Sunova Vent Plug

[PonoBill]

I'm sure Tino is expecting a bunch of people to screw up their plugs now, though this aluminum guy looks bulletproof compared to the plastic hexes. I can see where overtightening might squish the rubber over the hole in the housing. Nice part. I want some of these.

[Beasho]

All good to know.  For what it is worth I blew out/broke a vent taking it in/out too many times, like Pono to do repairs.

I had to order "a" new one and eventually just bought 5.  These vents all seemed to work but what I realized was that the vent on one board didn't seem to vent (outward).  This was my Paddle Surf Hawaii that had been constantly de-laminating and bubbling . . . .  Could it have been a defective vent all along ?   

This may help to know that you can get 5X Vents for $30 off eBay and that they FIT into the standard GORE vent hole. 

[PonoBill]

Good price, they're usually 20 bucks apiece. I need some (misplaced one in my V1) but I want the aluminum ones. Though for 30 bucks, what the heck. Ordered.

[Badger]

I'm sure Tino is expecting a bunch of people to screw up their plugs now, though this aluminum guy looks bulletproof compared to the plastic hexes. I can see where overtightening might squish the rubber over the hole in the housing. Nice part. I want some of these.

The aluminum Sunova plugs are only 12mm in diameter.

The hole in the top of the plug that the air passes through is only 3mm. Someone could easily puncture the membrane by inserting a tooth pick into the hole.

I know of no other brand that uses these plugs.

The washer is not that soft. I doubt overtightening could squish it enough to block the hole.

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[PonoBill]

All the vent plugs I know of are 12X1 MM and your can screw up the goretex on any vent plug.

[Bean]

Das GoreTex venten ist nicht fÜr der gefingerpoken und mittengraben!

In general, you should never have to remove the GT element from a vent.  Unlike a solid vent, that you might remove when you are making repairs, with a GT element, that is simply not necessary. 

Keep in mind that if you ever cross thread any element, whether solid or GT, the body can be successfully rethreaded without issue as the seal is provided by the o-ring alone which in turn relies on a uniform seat (for instance if it were cross threaded you would have uneven pressure on the o-ring seal).

[PonoBill]

Yes and no. It's a really small circle of goretex, and there are a lot of things that can clog it up--minerals, grease, wax, eps particles and sanding dust, etc.. It doesn't take a lot of pressure to delam a board, I've stupidly broken internal stringers loose in a hollow board by blowing in a vent tube to detect leaks (yup, he's a blowhard). So if you've had a board with a goretex vent for a couple of years it might be a good idea to replace or clean them. What you should feel if you blow in a Goretex vent is a solid plugged feeling, that if you hold the pressure for a while with just cheek tension (like blowing up a stubborn balloon) slowly dissipates. I just drop them in water with a little vinegar to dissolve minerals, which seem to be the biggest problem. Most minerals are basic, the acidic vinegar combines with the alkaline deposits to make salts, which are ionic and generally dissolve in water nicely--the same way you can clean calcium deposits from a plugged showerhead.

If that doesn't get your plug bubbling when you put a cool board in the sun for a few minutes then replace the plug. They used to be ridiculously expensive, but now they aren't.

The only caveat is SIC boards. Some of them use a Goretex vent plug I haven't seen before that is quite a bit longer. Maybe you can get replacements from SIC, but I've just used the shorter ones with teflon tape on the screw threads. the threads aren't tapered like pipe thread, so just a couple of wraps won't seal. I do about five or six wraps with the wrap finishing at the top of the plug to give a little taper. Works fine.

[Badger]

All the vent plugs I know of are 12X1 MM and your can screw up the goretex on any vent plug.

By golly you're right. I always thought the plastic plugs were bigger. But they're not. Good to know.    

The Jimmy Lewis plugs are a little more tamper proof. You would have to pry off the cap to access the Goretex. What I'm more concerned about with the Sunova plugs is some little kid coming along and sticking something in the vent hole.

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[Bean]

Yes, I'd like a nickel for every time I've come back to my board, after running up to the beach shack, only to find some kid shoveling sand or just standing on my board.  No harm no foul, as long as the mom is hot...

[PonoBill]

I usually turn to the Mom (or dad) and say "that's a four thousand dollar board you're letting your pathetic spawn jump on, are you ready to pay for that". Of course, they act like it's my fault for leaving it where the little snot-crusted weasel can get to it.

...Unless Mom is hot.

[S3Dsup]

Having a similar problem with the vent plug on a Bark Dominator (2014) - slow bubbling from the side of the plug even when the board is cool.  Went to take it out to check threads and try to reseat,  but the diameter of the hole around the plug is too small to get a regular 15mm (or any size) socket in. Even tried an extra-thin-wall socket.  Have done this many times with my surf sups but can't figure out what to use to unscrew this one.   Emailed Surftech and Joe Bark but no response.   Anybody know of a tool that would work for this? 

[TallDude]

Here's a video from Robert that says 5/8" socket. There is one from Distressed Mullet that says 16mm.  They are very close.

 

[dingfix]

I had this problem with a nsp. Found a 16mm thin walled socket for motorbike spark plugs worked. When refitting don't use a handle on the socket you will break the top cap off, only hand tighten then then test for leaks.

[Bean]

Yes, 16mm or 5/8" spark plug (thin-wall) socket. Both are very close in actual size (16/25.4 vs 5/8) so most manufacturers use the same tooling to produce both (even Snap On).

On the Bark, with a regular GT vent, the bubbles will come out on the sides.  An alternative approach for you would be to simply weigh the board and monitor going forward. 

[Badger]

When refitting don't use a handle on the socket you will break the top cap off, only hand tighten then then test for leaks.

That's a good tip. The first time I tried removing a plug years ago using the handle, the cap broke off. I had to glue it back on with epoxy because it wouldn't stay on otherwise.

If the threads are clean it should be no problem turning the socket by hand, This is where it helps to have a little silicone grease on the threads. You can feel it bottom out on the O-ring better. I sometimes very lightly use pliers for the final snug down but never the socket handle.