| How do I inflate a water ski tube? |
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First inflate your water tube's safety chamber. The safety chamber usually has a low-volume safety value that can be blown up with your mouth or an inflator with the proper "cone" shaped adapter. Most inner tubes are made of PVC, which is extremely tough and durable. In order for the inner tube to inflate properly, the PVC must expand. A ski tube is correctly inflated when the inner tube is firm to the touch and the cover fits like a glove. The cover should be free of wrinkles. It should be hard to get your hand between the nylon cover and the tube. Be careful not to over-inflate the inner tube. This is the main cause of damage to PVC material. Over-inflation also can rip seams in the nylon cover. Note that in hot weather, the air inside your tube will expand. You may need to release some air to prevent the tube from becoming over-inflated and ripping seams in its cover. An under-inflated tow tube sits too low in the water. This causes the ski tube to be dragged through the water (not get pulled across it.) The stress of dragging due to under-inflation stretches the tube out of shape and stretches the cover. Ski tubes require a massive amount of air. I have found it easiest to simply reverse the flow of a shop vac, hold the hose securely to the speed valve and inflate. This technique only take a couple of minutes. It's much faster than using a low-air-flow compressor used to inflate tires. The main chamber of towable ski tubes can not be inflated by mouth. Do NOT use a hair dryer to inflate your water ski tube. The heat from a hair dryer may permanently damage the valve. Air will have to be added periodically to your towable tube. Water tubes that are used frequently will require injections of additional air more frequently. If the tube is popping out of it's cover, more air is needed. Proper inflation is critical to safety and tube longevity. Check for proper tube inflation prior to each use.
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