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Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

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finnkc
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Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby finnkc » Tue Sep 09, 2014 6:41 pm

Went to pump up my 12m 2012 Envy last week ... sssssssssssssssssssssssss .... &$^%!!!

The valves on my left strut (one pump) are completely cracked and fractured (both leaking). Right at the stem there are rather large cracks letting air out. The other valves are not even close to this bad (one is showing minor spider fractures). Not hard to replace but I am wondering why has this happened? What causes both the valves on the same strut go bad at the same time? I have maybe 20 sessions on this kite, and it is stored on my garage wall in its bag.

I have used it once for snowkiting. Maybe the frozen brittle valves got whacked and caused the initial damage? Faulty valves?

Not too happy about it, and I want to replace all of them now and save myself having to pull the LE bladder out more than once.

Is this normal?
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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby edt » Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:00 pm

contact liquid force. I have owned several lf kites never seen this problem after only a year or two. Valves usually crack like this when the plasticizer leaks out of the valve, it takes about 5 or so years before the valve loses enough plasticizer that it becomes brittle and starts to crack. Should not happen in a 2012 kite. I kite in michigan there's no problem kiting in -10 or -20 of course you have to take care when it is that cold you don't tear the valves because they lose their flexibility in the cold, but if you take care you should be fine and after the vavles warm up again they are just like usual. The problem in the cold isn't when you crash the kites but when you open and shut the intake and outtake valves that's the dangerous part. I get in about 50 snow kite sessions per year depending on how good the year is. So I don't think it's the cold. One possibility is that there was a problem in the manufacturing of these valves for this particle set of bladders and they didn't get enough plasticizer added that's why I say contact liquid force just see what they say about it. It is not normal for this to happen to a kite only 2 years old.

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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby plummet » Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:30 pm

uv damage?

have you they been left on the beach in sunlight quite often?

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finnkc
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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby finnkc » Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:24 pm

Shouldn't be UV. It hasn't been out and pumped up for more than 50 hours, and it hasn't always been very high UV days when it was out.

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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby finnkc » Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:32 pm

I contacted LF via email, see what they say.

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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby dimip » Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:46 pm

I have envy 2013 6m shame shit(20 sessions about) ... Both valves cracked at the same time, water inside, I was lucky onshore wind on a big sandy beach and close to shore (selfrescued). It has been professionally repaired,(no chance to crack again) but still because of this easy pump system a mild crash and valve can poop out from the hose... I saw for 2015 they changed completely the system for something hopefully more reliable... (other way the kite flys OK, for the category )

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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby william_rx7 » Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:44 pm

What pump adapter are you using?
Don't use the pointed adapter to jam into the valve.
Use the larger one that fits over the valve.
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dimip
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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby dimip » Thu Sep 11, 2014 6:04 am

It has nothing to do with this. Liquid force has its own special valve - adapter which is a very good one. You pump the kite faster than anything else.

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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby pmaggie » Thu Sep 11, 2014 8:00 am

Did you left your kite ìn the car sunny days? The air inside a car can reach 60°/70°C (140/160°F), also if the outside temperature is not so high. These are perfect conditions to destroy the valves.

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Re: Valves - How to avoid / What causes this?

Postby dimip » Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:07 am

Does any of you has the envy? The valves break not delaminate... They are made from hard plastic, or whatever it is and when flying the kite they take serious load there, so after a few sessions they break. Nothing to do with temperature. It was faulty one pump and for 2015 they changed it...


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