Coghlan's Airstop Sealant, 0.27-Ounce/ 8 ml - Single

I bought a queen-size Intex airbed several years ago that I used for a few months at the time and which developed a slow leak during that short span. I recently needed to start using it again, and the leak was making it a pain to sleep on, waking up several times during the night either on the floor or cradled in it as it worked its way there and having to flip the switch to air it back up, then going back to sleep only to repeat the process every couple hours or so. I got a different patch kit, the only one I could find locally, and some Gorilla repair tape (the clear type and the thick, black type) and tried using all three in combination, which was expensive, looked terrible, was messy, and didn't work at all. Perhaps it would have worked against plain vinyl, but the leak was on the side of the mattress, and the sides and top are all flocked. It was also in a seam, making it a lot harder.So I ordered a few different things from Amazon and, once they arrived, decided to try this one first, since it's the cheapest. I tried to roughen up the flocking a bit, but frankly didn't do much, and then I wiped the area with alcohol. I partially deflated the bed (you're supposed to wait until it dries before inflating, but it was easier to work on with it partially inflated and it's not like there's a lot of pressure at that point, though on one repair I actually saw it bubbling a bit from it, but it wasn't an issue). I did 5-7 layers, applying then smoothing out with my gloved* finger and waiting 15-20 minutes between coats (more than what's suggested, but I wanted to be sure, and it was still a bit tacky at only several minutes at least once). Some layers I did a light coat, some I did a thicker one, and I tried to go out a little farther each time, to cover more surrounding area and allow each coat to get a grip on the flocking as well. Probably overboard in every respect, but why not. Better to do that than the bare minimum and have it not work.After patching the hole, I aired it up and slept on it, and it did much better, though still lost some air. I searched and found another hole, patched it the same, slept on it, then searched and found another, patched it, and since then have been sleeping on it for a few weeks without having to add any more air. All three patches are holding great, and the bed is finally usable again. I honestly had my doubts considering the cost, not to mention that simply using a liquid sealant without any actual patches would work, but I'm extremely impressed. All that said, between me and the couple latex toppers I have on the bed, it's probably holding a bit less than 200 pounds, and I'm easy on it, so I can't speak to how well the patches would hold up to more weight or "aggressive use." But frankly, considering the low quality of Intex products, I'd expect the bed to spring a new leak before these patches give.*As indicated on the tube and packaging, this product is toxic. I tried to stand back as much as I could and breathe very little while applying it, because the smell is extremely noxious, and I used gloves to not only spread it over the holes, but to handle the tube, especially the cap, which got quite messy as I went. And as soon as it was applied, I moved away from it. So keep that in mind and make sure you have gloves, saran wrap, a plastic bag, or similar on hand. You do NOT want to get this stuff on you. I imagine it would be as fun as superglue, though less healthy.

UPDATE: 3/5/2014 My glue completely dried out during winter months and I stored it indoor too. I'll just buy another one.Finally a product that can seal torn seam perfectly. I used it to fix at least 3 kiddie pools and there are half bottle left for future use. If you are one of many parents tired of broken inflatable pools and have to buy new one every year, it's time to give this product a try!I saved up a few broken kiddie pool and it's time to fix them!1)Intex 117-by-76-by-53-Inch Rainbow Ring Pool Play Center has a big tear on the seam. The tear is about 1 inch long. It seems like the vinyl just separated from the bottom piece at the seam area. before we could try the slide out with water! Instruction says for larger fix you need a piece of vinyl to patch it up, and then put Airstop around the seam of the patch. Instead of that I decided to use Intex Vinyl Cement to glue the top piece pack to the bottom piece (the seam). Vinyl cement works better if you try to glue vinyl on vinyl. Airstop doesn't work as good for this reason. Once that was done I put Airstop all around and over the seam area. I put 3-4 layers of Air stop, making sure I waited 15 minutes and longer on each application. The result? Amazing! I inflated the slide 24 hours later and it's holding in air.2)We have another inflatable slide Intex 117-by-76-by-53-Inch Rainbow Ring Pool Play Center same style as the previous one but this one has two holes on the waterslide's seams. They are about 1/4 inch. After cleaning the area with rubbing alcohol, I applied 6 layers of Air stop. Again, make sure each layer dries up before putting on new application.It worked! Airstop definitely lives up to it's name. We tried the waterslide with water and it's holding in air well. Hopefully it stays that way.3) I took out another busted up kiddie pool that has 9 or more holes. Just for fun I used Airstop to seal around the Intex Vinyl Cement and Vinyl Patch I used earlier. This makes sure no more air leaks around the vinyl patch. I wish I bought Airstop before I tried to patch the holes with vinyl patch. Airstop is way easier to use and dries up nice and clear. The Intex vinyl patch is so ugly, and this kiddie pool has bandages all over it.4) The bottom of our Banzai Spray 'n Splash Giraffe Pool has some tiny pin holes because we laid it on the concrete. A few brush of Airstop and the holes are now patched.5) I attempted to use Airstop as a glue to glue two shiny vinyl together. It didn't work. The two layers just peel off. For this job, vinyl cement is still the bestOther comment:It smells just like vinyl tube cement. I hold my breathe when I use it. The smell disappear very quickly.It's a liquid and dribs easily, so make sure you hold the bottle near the area you need to brush it on.It doesn't dry up as fast as vinyl paste cement during use so you have a extra seconds to do the application.It has a plastic brush (plastic flat surface)Once patched, the inflatable's blow tube smells like Airstop. Hopefully it will go away as I hate to blow into the inflatable where the gas is still there.It dries up clear and barely noticeable.Great product!

Anyone who has an air mattress knows that feeling when you have a small leak and have the choice: throw it way or try to fix it. Well in the air mattress I had for my kids I found the leak and figured I would give this a try. Standard cleaning the area, get it nice and dry, apply this sealant, let it harden overnight and it worked perfectly. I was pleasantly surprised as I had already planned I would have to buy another air mattress. The kids use this air mattress likely ~ once per month and it's held for nearly a year. So overall a simple to use repair that has worked great.