How to tighten a leaking SUP valve

How to tighten a leaking SUP valve

Everything's ready, you just finished pumping up your SUP, you take the pump hose off, and you hear a leaking sound coming from the SUP valve! Is the day ruined? No! Is your board damaged? No.

A SUP valve that leaks air sounds a lot worse than it is. It's actually a really simple fix and is considered maintenance.

What's happening? The SUP valve consists of two pieces which thread together: the piece on the outside of the board that you can see, and a nut on the inside that sandwhiches the whole assembly against the PVC and helps hold pressure. Over time and use, this thread can loosen enough to allow a small amount of air to leak out.

How do I address it? Make sure you have the tightening wrench. It's a plastic tool included in your repair and maintenance kit.

  1. Deflate your board completely. It will be impossible to tighten the valve with the friction from the air pressure. The SUP needs to be completely deflated to use the tightening wrench.

  2. Once deflated, lock the wrench in to the SUP valve. It has little teeth which engage with the valve.\

  3. Turn the valve clockwise until you become unable to do so. Use only the included wrench and hand/arm strength. It could take anywhere from 1/16 to 1/4 of a turn to tighten the valve.

  4. Remove the wrench and reinflate your SUP.

How often can I expect to require this maintenance? Many people use their inflatable SUP for a decade and never have to maintain the valve. Others may have to complete this maintenance once or twice during the life of their board.

What if I can't fix it immediately or I don't have the tightening wrench with me? No worries, while the sound of air leaking can be concerning, it's actually a very small amount of air. Tests have shown that air that is audibly leaking results in a pressure drop in your board of less than 1 psi/4 hrs. So unless you're planning a multiday camping trek, there should be no issue in taking your board out for the afternoon.

As always, if the above instructions don't work for you, or you are having to complete the maintenance more than once a year, send us a note and we will take care of it.