Knowing why inflatable boats deflate or lose air pressure will help you manage your boat well.
Owning a standard boat can be a bit expensive most of the times.
Due to this, a lot of people spend their little budget to buy an inflatable boat they can use when they have a leisure time.
When using a boat that is inflatable, one of the things you will face is reduction in the volume of air in the boat.
Inflatable boats deflate due to a hole in the boat, bad material and change in the temperature of the environment.
Sometimes it could be due to a problem with the material of the boat.
In other cases, it could be due to a temperature difference especially in the night.
Having a good knowledge about this will help you know why inflatable boats lose air pressure and the best solution to give.
Why Inflatable Boats Deflate Or Lose Air Pressure
1) Bad Inflatable Boat Material
One of the things that will have an impact on how your inflatable boat performs is the quality of the material used in producing the boat.
When the quality of the material is good, you will have a lot of great moments when you make use of your inflatable boat.
But when the quality of the material is bad, the reverse will be the case.
In such a situation, you will have a bad experience when you make use of your inflatable boat.
One of the ways in which this will show up will be in the pressured air retention in your inflatable boat.
When the inflatable boat material is bad, the retention of air in the boat will be poor.
This will lead to the loss of air pressure from the boat after you have inflated the boat.
But when the material of the boat is a good one, this will result in the retention of the air pressure of the inflatable boat well.
This makes the inflatable boat to maintain a good shape.
Apart from that, it will be able to move well on the water when it is time for you to make use of it.
But the thing is that when it comes to an inflatable boat that is good, the price is never cheap.
So if you want to buy an inflatable boat that is safe and enjoyable, you have to spend money to get a good one.
This will reduce the rate at which it loses air pressure.
2) Air Inlet Valve Not Tightly Closed
Another reason why inflatable boats lose air pressure is due to the loose closure of the air inlet valve of the boat.
When this happens, the air inlet valve will not be tightly closed.
This can cause some level of reduction in the air pressure that is in the inflatable boat.
That is why it is always very important to make sure that you close the air inlet valve very well when you are done inflating your boat.
If it is let loose, this might affect the retention of pressured air inside the inflatable boat.
3) Hole In The Inflatable Boat
One of the things you should make sure that you avoid when using a boat that is inflatable is the development of holes in the boat.
This is a fault that comes with a very disastrous implications when it occurs.
But most of the times it can be caused by the owner of the inflatable boat.
This is always due to poor storage.
When storing your inflatable boat, make sure that you are not keeping it in a place that is full of sharp objects.
This can cause the sharp objects to pierce through the inflatable boat and destroy it.
This will cause a leakage of air when the inflatable boat is filled with pressured air..
This makes the use of your boat unsafe when you are on the water.
This is because it can deflate badly when you are far from the shores of the water.
If help does not show up quickly, you may drown if you are not well experienced in swimming.
That is why it is always advisable to make sure that you use a life jacket anytime you are on the water.
When an emergency or a casualty occurs, the damages will be less.
4) Faulty Air Inlet Valve
Another reason why inflatable boats deflate is because of the condition of the air inlet valve.
If the valve is in a good condition, it will help retain the pressured air inside the inflatable boat.
But if the valve is bad, then there is bound to be leakage of the pressured air inside the inflatable boat.
This makes the boat to lose air pressure.
To notice this, the surface of the inflatable boat will be soft when you touch it.
This is a clear indication that the boat has lost some of the internal air pressure that it had due to a leakage of air from the faulty air inlet valve.
Why Inflatable Boats Deflate Or Lose Air Pressure At Night
1) Change In Air Temperature
Most of the times even when your inflatable boat has no problem, you might still experience some level of deflation.
When this happens, you do not have to panic especially when it occurs in the evening.
This is usually caused by the difference in the temperature of the environment.
This difference in the temperature of the environment also affects the temperature of the air inside the inflatable boat.
When the boat is used in the day time where there is adequate sunlight, this heats up the air inside the inflatable boat.
Due to this, the air inside the boat begins to expand and creates a lot of extra pressure inside the inflatable boat.
But when it comes to the evening time, the reverse is the case.
This is because in the evening, the temperature of the environment will reduce.
This will also cause the temperature of the air inside the inflatable boat to reduce also.
Due to this reduction in the temperature of the air inside the inflatable boat, the expanded air will reduce.
This leads to the reduction in the air pressure inside the inflatable boat.
That is why your inflatable boat feels a bit soft at night as compared to the day time.
When you place the same boat in the sun the next day without inflating it, you will discover that it will be hard again.
This is simply due to the difference in the temperature of the surrounding that also affects the temperature of the air inside the inflatable boat.
This is the major reason why inflatable boats lose air pressure at night.
2) Bad Boat Material
When the material of a boat is bad, it will show up in the way the boat will function.
A bad boat material will cause issues like an inflatable boat losing air pressure easily at night.
This is very common in inflatable boats that are cheap.
But when it comes to most of the expensive ones, this is not really seen.
That is why you have to spend on a better inflatable boat to avoid having issues of rapid air pressure loss inside the boat.
3) Bad Air Inlet Valve
When the air inlet valve of your inflatable boat is bad, you will experience a decrease in the air pressure in your inflatable boat.
This is an issue that is caused by the bad air inlet valve that is present in your inflatable boat.
Conclusion
When you experience a decrease in the air pressure of your inflatable boat, you should avoid using it until the error has been spotted and solved.
It could be due to reasons like a hole in the boat, a bad boat material or a change in the temperature of the environment.
These are the reasons why inflatable boats deflate.
When you spot the error, make sure that you fix it before you use the inflatable boat again.
This will help make the boat reliable when used.
Further Reading