Replacement air awning bladder - how much do you think?

[GaryB]

The middle bladder in our Isabella Cirrus awning burst yesterday on the end, I’ve bodged it up by crimping the end closed with a jubilee clip and cable ties. Rang Isabella today, won’t entertain a warranty claim as it’s outside that and won’t sell me one directly BUT did tell me the part number and RRP so I can ask one of their stockists to order it for me.

How much do you think for approximately 4 metres of polyethylene tube (with bits welded on)???

£159!!!!!!! I don’t have much choice and I had guessed it’d be expensive but that’s twice the price I guessed!

 

[Mr Plodd]

Very much a case of

"We've got it, no-one else has one, you want it, so that's the price sir"

I do agree with you though, that is a simply obscene amount of money, but they know they have you over a barrel don't they?

 

[GaryB]

Very much a case of

"We've got it, no-one else has one, you want it, so that's the price sir"

I do agree with you though, that is a simply obscene amount of money, but they know they have you over a barrel don't they?

Exactly. Short of stuffing it with old socks I can’t do much else! Irritating as I’m always careful with the pressure if it’s hot. Of course there’s no guarantee that the gauge on the digital pump is accurate though.

 

[Dustydog]

Sadly Gary you have proven to me why my Kampa air awning is still in the loft! I’m surprised an Isabella product failed . How old is it?
I thought about £35 not £159. Someone made a mistake in the quote perhaps?

 

[Mr Plodd]

What did the air beams feel like at 4psi? On my Sunncamp 4psi is only just about enough to get the thing upright but very wkbbly. I need around 5.5 -6 psi for the awning to be rigid.
Max pressure recommended is 7 psi for mine.

 

[Mel]

Is there any chance of using a non Isabella bladder from another manufacturer that may be cheaper?
Mel

 

[Mr Plodd]

Is there any chance of using a non Isabella bladder from another manufacturer that may be cheaper?
Mel

Having looked at those within mine they are very clearly manufactured to be a very specific shape, and fit in a very specific way, and to be connected to other bladders at specific points.
So no, I don't think your idea is remotely possible.

 

[Beardy]

Would a bicycle puncture repair kit be an option or is the hole / split too big?

 

[GaryB]

I inflate it to 5.5-6psi but as it was going to be hot on Sunday I dropped the pressure before we went out. It still held shape but not exactly “robust”. Yes, the bladders are very design-specific with a bend in them, air inlet and two unions for the adjacent tubes to attach to, so not exactly a simple design. £159 though……. Enough to make someone as tight as me cry! 😂

 

[GaryB]

Would a bicycle puncture repair kit be an option or is the hole / split too big?

No, very different materials plus the tear is about 4” long at the end. My makeshift repair holds air for a few hours though with a jubilee clip and cable ties pulled very tight round the end so we should be okay for the week.

 

[Hutch]

Is it worth trying a heat sealer , as in the type used for vacuum packing food. Or my go to tape clear Gorrilla tape.

 

[GaryB]

Is it worth trying a heat sealer , as in the type used for vacuum packing food. Or my go to tape clear Gorrilla tape.

I’ll give it a go with the one at work which we use to heat seal heavy gauge polythene bags. At the very least it’ll be a useful spare.

 

[Mel]

Having looked at those within mine they are very clearly manufactured to be a very specific shape, and fit in a very specific way, and to be connected to other bladders at specific points.
So no, I don't think your idea is remotely possible.

Thanks. I guessed this may be the case. Keeps the price up.
Mel

 

[Mr Plodd]

I would be very interested to hear if Gorilla clear is man enough to "do the job" as I have an air awning and it would be handy to know if it's an effective repair tape.

 

[Ferrodo]

In my personal experience re sealing the end welds is impossible. I have tried each and every method without success. Tape and glues of all types and descriptions none worked. Now I carry spares but if I remember I only paid around £40 for a main upright bladder for my Dorema Magnum.

 

[GaryB]

Tape might work if it split lengthways but it’s a problem if it splits at a welded seam as ours has as it’s difficult to get tape to seal properly around the seam.

 

[GaryB]

A jubilee hose clip and cable ties keep it airtight for 8 hours as a temporary fix. Another jubilee clip or two would give a better seal but I can’t find anywhere local that does them, the nearest Halfords is 25 miles away!

 

[GaryB]

A bit of deflation early morning

 

[Buckman]

The middle bladder in our Isabella Cirrus awning burst yesterday on the end, I’ve bodged it up by crimping the end closed with a jubilee clip and cable ties. Rang Isabella today, won’t entertain a warranty claim as it’s outside that and won’t sell me one directly BUT did tell me the part number and RRP so I can ask one of their stockists to order it for me.

How much do you think for approximately 4 metres of polyethylene tube (with bits welded on)???

£159!!!!!!! I don’t have much choice and I had guessed it’d be expensive but that’s twice the price I guessed!

Did you buy direct from Isabella or through a dealership? Taking into consideration the price paid for the Cirrus air awning one would expect it to last several years without incident.

 

[Mr Plodd]

ANY garage ( car repair type) will have jubilee clips in all sizes!

 

[GaryB]

ANY garage ( car repair type) will have jubilee clips in all sizes!

Probably but there’s a DIY store in Harlech that we’re visiting today so fingers crossed. We visited a small caravan dealer yesterday and weren’t greeted with a warm welcome…..

 

[GaryB]

Did you buy direct from Isabella or through a dealership? Taking into consideration the price paid for the Cirrus air awning one would expect it to last several years without incident.

Broad Lane leisure, unfortunately they’ve gone bust so no come back there.

 

[Mr Plodd]

Probably but there’s a DIY store in Harlech that we’re visiting today so fingers crossed. We visited a small caravan dealer yesterday and weren’t greeted with a warm welcome…..

You stand a much better chance at a garage than any DIY store. Kwik fit, or any other tyre depot will probably have them as well.

 

[GaryB]

You need to ask yourself why the awning ripped as it may be a design or manufacturing fault. In which case you would be claiming from the supplier for a new bladder.

It failed on the welded seam on the tube end so quite possibly weakened during manufacturing but the dealer isn’t trading and the manufacturer isn’t interested as it’s out of warranty. For £159 I don’t have the energy to try and argue the case.

 

[Buckman]

It failed on the welded seam on the tube end so quite possibly weakened during manufacturing but the dealer isn’t trading and the manufacturer isn’t interested as it’s out of warranty. For £159 I don’t have the energy to try and argue the case.

I deleted my question, but wifi at New Forest is so slow it is almost going backwards. Doubt if we will stay on this site again as no mobile signal either!