you learn some practical techniques on how to do it.
Eventually, air sofa beds leak, which is inevitable, especially if you have been using it in the long run. An air sofa bed leak is most likely to be found near a seam, along the stem of the inflation valve, and anywhere on its body. Always remember that even the tiniest leak can render an air sofa bed useless. With no further ado, here are some easy steps on how to repair air sofa bed.
Things you Need
Here are the materials you will need in following the steps on how to repair air sofa bed.
- Patch Kit
- Masking tape
- Long needle
- Vice grips or pliers
- Paper towels
- Soapy water
- Sponge
- Rubber gloves
- Yarn
- Scissors
Steps on How to Repair Air Sofa Bed
Step 1
Inflate the air sofa bed by at least halfway full. The air must stay on the sofa bed, so make sure to close the valve. Press down on different parts of the sofa bed or listen for escaping air to know the area of the leak. Make sure to mark the leak and tear with a piece of masking tape once you find it. However, if the hole is too small, you may not be able to see or hear it.
Step 2
Get the sponge then saturate it with soapy water. Rub the soap water on the suspected leak areas of the sofa bed. Then, carefully apply some pressure to the sofa bed to force the air out from the leak. Determine the leak location by looking for bubbles in the soap. You can do this by applying more soap water to other parts of the sofa bed if nothing shows up. Include the seams and the attachment between the valve stem and the sofa bed. Continue doing this until the leak is found. You can use masking tape to mark the hole.
Step 3
If your sofa bed has deflated significantly, inflate it until half to ¾ full. This is to close the valve to seal air in. Wipe the remaining soap water with a damp paper towel. After that, dry all the parts with a dry paper towel.
Step 4
Put on some rubber gloves. Cut a piece of yarn about several inches long using scissors, then thread the yarn through the needle. Look for the cement from your patch kit. Apply this to the pinhole leak and on the threaded yarn. Make sure that the entire piece of yarn is well-coated. Using the vice grips, grab around the pointed end of the needle. Carefully push the end of the needle through the pinhole leak and then clamp onto it tightly. After this, push the needle into the sofa bed for half an inch. You can push more if the needle is long. Keep the needle near the sofa bed to pull it back out.
At this point, you will see the yarn protruding from the pinhole leak. Cut the yarn. Let the cement dry thoroughly.
Step 5
Apply a thick amount of rubber cement from your patch kit to repair a small leak. Do this on the seam area, then smooth out with your rubber-gloved hand. Cut a small patch from the patch kit when the rubber cement is almost dry. Follow the package instructions in securing the patch in place. The instructions may vary among different manufacturers. If the patch is too small for the hole or leak, then it is time to buy a new sofa bed. In that case, there is no need to learn how to repair air sofa bed.
Step 6
A leak around the inflation valve is not always fixable. The cement from the patch kit will only help if the valve itself has a hole, not a crack. On the other hand, if the valve is old and cracked, it might not be fixable anymore. You can attempt to patch it as instructed in Step 4. However, it can be challenging since the valve is made with different materials.
Conclusion
These are the easiest steps on how to repair air sofa bed. Note that if you do not own an air sofa bed repair kit, you can always use a tire kit designed for automobiles or bicycles. The adhesive is an essential component of a kit. Once you find the small leak, repairing your sofa bed will be a breeze. Get more tips on sofa beds.