# NRS Raft Leak



## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

Gonna have to soap it and find the leaks. 

Tighten the valves and make sure the cap gaskets are clean and snug.


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## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

Looks like 7 years is the warranty expiration...might call NRS and have them noodle the problem, since you have done tests of your own; did it just start leaking or ongoing problem...defective chamber?

Best of luck


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## northernroots (Feb 4, 2020)

Thought possibly, but the oddity is all three chambers and floor leaking roughly the same amount, at least the three chambers for sure. Hard it imagine all three would be bad and allowing to leak out of one spot.


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## northernroots (Feb 4, 2020)

Hum, will have to check out the valves and see if tightening, hadn't thought that one.


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

Not sure of NRS but distending chamber bladders can cause your symptom. That is, you lose air in one chamber and you will lose pressure in all chambers.

Some boats have bladder boundaries that will move a substantial distance into an adjacent failed chamber. Hence, gradual lose of integrity in one chamber might be accommodated by pressure in an adjacent chamber.

zbaird is the pro and will be better at explaining this than I. For that matter I don't even know if this feature still exists but it might explain your perplexion, lose in one chamber but lose in all.

(Maybe I should have read this for more detail. Northernroots likely considered what I mention.)


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## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

Good suggestion from Zach regarding valves and cap gaskets...if there is an actual rubber gasket within, might replace or at least try some Vaseline to soften them. I learned this the hard way....my Camelbak (yes, I know it is not a boat) gasket in the screw cover literally crumbled in my hands as I was filling the bladder the night before a 6 day backpack in the Canyon; horror of horrors, no way to seal it and 20 minutes before Babbitt's closed...made it there in time, but the real horror was paying top dollar, no discount for a new Camelbak!


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## griz (Sep 19, 2005)

Dude, in the time it took you to make these posts you could have soaped your dang boat. Just do it. You’ve got leaks, find them.

It ain’t rocket science. 5 gallon bucket, water, Dawn and wet a towel. You don’t gotta take six hours to spray it down with your wife’s empty perfume bottle.


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

I reread for details. Too much. GOOD LUCK. Work with zbaird.


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## Priceless (Jul 2, 2017)

*find it*

First pump up everything to 2 pounds. Then put soapy water in each valve opening and see if it bubbles. Use it or fix it.
Second each valve should have a black plastic ring between the valve body and the hypalon shell, and that ring should have the ribs pushing against the hypalon not the valve body. So if the plastic rings are at least there pump up the boat and spray plenty of soapy water around the valves. No bubbles use it, bubbles take it apart and check the direction of the ribs on the ring, no rings means get new rings. In the floor if you get no bubbles at the valve with either test, you have a floor leak. For the perimeter If you have the valves working properly, then leave two perimeter chamber valves caps off and valve open, inflate the remaining chamber and see how long it takes to go down. Then do the same with a different chamber, Then do the same with the third chamber. Then inflate the entire boat and see how long it takes to go down. If the individual chamber or chambers lose air substantially quicker than the entire boat that would be a leaking baffle between chambers as the air is escaping through the adjacent chambers open valve. I have a raft with four perimeter chambers, if open two valves diagonal from each other and inflate the other two, in a couple hours I have lost all pressure. Reverse the situation and I get the same result. Close up all the valves and inflate and it holds pressure fine. My baffles all are leaking but the raft is OK too use for some day use.


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

This is begging for the reminder to equalize pressure when inflating chambers. 

Please someone, (zbaird), remind that inflation of tubes is a constant thought process of equalizing the pressure between chambers such that the baffle/barrier between cambers is centralized.

Does this consideration still exist??? May I ask?


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

Wow, "Priceless" is priceless. More than I'd said but "Priceless".


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## Nubie Jon (Dec 19, 2017)

If it is a really slow leak (it sounds it) try using more soap then water (a thicker solution) so it actually sticks to the valves. This way you will capture the every 10 - 15 minute bubble.... If you leave it and the soap dries you will still have "evidence" of what is going on.


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## griz (Sep 19, 2005)

He’s not looking for a every 10-15 minute bubble if it’s dumping out in less than 24 hours. They will be obvious bubbles from steady leaks.


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## mtriverrat (Jan 29, 2012)

Had a very old Otter with same problem. Patched any obvious leaks changed valves - no better. Tried inflatable marine sealant that you put inside the tubes and roll raft around and it fills in from inside. Didn’t do the floor - just put air in mid float. It is like a new boat. We have another boat now so just use it for day trips, but it holds air all day. Apparently there’s a problem with multiple pin holes with old hypalon boats.


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## [email protected] (Oct 11, 2018)

As others have mentioned, with the chambers fully inflated, apply soapy water all over the boat. 

For a slow leak a good trick is to make a solution of glycerin (find at a pharmacy) and water. This solution will make higher tensile-strength bubbles that will pinpoint a leak that regular soap won't.


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

Just guessing because I dont know but could the coating on the material be defective? Maybe not enough rubber on the fabric that the whole boat is made from allows air to escape?


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

I used some NRS hypalon fabric as filler rings when I changed my AVON valve boots to A7 valves. After about 5 years the fabric developed pin hole leaks. Took me a while to find them, soapy water made very small bubbles all over the fabric when pumped up very tight. I had to patch over them to regain air holding ability. Just guessing but as others have said that may be your problem.


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## CU_Mateo (Jul 22, 2016)

Give Zach at inflatable technology a call. There is a sealant you can pour in the valve holes that should stop those leaks. Not sure if it’s avail for hypalon boats.


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## northernroots (Feb 4, 2020)

Been out of town for a while so not seen most replies, but to answer a few:
1. have VERY soapy mixture sprayed the valves and nothing leaking there,
2. have equally inflated all chambers correctly,
3. have not fully saturated, completely coated the raft yet, mainly as it is still barely 20 degrees outside and only in a classroom do I have the ability currently to spray it with a min 50/50 soap to water mix. Pretty sure it would be frowned upon to hose it down in there unfortunately.

Will check out the rest hopefully tomorrow and see if I can find out anything more.


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