Have not done balloons for over a year. Just the other day, I wanted to do them, but when I used the pump, it would not work. It's the bulb-type pump which you have to squeeze. I could feel air coming out, so the spout is Unclogged. But it can not inflate. Can anybody explain?

I don't know about that, but I do know that good pumps are really cheap. I bought the Qualatex Dual Action pump from Amazon.com for under $10 (with free two day shipping because I'm a prime member). I saw the Qualatex non-dual action pump at Target recently for something like $6 or $7, too. It was in the party section. I also bought a crappy pump at Dollar Tree the other day which, in a pinch, would work okay.

I wish I could help with the problem you're having, though - but good luck

Solution = throw it away and buy a Qualatex dual action pump

If you are making balloons for money, it is imperative to have a backup pump. I use a majiloon, but always have a dual action hand pump as a backup. It's saved my rear on a number of occasions.

Side note: Although I can mouth inflate, I mostly use a pump.

Joey D

Heck, you could go to dollar tree. They sell dual action pumps. Keep a bunch as backups for a good Qualatex pump.

My dollar tree pump leaks air... you have to pump it faster than the air leaks, which is doable, but makes it not great for eyeballing a certain length of tail. But still, it's probably better than the kind Orville was describing.

I cheat allot as I generally use an electric balloon pump!

And it sounds like you'll be generally using nothing when it breaks. Ha! Not tryin to be harsh here. Just sayin. All in good fun coversation.

I always have two spare qualatex dual action pumps in my tables for any problems with the battery operated pump.

This might sound preposterous, but after my initial post about my non-working pump, I bought a package of balloons which also included a pump. Instead of the bulb-pump (which is the non-working one), this new one has an up-and-down handle. This new pump did Not work on both the new balloons and the old ones. But for some reason,I decided to try the non-working bulb again. Strange as it seems, the non-working bulb worked on the New balloons!! Is it because the other balloons were too old? Or because I had not stored them safely enough?
Another strange thing is that the New balloons are the same size and shape as the Old ones, but when I inflate them, they are skinnier than the old ones!! What's happening here? Has anybody else had a similar experience and can explain?

[quote]On 2013-05-21 09:56, TKD27 wrote:
I don't know about that, but I do know that good pumps are really cheap.

Good pumps cheap? I find that a good pump is rather expensive, but I'm talking about a one-stroke pump or even an electric one (I love a one stroke).
But if you do balloons 'from time to time' a dual action jandpump will work fine.
I keep one as a backup altough I mouth-inflate a lot (when my wife isn't looking )
A one stroke is a great investment and works a lot easier (for me) since you can leave the pump standing, you don't have to put it away when twisting the balloon and it looks way better.

I should have specified that good hand pumps are really cheap

Indeed