Life Jackets with CO2 cylinders

jusw

jusw

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Can I please have comments about how regularly members service their life jackets? I'm referring to the either manual or automatic gas inflated variety.

I have three different types all between 1 and 5 years old - All the cylinders are clean and there doesn't appear to be any signs of corrosion - do I need to do anything?

What does everyone else do?

Jusw
 
I inflate all mine by mouth every season and leave them overnight to spot any leakers. none so far!

Cylinders can be weighed on fine kitchen scales to ensure ok, but if seal is intact can't see any reason why they should not function.

PWG
 
Each winter or after they get wet / grubby from use - I open them up, unscrew cylinder and clean up all threads, body etc. and weigh cylinder to make sure still ok. You may not see the pin-prick hole in the seal. (Good idea is when cylinder is new and you know it's full - take marker pen and mark YOUR scales reading on it ... then later you have instant check).
I inflate jacket manually and then with soft brush and damp cloth wipe over all to remove salt / grit / crud that can abrade / chafe the jacket. Leave for overnight to make sure it stays inflated. Deflate, refit cylinder .... with marker pen date and sign the check label, ( you don't need to be qualified safety inspector to mark the label ... it's purely an indicator that checks have been carried out ) ..... refold and close up ready for use.

Simple ... but could save your life.
 
jusw said:
When you inflate each year - won't the inside of the air reservoir become moist from your breath and potentially go mouldy?

JuSw
Click to expand...
Yes - use a low-pressure manual pump to inflate rather than lung-power.

Check that the green clips are in place when you check the lifejacket.

When the jacket is inflated, check round seams and folds for any signs of wear. Discard if in any doubt.

Also worth checking that cylinder is screwed in securely on a more frequent basis.
 
Once a year is good. Modern materials claim not to be sensitive to moist breath - it is said to do no harm. I too weigh the cylinders. There are those who claim you should do full inflation test with them blown up hard overnight (I do) and also a "soft test" with them blown up lightly (I haven't). The theory is that the latter tests the valve on the oral tube, which is supposedly more likely to leak at low pressure than high. Mine all have the United Moulders (UML) system. Among its safety features is a small clip which is pops off if they are operated manually. They always fall off even when they haven't been operated, which means that none of mine ever have the indicator but are safe. A couple of crew dunkings have proven this.

I also replace the bobbins when they reach their expiry date. I drop the old ones in water and they always work.

If the lifejackets have been roughed about, e.g. used in earnest, then retest them, don't just rearm them. One of mine was holed, but not obviously, hauling a casualty back aboard.

And teach your crew to check that eveything is screwed together when using them.

I guess that you've already chosen your jackets. It's worth thinking about the recurrent costs of replacing the firing mechanisms to schedule when buying. Expensive ones need replacing too!
 
Talking of Lifejackets - a couple of mine are Crewsaver Hammar units where the CO2 cylinder is inside the bladder. It is very important with those to ensure that the CO2 bottle is screwed home fully as there have been instances of the LJ failing to inflate becauce the bottle is not screwed tightly.

Does anyone know how you access/replace the bottle with these? I presume that there is some clever mechanism whereby the trigger comes apart but I am afraid of damaging the LJ by poking around
 
Refueler said:
Not being funny - but having heard this one repeated so many times - can someone please quote which makers actually say that ?

AND - if you think that using a mechanical inflator will prevent moisture entering the 'bladder' - then sorry you are wrong.
Click to expand...
Yes - I would like to hear from the LJ Manufacturer who claims that the bladder can be damaged by water - and I would certainly avoid his products in the future :)

However oral inflation will result in a significant amount of moisture being left in the bladder. Air is exhaled at about 35C (say) and 100% RH. Blowing that into a cooler LJ will cause condensation. Pumping it up manually will not have the same impact as (a) the air pumped in will not be 100% RH (unless it is raining :)) and (b) as there is no change in temperature there would be no condensation anyway.
 
PeterGibbs said:
I inflate all mine by mouth every season and leave them overnight to spot any leakers. none so far!

Cylinders can be weighed on fine kitchen scales to ensure ok, but if seal is intact can't see any reason why they should not function.

PWG
Click to expand...

Many moons ago I worked for a company that used similar CO2 cylinders. Frome experience we check weighed every cylinder at goods inwards. I carry a mini set of scales plus a wooden cradle to hold the cylinder on my boat.

The target weight of the cylinder should be marked on it and you need to check against this. Looks are not everything.
 
bedouin said:
a couple of mine are Crewsaver Hammar units where the CO2 cylinder is inside the bladder.
Does anyone know how you access/replace the bottle with these? I presume that there is some clever mechanism whereby the trigger comes apart but I am afraid of damaging the LJ by poking around
Click to expand...

You can check that the bottle is screwed in properly without taking the valve apart, just grip it through the fabric. The replacement Hammar unit comes with a key.
 
maxi77 said:
Many moons ago I worked for a company that used similar CO2 cylinders. Frome experience we check weighed every cylinder at goods inwards. I carry a mini set of scales plus a wooden cradle to hold the cylinder on my boat.

The target weight of the cylinder should be marked on it and you need to check against this. Looks are not everything.
Click to expand...

True .. but my suggestion of writing in black marker pen makes it even clearer for anyone to check. When first getting cylinder ... weight it on your Kitchen scales ... mark the reading on cylinder. It will often be slightly different to official marked weight due to calibration of your domestic scales .. so later you have a reference related direct to your scales.
 
Refueler said:
True .. but my suggestion of writing in black marker pen makes it even clearer for anyone to check. When first getting cylinder ... weight it on your Kitchen scales ... mark the reading on cylinder. It will often be slightly different to official marked weight due to calibration of your domestic scales .. so later you have a reference related direct to your scales.
Click to expand...

Agree entirely, but the key thing is to ensure there is gas in it before you start and that the dam stuff stays in there and hasn't leaked away. If I remeber correctly the failure used to be somewhere around 3-5%. Also back then the whole worldwide business was controlled by one Japanese company.
 
Thats why I advocate weigh when its new - first bought ... and if the weight you see for a cylinder appears low - back to shop and show them - to exchange for a full one.

OK - I can weigh to same spec as ISO Standards as I have a lab etc. - but still it's easier for me to do it on standard kitchen scales at home !!
 
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