These could be considered the “necessary evil” many RVers can’t live without. If you are installing new valve extenders, we highly recommend the solid steel type (rather than the flexible mesh or rubber type). If you are mounting TireMinder® transmitters to a valve extender, you must test for leakage using the latest high tech technique. It’s commonly called the “soapy water test."
- First attach the transmitter to the extender.
- Second, using a highly concentrated mix (more soap than water), soak the transmitter end as well the end attached to the original valve stem. If the extenders are the flexible type, soak them along their entire length (not just the two ends).
- Hopefully we do not need to tell you what you are looking for.
From experience, when users call or write complaining their TireMinder® transmitter is leaking, it invariably turns out the problem is with their valve extenders. It should be understood that most valve extenders (especially the flexible ones) are not pressurized until a gauge is pressed against the open end of the valve. They are then only pressurized for a few seconds (long enough to take a reading on the gauge).
When a TireMinder® transmitter is attached, the entire length of the extender becomes permanently pressurized (until it is removed). This is when a leak would appear. So, please check carefully.