Avon A4 valve ...mushroom replacement

[FairweatherDave]

Stalk of the valve mushroom (diaphragm) broke at some point and so I discovered it is always good to carry a spare dinghy aboard for that eventuality . Just fitted a new mushroom and was cursing my stupidity in attempting the job. What a fiddle! So for anyone thinking its a bit fiddly, I would say it is significantly more than a bit. However it was achieved by poking a bit of thread through the central hole and then back out the side and tying onto the stalk. Then generous lubrication with fairy liquid and water and much prodding with screwdrivers to push the bulk of the mushroom down the side gap. I managed to damage the stalk poking with screwdrivers and revised my approach to poking stalk through the gap before the head. Can't believe I didn't puncture the head of the mushroom but it seems to be staying up. To anyone equally foolish I would advise buying 2 or 3 of the mushrooms and expect a battle. A "Leafield Marine A4/A5 Valve Cup diaphragm" costs £3.75. If anyone wants to improve on my technique I am interested to hear it.

 

[Stingo]

Speak to @webcraft about his cunning and successful repair.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Entertaining....I googled Webcraft's posts about his problem but can't find anything about a successful repair...... only that he found a kit using a different valve

Inflation Valve Replacement Kit by RIBstore - Hypalon​

That might have been my next step. And I was thinking it would have been a better approach, but somehow the camel passed through the eye of the needle.......and at the moment no need, my new diaphragm is holding.

I will PM him if this fails...... I like cunning and successful.....

 

[Stingo]

Entertaining....I googled Webcraft's posts about his problem but can't find anything about a successful repair...... only that he found a kit using a different valve

I'll send him a link to this thread via WhatsApp
I could type it all out myself, alas I am far too lazy to type with one finger

 

[webcraft]

The 'solution' proposed by Ribstore, who sold me the replacement valve, was to cut out the old black A4 valve and fit the new A7 valve in the same hole.

This looked to be a certain route to trouble and possibly the skip. The black rubber surround was only slightly smaller than the valve doubler provided (the hypalon ring). The black rubber is also so hard that the first tentative attempt at excision repelled the stanley knife.

Stingo and I brainstormed it, and I think it was his initial observation that it would be supremely easy to fit the new A7 valve somewhere else in the dinghy. The only issue would be the fact that the leaky old valve would still be there.

A tube of CT1 fixed that. Fill and forget. Now the new valve could be fitted anywhere, and we duly installed it in the bow where no-one would ever have to sit on it.

Total success. The dinghy has remained robustly inflated for two weeks at a time at anchor.

- W

 

[FairweatherDave]

The 'solution' proposed by Ribstore, who sold me the replacement valve, was to cut out the old black A4 valve and fit the new A7 valve in the same hole.

This looked to be a certain route to trouble and possibly the skip. The black rubber surround was only slightly smaller than the valve doubler provided (the hypalon ring). The black rubber is also so hard that the first tentative attempt at excision repelled the stanley knife.

Stingo and I brainstormed it, and I think it was his initial observation that it would be supremely easy to fit the new A7 valve somewhere else in the dinghy. The only issue would be the fact that the leaky old valve would still be there.

A tube of CT1 fixed that. Fill and forget. Now the new valve could be fitted anywhere, and we duly installed it in the bow where no-one would ever have to sit on it.

Total success. The dinghy has remained robustly inflated for two weeks at a time at anchor.

- W

Thanks for that. I agree about the fear of doing a bad job with fitting an A7. I'm relieved it hasn't come to that and love the idea of a CT1 bung. My Avon is 1974 and I really want it to continue despite its smaller diameter tubes....so portable. Managed to get a stainless steel bracket here on the forum so I'm in for the long haul I hope. But to any other readers I'm still impressed I got the replacement mushroom through such a tiny awkward access hole and amazed I didn't do any damage with my screwdrivers.....