Posted on 21/05/2019 17:02
My Kampa classic air 380 main tube burst today 19 days out of warranty IE 2 years and 19 days Kampa unsympathetic I have to pay for new tube.
Moderator Comment - Tony not quite sure why you have posted this in the Story Section as it really belongs in the discussion area to where I have moved it.
Posted on 28/05/2019 00:56 by jennycPosted on 25/05/2019 08:43 by mickysf
Our daughter had an air which not only burst but split the containing sleeve beyond repair.
I can fully understand the above, but I have difficulty in understanding how the pressure tube can burst without the outer layers bursting too.
To help people’s understanding, there are normally three components to air beams.
The innermost one is airtight, not rubber as suggested on this thread, but a plastic, which in itself is far too weak to survive without containment. Our Kampa tubes are, I’m told, made of the same plastic which the Millenium dome is made of. This is used because of its long life expectancy. Kampa sell, very cheaply, puncture repair kits similar to bicycle ones, but with much bigger patches/tape. We’ve never had cause to use ours.
Surrounding and containing the inner tubes is a zipped on cover. This stops the inner tube from expanding beyond it. It’s strong and should be able to withstand the expansion of the inner tube, up to its design limit.
Forming a loser fit around the pressure cover, is a heavy duty protective sleeve, to resist abrasion etc.
Contrary to some views above, we’ve always found Kampa’s after sales support to be exemplary. The advice, on this thread, that they’ve been taken over, may well have reduced standards. I don’t know.
I think that there may be two lessons in this thread;
Watch out for overpressure.
Buy a cheap puncture repair kit.
And if Darren is still working for Kampa. Then try to talk to him, via Customer Services. He is/was in their technical Dept.
Posted on 29/05/2019 11:28
I thought the Millennium Dome (O2 Arena as now known) roof was a PTFE coated glass fibre fabric.
Our Bradcot awning inflatable tubes are made of TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) with the sleeves made of Ten Cate fabric as is the 'outer' fabric, Understand that to be a 35/65 blend of Polyester and Polyester PVA.
Less easy to establish details on the Kampa product.
This is the information age, easily accessible information assists in making purchasing decisions.
Other materials used in inflatable tube applications for leisure products over decades that I know of are Mylar (Polyethylene Terephthalate [PET]) a DuPont discovery, Hypalon (chlorosulfonated polyethylene [CSPE] synthetic rubber [CSM]) another DuPont discovery and Vamac (ethylene acrylic elastomer) again from DuPont. As patents have expired other named materials will be available 
Recall the original Igloo inflatable tent in the late 1970s made from Hypalon in the 1980s.
Posted on 31/05/2019 10:31
With my daughter's it wasn't the fabric which failed, it was the stitching. This meant the tube 'escaped', blebbed and ruptured. All down to either expansion due to the unusual heat and/or inferior fabrication.
After six months of searching she has finally found replacement parts. No way of a repair or home made solution so this was a costly business. Not sure I'd recommend air awnings as the supplier said failures were not uncommon. May be a cost effective technology isn't quite there yet.
Posted on 29/05/2019 11:33 byIf repair patches work on car and bicycle tubes. And Kampa sell them. Why don’t you think that they will work, when their use is widespread?
Would a patch repair an exploded air beam Jenny?
Posted on 01/06/2019 22:27
Of course not Easy. The containment tube has very clearly suffered a catastrophic failure. Which is why I posted;
Our daughter had an air which not only burst but split the containing sleeve beyond repair.
I can fully understand the above, but I have difficulty in understanding how the pressure tube can burst without the outer layers bursting too.
An extensive split, as described, in a car or bicycle tyre, will similarly make a ‘burst’ inner tube impossible to repair. I think that I’ve reasonably described airbeams multi layer construction and some options for repairing inner tube punctures. I’ve made no attempt to describe repairs to ‘burst’ containment layers. That’s not really a DIY job is it? Any more than a significant rip in the main body fabric of the awning would be. Punctures in the inner tube are mostly repairable, bursts are a more complex problem. Kampa don’t sell ‘burst’ repair kits, just puncture kits and tape. Their tape can also be used to patch minor fabric damage where it lies flat.
Posted on 29/05/2019 11:28 by KeefySherI thought the Millennium Dome (O2 Arena as now known) roof was a PTFE coated glass fibre fabric.
Our Bradcot awning inflatable tubes are made of TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) with the sleeves made of Ten Cate fabric as is the 'outer' fabric, Understand that to be a 35/65 blend of Polyester and Polyester PVA.
Less easy to establish details on the Kampa product.
This is the information age, easily accessible information assists in making purchasing decisions.
Other materials used in inflatable tube applications for leisure products over decades that I know of are Mylar (Polyethylene Terephthalate [PET]) a DuPont discovery, Hypalon (chlorosulfonated polyethylene [CSPE] synthetic rubber [CSM]) another DuPont discovery and Vamac (ethylene acrylic elastomer) again from DuPont. As patents have expired other named materials will be available
Recall the original Igloo inflatable tent in the late 1970s made from Hypalon in the 1980s.
Posted on 01/06/2019 22:52
Source, Homestead Caravans;
The AirFrame is incredibly durable and under normal conditions will not fail. Each AirPole is made of a strong TPU inflation tube that is zipped into a tough reinforced PE cover. This is then zipped into a heavy duty polyester sleeve in the awning. The inflation tubes are well protected and need no maintenance. Kampa also use a larger diameter AirPole on most of their Kampa AIR Awnings offering even greater stability and rigidity.
TonyS
Caravanner