When it comes to your best yard inflatables, placing them outside inevitably puts them in harms way for potential damage. It could be anything from wild animals to a bad snow storm that could cause your inflatable to break, leaving you with an expensive pile of fabric on your lawn and not much else.
There’s no need to worry about buying a replacement though, as most issues with your inflatable not working can easily be fixed. Here’s a step-by-step inflatable repair guide to get you on your way.
| The Problem | The Fix | Product Image |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric or Nylon Tears | Transparent Duct Tape | Tear-Aid Patch |
| See-Thru Vinyl Tear | Tear-Aid Patch |  |
| Blower Broken | Replacement Blower |  |
| Inflatable Falling Over | Ground Stakes |  |
Does Your Inflatable’s Blower Work?
The first step you’ll need to do is figure out if your yard inflatable’s blower is working. Plug your inflatable directly into an outlet, bypassing any outdoor inflatable timers you may be using. If you still don’t get any action from your blower, try a different outlet if possible or at least plug another device into the same outlet to make sure the outlet is live.
If your blower is working, but the inflatable isn’t inflating all the way, you likely have a tear in your fabric. If your blower still isn’t working, you can skip ahead for more troubleshooting tips.
Finding Tears or Holes in your Inflatable
Depending on the size of the tear in your fabric, it may or may not be obvious and easy to find. Search around the inflatable with the blower running and feel for a rush of air escaping. You may be able to audibly hear the hissing as well. If you’re really in a jam, you can use a classic mechanic’s trick. Get a spray bottle and some soapy water, and start spritzing it all over your inflatable. An area with air leaking out of it will start blowing large bubbles and make itself known!
Be sure to go over the entire inflatable when you do this method, carefully marking each leak either mentally or with a piece of masking tape.
Fixing a Tear or Hole in your Inflatable
Now that you have all the leaks discovered, carefully take down your inflatable and move it into a large, well-lit indoor space if possible (garages work great!). Now it’s time to determine what kind of material you will be fixing.
Repairing Fabric/Nylon Tears
Most yard inflatables are made of a fabric/nylon material that can be repaired in a variety of ways. I’ll go over a few here –
- For major tears, we recommend Transparent Duct Tape. It’s not the sexiest solution, but it’s extremely effective for repairs. This duct tape is weather-resistant and should last the life of your inflatable. Try to place it on the inside of the inflatable to protect it from the elements as much as possible. The only downside this method has is the duct tape may be visible if there’s a light shining behind it.
- For small tears, a simple sewing kit will do the job if you know how to use it. This method of repair will be the least visible to onlookers, but if you bunch the fabric too much it could create a strange divot in your inflatable.
- For holes and tears in highly visible areas, we recommend Fabric Repair Tape. This stuff is a bit thinner and less noticeable than the clear duct tape, but still extremely strong and durable. It comes in clear.
Repairing Vinyl Tears
Vinyl is typically only used on large, see-through sections of yard inflatables. If you have something like a snow globe display for a Christmas inflatable with a clear outer shell, it’s likely vinyl.
Vinyl repairs require a different toolkit. You definitely won’t be able to sew the hole shut, you’ll instead need a special vinyl repair kit. These vinyl patches go on clear and adhere very strongly. From close up you may be able to tell there’s a patch, but it will leave your inflatable with a great aesthetic still.
Inflatable Blower Stopped Working
This issue is often not as easy as patching a tear. Let’s step through some things you can check before determining that you need to replace the blower.
- Make sure nothing is jamming the fan from running. Check all opening to the fan for any debris that could be causing this issue.
- Check the fuse on your plug. Replacement fuses are very cheap, so if your inflatable has a blown fuse, it’s an easy fix to swap a new one in.
If those steps fail, sad to say you need to look into replacing your inflatable blower. Here are the best ways to go about it.
Yard Inflatable Replacement Blower
This is even stronger than the stock blowers that come with your inflatables, so it will have them standing erect like you’ve never seen before! It’s also known to be durable, even in tough weather.
Inflatable Replacement Blower with LED Lights Plug
Your existing inflatable blower may have an LED plug attachment in it if it has internal LED lighting. If that’s the case, you may be able to find a blower that’s compatible with your existing lights.
Compare your broken blower’s connecting plug with the one in the product images to make sure it’s a match!
Seasonally Swapping Fans
One other workaround for your broken blower blues is swapping fans with another inflatable that does work. For example, if you have a Valentine’s Day inflatable with a worker blower and an Easter yard inflatable without, you can swap the working blower between the two once the seasons change. This may require you to buy a new yard inflatable, but that can often be cheaper than buying a replacement blower alone.
Fixing/Replacing LED Lights in an Inflatable
You may be wondering if it’s possible to replace or fix the LED lights in a yard inflatable. It is possible, but it takes some electrical/wiring skills to pull off.
The below LED light could be used to adhere inside of your inflatable, just like the non-working versions, but you’ll need to attach them to the power supply somehow. This largely depends on how your inflatable is set up.
If you’re not into splicing wires, then you might prefer to just go with outdoor lawn spotlights to light up your inflatables. Many of these lights have RGB capabilities so you can even change the color via remote control as you desire.
