Tubeless sealant Q's.

venster
venster Posts: 356
edited May 2018 in Workshop
Hi.

New to tubeless wheels, so have a question, or two..

Had my wheels for a few months and went to check the sealant, thinking I might to need to top it up.

As I deflated the tyre sealant leaked out in many places - can I assume it doesn't need topping up yet? I've inflated the tyre back up and it's held the pressure.

Should you 'hear' the sealant sloshing about inside? I can't hear anything when I shake/roll the wheels?

When do you top up the sealant? How low do you let it go?

If I topped up with 30ml, it wouldn't hurt anyway would it?

TIA...

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    In order:

    I can hear mine.
    Never top up, just replace every year.
    Probably not, unless you are a weight weenie.
    I don't do smileys.

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  • From Schwalbe's website. https://www.schwalbe.com/en-GB/tubeless.html

    How often do I have to refill or replace the sealing liquid?

    "Refilling the sealing liquid is only necessary to maintain the protection against punctures. Schwalbe Doc Blue remains active as preventive puncture protection for approx. 2-7 months or approx. 2000 km. After this period it dries out and turns into a rubber film or separates into the individual components (latex and liquid).

    By using a needle you can easily test, whether the sealing liquid is still functioning. Simply pierce the running surface and let the tyre rotate. Refill sealing liquid if the hole does not seal immediately. The “test hole” is repaired with the new sealing liquid".
  • venster wrote:
    As I deflated the tyre sealant leaked out in many places - can I assume it doesn't need topping up yet? I've inflated the tyre back up and it's held the pressure.

    The same happens to me, I just ignore it and re-inflate.
  • venster
    venster Posts: 356
    It’s a bit vague from the Schwalbe website - 2~7 months or 2000km. That’s a huge variation for me to consider.

    And maybe I’m being a bit naive, but I’d rather not unnecessarily ‘puncture’ my tyre if I didn’t need to.

    I think I’ll top it up anyway, and clean out after 6 months. Belts and braces!!
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    if you buy tractor tyres you dont need sealant at all and theyll weight the same soon anyway. Also you wont get unfixable punctures or side wall tears. #alwaysgethome
  • janwal
    janwal Posts: 489
    https://www.sigmasports.com/item/milKit ... lsrc=aw.ds
    Fit a set of these and you can have a fuss free way to check fluid levels and top up or replace when you want. They come in different valve lengths.
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    The needle test is not a bad one. Fif it does not seal top up.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • Andymaxy
    Andymaxy Posts: 197
    I added 45ml in my road tires, which is considered a lot. I can never hear it. I use orange seal, which is supposed to only last 45 days. Rather than checking sealant level, I simply remove all old sealant and add new sealant every two months.
  • Nick Payne
    Nick Payne Posts: 288
    Andymaxy wrote:
    I added 45ml in my road tires, which is considered a lot. I can never hear it. I use orange seal, which is supposed to only last 45 days. Rather than checking sealant level, I simply remove all old sealant and add new sealant every two months.

    45 days? It lasts a lot longer than that - I've deflated a tyre about a year after putting Orange Seal in (about 60ml in a 650bx48 touring tyre), and there was still some liquid sealant left. And I have some Schwalbe S-One 700x30 with about 40ml in each tyre and they haven't been replenished in almost a year as well.