Just wondering if anyone else has experienced our problem this year , which was not deflating but ending up the shape of a marshmallow !
The temperatures did get high for June (34c) and I wondered did the weld seams fail ?
Dont want to make a claim if it not justified
Has it now gone back to shape? It sounds as if the temperature was the problem and internal welding might have been damaged. Manufacturers may look upon that as misuse.
I can't remember who recommended it on these boards but I now deflate my airbed slightly during the day to allow for heat expansion and then inflate it again in the cool of the evening. I have an airbed with an integral pump so that is pretty easy to do and takes seconds.
I think Bob's right, if you don't let a bit of air out when the temps soar, you're probably responsible for the welds failing.
We once took a rather expensive inflatable sofa with us to France. One particularly hot afternoon, we found it had morphed into a giant piece of modern art!
A bit of googling provided an answer similar to this:
'Air is made up of molecules that are constantly in motion. As air warms up, the molecules start to vibrate and bump into each other, increasing the space around each molecule. Because each molecule uses more space for motion, the air expands and becomes less dense (lighter). In other words, the same number of air molecules occupy a larger space or the same sized space with increased air pressure.'
This also explains why air beds deflate overnight:
'The opposite effect happens when air cools. As the temperature drops, molecules move more slowly, taking up less room. The amount of space the air takes up shrinks, or reduces the air pressure.'
I guess this is why some air tent manufacturers now recommend deflating tubes a bit in hot weather. I've no idea why Karsten tents, which have tubes inflated to a much greater PSI to others, don't seem to suffer from exploding or deflating beams. Must be magic?
Excellent video...even I watched it all the way through
I think it might have been you who recommended letting some air out during the day a little while back, which I now do.
One thing I would add though is that if you have an airbed which requires pumping manually or with a separate electric or battery pump, it is not quite so convenient to keep deflating and pumping up again but nevertheless well worth doing.
I now have an airbed with an internal pump and it is so convenient to inflate or deflate. The pump is the valve so shouldn't let air out as I firmly believe was the fault on other airbeds I used to have.
Thanks for the information folks and the video Colin.
In my defence ,we had a wee problem (faulty pump for Air beams) and rushed off to find a Decathlon forgetting to partially deflate the bed !
We have decided to go for Decathlon quechua air 70 as we have seen good reports on here .I do realize that they should have a slight deflation during the day
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Airbed problem
