Bravo Inflatable Electric Pump......do you like yours? Is mine normal?!

[FairweatherDave]

I have got one of these pumps......https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Bravo/GE-BTP-12V-Pump-Manometer/E89
It works by high volume air flow before switching to compressor mode once higher pressure is required, the final part of inflation. My issue with it is that it kicks into compressor mode (a.k.a NOISY mode) too soon, to my tastes..... Consequently inflation is slow.
If I am inflating an old Avon dinghy the switch from high volume to compressor seems acceptable. But inflating an older Red Paddle Co. SUP or an older XM inflatable dinghy it kicks into compressor mode pretty much instantly. Speed wise I can do the XM using a hand pump just as fast.....
What do other electric pump users think? Should I be taking the pump back to the chandlery, or is this normal?

 

[andsarkit]

It could be trying to push air against the inflation valve spring. Can you push and turn the valve to open it and see if that changes the pump changeover point? I suspect the old Avon had a fairly weak spring that gives little resistance to the air pressure.
If you have to inflate with the valve open you will have to do a rapid close as you pull the pump pipe off or you will lose a lot of air.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Good Idea! Will do a test in the garden and report back ?

 

[pvb]

It could be trying to push air against the inflation valve spring. Can you push and turn the valve to open it and see if that changes the pump changeover point? I suspect the old Avon had a fairly weak spring that gives little resistance to the air pressure.
If you have to inflate with the valve open you will have to do a rapid close as you pull the pump pipe off or you will lose a lot of air.

The pump's instructions say the user should choose a fitting which opens the valve when inserted.

 

[andsarkit]

The pump's instructions say the user should choose a fitting which opens the valve when inserted.

Agreed. I have a mixture of fittings which don't all have the internal valve opening bar.

This Bravo one indicates that the crossbar could have been removed at some point.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Brilliant forum. Thanks both. Been in the garden and done some testing. Yes indeed the pump likes the crossbar fitting to open the valve on the bayonet valve on the high flow setting. Annoyingly my bayonet fittings are slightly different to each other. To inflate the dinghy I also bought the item andsarkit has pictured. For some reason I cut the crossbar out (neither of the manual pumps with the SUP or the dink had a cross bar)....... I shall buy another. .... Meanwhile the non bayonet fittings supplied with the electric pump that you simply push in hard work well...... until you get to high pressure and the hose blows off and the SUP "explosively" deflates, (which is not good for the valve). I have learnt much, thank you.!

 

[LiftyK]

It sounds like you are on the right track. I have a similar dual action Bravo pump, looking like a shoe box stood upright on the smaller face. It switches from volume to compressor mode when I would expect it to. It works well. The noisy compressor phase doesn’t last for long so the noise is more acceptable.