Autoinflate lifejackets; a cautionary tale

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GrahamHR

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We've always had autoinflate lifejackets. Never used in anger, but always worn. Cleaning out the cuddy cabin recently, I came across a piece of bright green plastic, which I recognised as part of the clip that is ejected when a lifejacket inflation is activated. Two did so a few years ago due to damp.

I checked all 3 current lifejackets. None had deployed, the oldest was fine but the two newest ones had the CO2 cylinders totally unscrewed from the mechanism; so much so, i think they wee never screwed in in the first place. Appalling QC if that is the case. Not cheap lifejackets, but from a mainstream UK supplier.

MoraL; Check all brand new lifejackets to make sure they are safe and correctly assembled, asssume at all times they are potentially not !
 
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GrahamHR said:
We've always had autoinflate lifejackets. Never used in anger, but always worn. Cleaning out the cuddy cabin recently, I came across a piece of bright green plastic, which I recognised as part of the clip that is ejected when a lifejacket inflation is activated. Two did so a few years ago due to damp.

I checked all 3 current lifejackets. None had deployed, the oldest was fine but the two newest ones had the CO2 cylinders totally unscrewed from the mechanism; so much so, i think they wee never screwed in in the first place. Appalling QC if that is the case. Not cheap lifejackets, but from a mainstream UK supplier.

MoraL; Check all brand new lifejackets to make sure they are safe and correctly assembled, asssume at all times they are potentially not !
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Cylinders tend to unscrew themselves as you put the jacket on and off. I check them every few weeks on advice from the RNLI given at one of their free check up sessions.
 
I found loose cylinders when I checked a friends lifejacket a few years ago.
I had assumed they had never been tightened properly.
However I will be checking my lifejackets at the weekend.
That reminds me to also check the date in the trigger capsule things (or whatever they are called).
 
My wife stepped off the stern whilst we were berthing, rolled her feet on a rope left on the jetty and fell in. I cut the engines and hauled her on board quickly where she was hanging on the stern bottom cleat, head just above water. Somehow the boat had moored itself better than I might have done.
After showers and discussing how much worse it could have been we turned to the lifejacket which did not inflate. As you say the cylinder was unscrewed . We check them every so often now, and she never steps off if there are ropes on jetty any more.
Lessons to be learnt
 
When I ran the boat in the UK life jackets were checked weekly. I get its slightly different as a commercial operation with people almost permantly aboard but maybe everyobe should just check their safety equipment when they first get on board each time?

W.
 
Presumably all lifejackets are serviced annually - inflate, check for pressure loss, weigh gas cylinder repack etc - per all guidance I have ever seen.
I also check all new lifejackets for cylinder tightness - as I did for one this week, and felt was not tight enough.
 
dunedin said:
Presumably all lifejackets are serviced annually - inflate, check for pressure loss, weigh gas cylinder repack etc - per all guidance I have ever seen.
I also check all new lifejackets for cylinder tightness - as I did for one this week, and felt was not tight enough.
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But are they? And this thread may suggest if they are it isn't enough..

W.
 
PilotWolf said:
But are they? And this thread may suggest if they are it isn't enough..

W.
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I expect any new item I am sold to be in a working condition ( unless described as/ sold otherwise). New lifejackets with loose cylinders ? That's surely a manufacturing problem. Then a supplier problem, as they don't check them before selling them.

As to cylinders unscrewing, maybe it happens sometimes. When I screwed those CO2 cylinders in, the thread was very tight, as it should be by design; I can't imagine they had unscrewed.

As to weighing the 35g CO2 cylinders, they are steel, with a cadmium coating for corrosion protection, so do not leak unless severely rusted. If activated/ used, there is a hole in the end ! I do have a balance that reads to 0.01g, but it's a pointless exercise really to weigh them, unless CO2 migration / diffusion through steel is an issue. Which it isn't.
 
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GrahamHR said:
I expect any new item I am sold to be in a working condition ( unless described as/ sold otherwise). New lifejackets with loose cylinders ? That's surely a manufacturing problem. Then a supplier problem, as they don't check them before selling them.

As to cylinders unscrewing, maybe it happens sometimes. When I screwed those CO2 cylinders in, the thread was very tight, as it should be by design; I can't imagine they had unscrewed.

As to weighing the 35g CO2 cylinders, they are steel, with a cadmium coating for corrosion protection, so do not leak unless severely rusted. If activated/ used, there is a hole in the end ! I do have a balance that reads to 0.01g, but it's a pointless exercise really to weigh them, unless CO2 migration / diffusion through steel is an issue. Which it isn't.
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I'm not trying to defend manufactures or sellers. I agree 110% safety equipment or anything you buy should be working as expected.

I'm just suggesting a basic check is something everyone should do. I've never weighed cylinders either because as you say its pretty obvious to their condition.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of what you buy its your life it's hopefully going to save so personally I'd rather check it myself to be sure I van trust it.

I've never know one to unscrew, mIsfire during a drill, yes and the company replaced them when told about the issue. I can't remember which company as about 12 years ago.

W.
 
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Many moons ago I was in the RN and one of my responsibilities was maintenance of lifesaving gear. The routine for self-inflating lifejackets was removal of the gas cylinder, visual inspection and weighing it to be sure that no leakage had occurred. Also visual check of the entire life jacket and then inflating and leaving to check for any leaks. At that time the ‘trigger’ units for the gas bottle weren’t sealed so it was a case of replacing the paper washer that held the spring loaded pin. Checking that the gas bottle was properly tightened was a routine ‘every use’ check.

Still do the same annually (albeit rely on the trigger unit being in date and the green plastic ‘indicator’ piece being in place) and regularly check that the gas cylinder is properly tightened because they can work loose.
 
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Lower Limit 1909 said:
That sounds like a fairly simple (and at the same time rather important) engineering/design problem to solve.
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Crewsaver have solved it on their Hammar type jackets - the cylinder is glued into the plastic back-piece of the inflater and replacement cylinders are sold with a new back-piece glued on.

I'm not particularly a fan of the Hammar design for other reasons, though, so I've subsequently bought jackets with normal UML inflaters and regularly check the bottle.

Pete
 
I was shocked to find the loose cylinders, never found them to be so in the previous 15 years or so with a number of lifejackets and the cylinder on the oldest lifejacket we still have was not loose., I'll check the cylinders every occasion we don the lifejackets in future though . I still think I shouldn't really have though, to be sure to be safe Engineering a solution to stop cylinders unscrewing is hardly challenging or expensive for the manufacturers.
 
GrahamHR said:
I was shocked to find the loose cylinders, never found them to be so in the previous 15 years or so with a number of lifejackets and the cylinder on the oldest lifejacket we still have was not loose., I'll check the cylinders every occasion we don the lifejackets in future though . I still think I shouldn't really have though, to be sure to be safe Engineering a solution to stop cylinders unscrewing is hardly challenging or expensive for the manufacturers.
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This is a long shot but do the life jackets get shipped with the cylinders charged, ie. screwed in? Do they have a manual that says "Screw the cylinders in before use to charge the LJ's"? Makes sense? I cannot see how they would become "unscrewed".:confused:
 
MrB said:
This is a long shot but do the life jackets get shipped with the cylinders charged, ie. screwed in? Do they have a manual that says "Screw the cylinders in before use to charge the LJ's"? Makes sense? I cannot see how they would become "unscrewed".:confused:
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I don't either. The lifejackets came with no instruction manuals. Maybe the vendor was meant to screw the cylinders in before selling them ? That makes some sense, no chance of accidental discharge during pre sale storage.
 
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