When you want to get the best out of your air track, you should know how to inflate it properly. Pumping it is one of the most crucial points: otherwise, your cheerleading, aerobics, and other activities won’t be the same. Also, knowing how to pump it is extremely important from a safety point of view.
The reasons mentioned above made us create this step-by-step guide on how to inflate your air track. We will be going through things like how to select the right pump, what things to consider, and, for example, how long it will take to inflate it fully.
But here comes one tip before we even start: always have the air track and pump manuals next to you.
SUMMARY:
- Choosing An Air Track Pump
- Cleaning The Environment Before Pumping
- Knowing How To Inflate Your Air Track
- Monitoring The Air Pressure Constantly
Choosing An Air Track Pump
There are three kinds of pumps to use to inflate your air track:
- Hand pumps
- Foot pumps
- Electric pumps
The more modern one of the three is an electric pump. With electric pumps, you only need to plug the power cord in, attach the appropriate nozzle or adapter to the inflation valve, and let it do all the work. The only thing you need to do is to monitor that there’s enough air, but not too much.
The more traditional ones are hand pumps and foot pumps. With either one of them, you will do all the pumping work. But why is it clever to have a traditional pump, even if you have the electric one, as using it requires much more effort? If you take your air track, for example, to a beach as they are usable in water, you might not have any electricity. Now, if you only have an electric pump, you’re out of luck – unless you have bought a rechargeable one.
An important tip, no matter what pump you choose: make sure the pump of your choosing has a pressure gauge. That is the only way to know the exact amount of pressure inside your air track.
How long does the pumping take?
It all depends on how powerful your pump is and how big is the air track.
But let’s say you have chosen to buy an electric pump. There are different brands and models to choose from, meaning they might carry individual features. One of them is how fast they take to inflate. It can be anything from a few minutes to 10-15 minutes.
But one thing is for sure: electric pumps are the fastest ones.
Cleaning The Environment Before Pumping
Before you put air into your air track, take care of the surroundings.
Check that there aren’t any sharp objects or debris on the floor or on the surface of the air track itself. Even though quality air tracks are durable, the kind of objects mentioned before can puncture the material.
Knowing How To Inflate Your Air Track
Whether you have chosen a hand, foot, or electric pump, there are a lot of similarities in the actual inflation process. First, you need to attach the nozzle or adapter securely in. Secondly, you need to maintain a steady flow and monitor how high or low the air pressure is. Thirdly, you should always focus on inflating the air track evenly.
When the pumping is ready, quickly remove the pump and close the valve as fast as possible to prevent air leakage.
Again, the main thing to do here is to obey the instructions in the manual.
Monitoring The Air Pressure Constantly
The air pressure of your air track depends on various determining factors. The thickness and the size of the product itself. The type of sport practiced on it. The level of the users, their weight, and how hard they want it to be. These are all factors impacting the answer. But when you know the number, based on the manual, you need to monitor it constantly.
As the users should always check the air pressure before using the air track again, think of buying a separate pressure control system.
Conclusion
Properly inflating your air track is not only essential for safety reasons but also to get optimal performance levels.
It is up to you what types of air tracks are best suited for your purposes, but to get the desired level of firmness, selecting the right pump, preparing the air track, following the inflation process, and monitoring the pressure make all the difference.
And with these tips in mind, you’ll be able to quickly and efficiently inflate your air track, ensuring many successful and enjoyable training sessions ahead in a perfect training surface.