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I have a new basketball, I have owned it just several months.

When trying to inflate it with the pump, it feels like it gets inflated and deflated at the same time, so I either end up with less pressure air than what I had, or just a little more, which is still nowhere to the pressure I actually need.

I insert the needle pretty straight, all the way in, and then start pumping back and forth. if I don't pump, I can hear and smell the air coming out just by having the needle inserted.

Am I doing anything wrong?

I would have tried filling at a gas station but the needle attachment cannot connect to the air machine in the gas station.

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    I’m voting to close this question because it has nothing to do with Home Improvement.
    – Daniel Griscom
    Commented Dec 1, 2020 at 0:27
  • It's a question about a tool that is commonly found at homes, and is used in the context of maintenance, so I think it does have something to do with home improvement.
    – thenondeveloper
    Commented Dec 1, 2020 at 0:29
  • Have you unscrewed the pump and checked the seals? Sounds like air is escaping through the pump.
    – JACK
    Commented Dec 1, 2020 at 1:11
  • that is not a tool that is commonly found in homes ... use a bicycle pump with a gauge
    – jsotola
    Commented Dec 1, 2020 at 1:20
  • That's a tool commonly found in many American homes, but I don't think inflating a basketball is "home improvement" (though many Americans could improve their lives by being more accurate, this isn't "life improvement").
    – FreeMan
    Commented Dec 1, 2020 at 11:51

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Seems like the pump may be defective. It should have a valve to allow air into the ball, but not out of it. That does not appear to be working from your description. The "pump" looks very poorly made, at a glance.

Even with appropriate adapters, pumping up small things like balls and bicycle tires at a filling station is risky - it's very easy to overinflate them so they burst. However, a manual-powered or foot-powered bicycle tire pump and ball-filling-needle adapter might be a good choice. The ball-filling-needle you have should unscrew and may fit the bicycle-type air pump hose correctly. If not you can buy ones that do.

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  • This pump came with a "balance disc" that I ordered, and when tested it does pump the disc correctly. does it make sense that in the case of a basketball, it can't pump it even though it pumps the disc? Also, if I use another manual pump, how can I tell it reached the 8 PSI that is recommend? Thanks
    – thenondeveloper
    Commented Dec 1, 2020 at 0:20

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