How often do you check your lifejackets?

[volvopaul]

After yesterday's polishing and antifouling( mrs volvopaul) did it, second year on trot, she got it done quick as she had a horse running in the national, it came second, huh same as last year ! Anyway back to the thread.

I decided to treat her to Sunday lunch for he efforts and after we had had an excellent sunday roast in the spinnaker opposite swanwick Marina we had a browse around yachmail.

She has always complained about how long it takes he put put her jacket on, now I'm always up for helping a nice lady fit her upper bits into a jacket as we often have unpaid guests on board, but she saw a zip up type, far more expensive than our crewsavers.

Antony at yachmail asked when had we last tested and serviced our 6 jackets, now that was a question I was ashamed to answer, he said he would gladly check them out foc, so we returned 5 mins later with all 6. Now they are all auto inflate models, as he unpacked them 4 out the 6 had been fired including mine!.

The question is how can they have been fired yet they have not been dispersed open, never ever since 2 went off in our cockpit one very rainy day a few years back, I replaced the canisters and firing mechanisms so I know when they go off they inflate, yet this time they were now rendered useless.

A simple check is to undo the canister, it won't go off, if there is a pierced hole in the end it's time for a service.

I'm very impressed with Antony, he used to work he said at ocean safety some years ago, he could have taken them off us and charged us the rate that the job was worth but he was kind enough not to, he also told me after doing all the tests how to test the integrity of what we had left with a dinghy pump, I've just done this and 1 put the 6 would have never inflated as it had split on it's seam. I have inflated them all to 4 psi and will leave them overnight now and see what the result is.

Lesson learnt, for £45 I could have lost my life, new jackets on the way for sure.

 

[PaulGooch]

Tut tut Paul, i'm sure if we looked after our engines so badly you'd have something to say

I do all of ours once a year, actually just done them all. All self inflating ones with United Moulders (UML) firing systems. The firing bobbins were all either just out of date, or about to become out of date so i replaced the lot. Also took all the Co2 canisters off an checked for corrosion and weight. All weighed OK but one was slightly corroded and was replaced (i manually fired that one to test it all worked). All jackets were inflated with clean air, as you no doubt know you're not supposed to orally inflate them because you leave moister in them. Left overnight to make sure they stayed up, inspected and repacked.

I also have a periodic check of the Co2 canisters during the year, for tightness and corrosion.

Can't imagine how your canisters were pierced without the jackets having inflated.

 

[gravygraham]

Well Paul, that's the best Sunday sermon I've heard in a very long time. Hopefully your flock (me included) will listen and learn.

 

[Greg2]

Service ours every season. Inflate and leave for a day to check they don't lose air, replace the firing mechanisms if our of date and if not confirm that they haven't activated and check and weigh the gas cylinders (weight is stamped on the side). But then maintaining lifesaving kit used to be one of my jobs in the Navy.....

 

[Elessar]

Service ours every season. Inflate and leave for a day to check they don't lose air, replace the firing mechanisms if our of date and if not confirm that they haven't activated and check and weigh the gas cylinders (weight is stamped on the side). But then maintaining lifesaving kit used to be one of my jobs in the Navy.....

+1

record the service and bottle weights on a sheet with serial nos.

This has always been fine for the coding people but this year they rejected it and made me have them serviced by a safety company.

Whenever I have a course on board, I show them how to check the l/j, then how to inflate and repack. So mine get checked very often.

Have seen people come with new ones out of the shop with spent cylinders.

 

[aquapower]

Have just been watching Titanic on tv and the subject of life jackets was discussed between myself and swmbo, I said its about time they were tested gain so thanks for bringing this important subject to my attention.

 

[Nick_H]

+1

record the service and bottle weights on a sheet with serial nos.

This has always been fine for the coding people but this year they rejected it and made me have them serviced by a safety company.

.. who get the YTS kid to record the service and bottle weights on a sheet with serial no's!

So far my accreditor accepts self certification for the first 3 years. I check them each year, cylinder weights, check for damage, inflate and leave for 24 hrs, then take a photo of me with the inflated jackets with an up to date newspaper, in case I ever need to prove they've been done. Every 3 years I throw away a dozen gas lifejackets that have never been out of their packets (except for me to test them), because it's cheaper than having them independently tested in SoF!

(of course I don't really throw them away, but I do give them away)

 

[Searush]

VP, could someone have switched used cylinders for your good ones to save themselves buying new ones?

Maybe they were used to power the soda siphon.

 

[prv]

Wow, that's a pretty bad score. When you say "had been fired", are you referring to something about the auto mechanism or do you mean the ends of the cylinders had been pierced? Very bizarre to have empty pierced cylinders fitted to a lifejacket.

I service mine each spring, blow them up and inspect them. I do use a footpump because I service the JonBuoy at the same time and that needs more puff than I have in me - but note that the manufacturers say you can blow lifejackets up by mouth for servicing if you want to, moisture in breath doesn't affect the modern coatings.

I can't weigh the cylinders on my jackets because they're Hammar ones sealed inside the bladder and I don't have the special tool for opening them. Even if I did, the cylinders are glued into the inflators these days so the weight wouldn't match what's stamped. So I suppose I'm just trusting the fact that any leakage would cause telltale partial inflation of the jacket, unless anyone has any cunning tricks?

Pete

 

[rubberduck]

Did mine a few days ago, how long should they hold air. Mine started to loose pressure after about 3 days, around 50% lost in a week.

 

[Piers]

Every year.

Also, Fireguard (New Milton, Hampshire) comes along and re-certifies the fire extinguishing systems on the boat. The small print of the boat insurance demands this.

 

[gravygraham]

Did mine a few days ago, how long should they hold air. Mine started to loose pressure after about 3 days, around 50% lost in a week.

I don't know if there's a generally accepted norm but if they're still holding about 90% the next day I'd say that was quite acceptable. There is of course the mouth top-up on each jacket.

One has to think how long you'd be wearing a life jacket if the balloon went up. If you're still in the drink after a week I'm pretty sure you'll be fish fodder, so a 50% air loss will be the last of your worries.

 

[gjgm]

At the beginning of the season, I take out the cylinders and weight them, and chuck away any that look a bit corroded;pump up the l/j with a foot pump and leave overnight.
Actually, for the first time, one went a bit soft overnight (mine). it turned out it leaked a bit without a cylinder fitted, but I decided that the two we use had probably done their sevice and got a couple of new ones.
Actually, they are some bizzo ones from ADEC marine:
http://www.adecmarine.co.uk/product_details.asp?d=2&c=130&p={1E71BAA8-259A-4AC2-BCCD-BCC40FBC282D}
Intersting trying something new-these definitely fit much better than the normal "waistcoat" type.

 

[prv]

Did mine a few days ago, how long should they hold air. Mine started to loose pressure after about 3 days, around 50% lost in a week.

I think the instructions for mine say overnight. If you were in the water with it, I doubt you'd care much after three days!

Pete

 

[neale]

I like to do mine every year during the winter.

MBM has a video detailing some basic checks HERE

 

[Ripster]

Did mine a few days ago, how long should they hold air. Mine started to loose pressure after about 3 days, around 50% lost in a week.

Did mine at the start of the year. All in date (as I do them every year) and all held their pressure for 3 days ish. I don't know about others, but I have a day at the start of the season testing all the safety stuff, from alarms to epirbs, kit in the grab bag to LJs etc.

 

[Poignard]

How often do you check your lifejackets?

 

[OAF]

Cheers vp will be giving mine a check the next time I'm down, took for granted!

 

[volvopaul]

Wow, that's a pretty bad score. When you say "had been fired", are you referring to something about the auto mechanism or do you mean the ends of the cylinders had been pierced? Very bizarre to have empty pierced cylinders fitted to a lifejacket.

I service mine each spring, blow them up and inspect them. I do use a footpump because I service the JonBuoy at the same time and that needs more puff than I have in me - but note that the manufacturers say you can blow lifejackets up by mouth for servicing if you want to, moisture in breath doesn't affect the modern coatings.

I can't weigh the cylinders on my jackets because they're Hammar ones sealed inside the bladder and I don't have the special tool for opening them. Even if I did, the cylinders are glued into the inflators these days so the weight wouldn't match what's stamped. So I suppose I'm just trusting the fact that any leakage would cause telltale partial inflation of the jacket, unless anyone has any cunning tricks?

Pete

Yes they had been pierced which makes me think I bought them like that, how would they have lost there gas otherwise, when I buy new this week I'm going to check what I'm buying.

 

[volvopaul]

Just back from work, I nice day out sea trailing a botnia targa 31, 40 knots calm Solent sat inside the warmth,

To find all jackets still full of air, so a great result although they would have maybe not have saved us had we been knocked out on the way in the drink.