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The weather’s hot and you pull your paddling pool out of the garage and inflate it only to find that it goes down again.
Your paddling pool obviously has a hole in it and so you’ll want to fix the hole in it fairly quickly to get back to your summer fun. Now fixing the paddling pool is fairly simple but before you fix it you’ll need to find the hole which can be a completely different story.
These may seem like fairly simple things to do but can often be a little more tricky than you think and that’s where we are here to help. Whether you have a Bestway paddling pool, Intex paddling pool or another make altogether this article will give you some handy hints and tips on how to find a hole in a paddling pool.
How to Find a Hole in a Paddling Pool
Although finding a hole in a paddling pool may seem quite daunting it is in fact much easier than you think.
The first stage of finding a hole in a paddling pool is to blow up the paddling pool. Once each of the rings is inflated you can start to search for any holes.
If your paddling pool has a large hole in it, you will be able to find it fairly quickly. The inflatable ring on the pool will deflate fairly quickly and you should be able to see or hear the air coming out.
For large paddling pools with a number of inflatable sections, simply fill it up with water and if the hole is on any of the parts that sit in the water, you’ll see lots of bubbles in the water which will indicate where the hole is.
If your paddling pool has a smaller hole or even a pinprick in it then this is where the following methods may come in handy.
Hole Finding Method 1 – Soapy Water
The first way of finding a small hole in a paddling pool is to use soapy water. The best type of soap to use is something that makes a lot of lather or a good quality washing-up liquid.
We like to put the soapy water into a spray bottle but you can always use your hands and a bucket if you want. The first step is to make sure the paddling pool is fully inflated. Then either rub the soapy water around the pool with your hands or spray the soapy water onto the paddling pool.
When you spray or rub the soap over a hole, the air coming out of the paddling pool will blow bubbles in the soap.
Before you get too excited, make sure you wipe the area where the hole was and spray or rub soap on it for a second time to check it’s definitely leaking.
Once you’re sure that you’ve found a hole, dry the area and mark the hole so you don’t forget where it is.
You should then continue your search around the rest of the paddling pool whilst the pool is still inflated to find any other holes. The last thing you want to do is to fix one hole only to find out that there was another one that you could have fixed at the same time!
Hole Finding Method 2 – Cling Flim
The second method uses cling film to find the hole. Like soap, cling film is something that most people have in the kitchen cupboard, and even if you don’t, it’s a really cheap way to help you find any holes in your paddling pool.
As in the soap method, the first step is to inflate your paddling pool as much as possible and either fill it with water or make sure there is a bucket of water nearby.
Next, you need to tear off a piece of cling film, big enough to cover part of the inflatable part of the pool but not too big that you cannot handle it without it scrunching up.
Once you have the cling film in your hands soak it either in the bucket of water or in the paddling pool if you’ve decided to fill it up.
Making cling film wet will ensure that it sticks to the side of the paddling pool. Once you’ve put it on the inflatable section, simply smooth out any air bubbles and wait.
If the cling film is over a hole, you will find that small bubbles will form and get bigger as the air is pushed out of the pool.
If you don’t find the hole, simply slide the cling film around the inflatable ring of the paddling pool until you do find a hole.
Don’t forget that your paddling pool must be inflated for either of these methods to work. Without the air being forced out of the inflated pool, you will not be able to find any leaks.
Fixing a Hole in a Paddling Pool
Once you’ve found any holes you can then go on to fix them. Fixing a hole in a paddling pool is fairly easy so long as you have a really good paddling pool repair kit.
If you want a step-by-step guide on how to fix a hole in a paddling pool quickly and easily then read our article.
For those paddling pools that have been filled for the last time as repairing is no longer a viable option make sure you try to recycle them. If yours has reached the end of its life, have a look at our paddling pool shop for a new one.