Deflating Lifejacket

[LinTeal]

I have a 5 year old v.well known make of automatic inflating lifejacket.I tested it the other day by orally inflating it and was concerned to note that after 5 minutes it was no longer fully inflated.
Should I bin it or is this problem fairly common and repairable?

 

[tome]

Bin it and buy a new one. You owe it to yourself.

 

[Krusty]

I suggest that you inflate it by triggering its cylinder (which should be replaced anyway if it is also 5yrs old) and see if the higher pressure shuts the valve and holds up for 24 hours. If it does, you might justifiably replace the cylinder and pellet: otherwise bin it!

 

[whisper]

If it does deflate then I'd try writing to the manufacturer expressing your surprise that their product has not lasted more than 5 yrs. I've got both Crewsaver and Baltic vests that are now atleast 12 yrs old and they still work perfectly.

 

[JKay]

agree with tome save your life not your money!!!!

cheers Joe

 

[whisper]

Don't think I've suggested anything different have I ? BUT well known manufacturer may well offer some gesture to ease the pain of replacement.

 

[JKay]

Ooooopppppssseee!!!joe whispers sorry ! wrong reply should've been the top /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

cheers Joe

 

[John_N]

Just checked my two 20 yr old Crewsavers. Stayed inflated for 24 hours, weighed cylinders, inspected firing mechanism - all perfect.

 

[StephenSails]

Would you complain to a car tyre manufacturer if you got a flaty after 5 years?

There could be any number of reasons for the lifejacket not holding its air, puncture of the membrane, leaky valve on the oral inflation tube, seam damage, faulty inflation mechanism. Lifejackets should be serviced every year and are almost always repairable.

 

[kingfisher]

Don't test a life jacket by inflating it with the CO2 canister.

Upon release of the gas, the temperature drops very fast, potentially damaging/cracking the seals. Once a life jacket has been inflated by its canisters, it is no longer reliable.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

[ QUOTE ]
Upon release of the gas, the temperature drops very fast, potentially damaging/cracking the seals. Once a life jacket has been inflated by its canisters, it is no longer reliable.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you sure? There is nothing like that in the instructions on my jackets. Should I thin throw away my re-arming kits stored on board as they are next to useless?

 

[Santana379]

It might be worth finding the source of the leak. In theory this can be done by painting a very dilute water/detergent mix down all the seams etc. Bubbles will appear from the source of the leak. With a 5 minute deflation time this may be too long-winded, so you could do what I did recently - blow it up and hold it under water in the basin - you'll find the leak pretty quickly. You can then judge by looking at it whether it's wear or failure, and contact the manufacturer, bin it, or get it repaired as appropriate. Suffolk Sailing (experts in lifejackets, liferafts & inflatibles) repaired one of mine, though I suggest it may not be worth repairing a jacket over 2 or 3 years old if you're paying.

I had another jacket from a, if not the, top manufacturer, fail at circa 5 years - fortunately discovered when doing its winter service. I was appalled as it was my daughter's. The consequences don't bear thinking about - she might have gone overboard mid North Sea in full foul weather gear. The failure was in a seam, and therefore a manufacturing fault. The maufacturer wrote a letter detailing their related quality control procedures, and replaced the inflatible bit (the stole?) FOC.

Would you complain to a car tyre manufacturer if you got a flaty after 5 years? Of course not, nor would I complain if milk went off after a few days - both are consumable items.

I think we should fairly expect a non bargain basement lifejacket to work a good number of years after purchase. If a failure within five years is to be considered acceptable, then statistically a lot of us are enjoying a false sense of security when wearing a lifejacket.

(To avoid unintentionally starting a debate on the wearing of lifejackets, the sense of security to which I refer is the knowledge that as skipper, I can stay afloat if the crew make one or two hashes of the MOB drill - I also make the crew wear them in case I do the same)

Francis Fletcher

 

[Santana379]

Re: Oral Inflation of Life Jackets

Another thought re the oral/cannister inflation discussion: I have read in certainly one recent letter to the yachting press that when servicing lifejackets they should be inflated with a pump and not orally, to avoid introducing moisture inside the jacket, which will of course stay there. Presumably the only area it can damage is where there is metal, i.e. where the top/threads of the cylinder?

Normally I just blow them up orally, but when I've got cylinders that are starting to look a bit discoloured/rusty then I take some pleasure in using them with the manual release.

Francis Fletcher

 

[GeorgeP]

I get all my life jackets serviced every year (Piplers of Poole). Perhaps you should try that?

 

[John_Clarke]

Last year I serviced two Crewsaver Crewfit lifejackets which were 6 years old and replaced the hydrostatic Hammar inflation devices. Afterwards I tested them by inflating the jackets manual through the mouthpiece. I should have done this every year but they are carefully looked after and other more pressing priorities have meant that it was never done.

You can imagine my dismay when they both went limp within 10 minutes. I re-inflated them and held them under water in the bath to discover one was leaking from the Hammar device and the other was leaking through an area of the bladder. The porous area was about the size of a 5p coin and was clearly a different colour to the rest of the fabric; it was not apparently abraded or damaged in any way. It looked as if the airproof finish was missing on the inside in this area.

All credit to Crewsaver who have repaired both lifejackets free of charge and all within a couple of weeks.

From now on I will inflation test all new lifejackets on purchase and all my lifejackets every spring.

I have since spoken to an RNLI safety advisor about lifejackets. The RNLI use Crewsaver because they are reliable and good quality. On the offshore boats they use the pellet type inflation devices because they are less expensive and easier to service than Hammar devices. The pellet type do need to be hung up in a ventilated area when not in use or they can auto-inflate if the humidity gets too high.

 

[whisper]

If there was a manufacturing fault or quality problem then yes. Have done so in the past albeit with a 3 yr old tyre and got a contribution towards a new one.