How to Repair Rubber Tubes

Rubber tire tubes are delicate - they puncture easily. But they are also easy to fix. Most home tube repair is done on bicycle tubes. Most modern car and truck tires are tubeless, but vehicle tubes are often used as floats for recreation. These tubes can be patched as well. Tube-patch kits can be found at almost any hardware or department store. The methods for patching all kinds of tubes are almost exactly the same.

Things You'll Need

  • Floor pump
  • Black marker
  • Tube patch kit
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Instructions

    • 1

      Inflate the tube until it is stretched tight. Bicycle tire tubes should be about the size of a zucchini. Tubes for car and truck tires should be slightly bigger than the tire they are designed to go into.

    • 2

      Hold the tube up in front of your face, close to your lips. Slowly revolve the tube in your hands in front of your face until you hear a hissing sound and feel the air coming from the leak. Draw a circle around the leak with a black marker.

    • 3

      Deflate the tube. Using the scratching disc that comes inside the tube repair kit, scrub over the leak until the area around the leak has a scratched look to it. The scratched area should be slightly larger than the patch you are going to put on the leak.

    • 4

      Spread a thin coat of the cement that came with the kit over the leak, then let it dry for about 10 minutes. Your finger should leave a faint fingerprint on the glue when it is ready.

    • 5

      Peel the cellophane-like material from the patch. Apply the patch directly to the cement. Press down firmly on the patch. Work the pressure from your fingers from the center of the patch to the edges. Work around the perimeter of the patch until the edges of the patch are tight into the cement and there are no gaps. Do this for about three minutes, until the patch has sealed to the tube.