All Sherrin footballs have a recommended inflation unit printed around their inflation valves i.e. 69kPa, 45kPa, 30kPa, 25kPa etc. This metric pressure unit is kPa (kilopascal). Be careful to not confuse psi (pounds square inch) with kPa as psi has roughly 10x more pressure than kPa and will rapidly and easily damage your ball. For your reference 6.9 kPa = 1 pSi.
If you do exceed the recommended inflation guide you risk damaging the stitching and also voiding the warranty. If you do over-inflate a ball, release the pressure immediately. It may not be apparent just by looking at the ball that it is over-inflated, another sign is if it is hard to the touch, after use, the stitching can possibly give way.
To correctly inflate your footy be sure to follow the below steps:
- Make sure that the bladder is in the centre of the ball.
- If using a hand pump make sure to place the ball on a flat surface as the needle can heat up and bend or snap off if weight is put on it.
- To inflate the ball apply a drop of silicone oil/Vaseline into the valve or on the needle.
- The correct way to inflate the ball is to hold the bladder from the valve panel tightly and only then insert the needle.
- Partially inflate the ball and make sure the bladder is in the correct position, then inflate to correct pressure. Do not over-inflate.
- Inflation gauges can be purchased here