Life raft Servicing help please.

[Strathglass]

I have a couple of question to ask anyone who has watched their life raft being serviced, can someone help please?

When the life raft was being inflated where was the air being fed in? - Was it in the pipe when the bottle was removed? or was it in the ports where the foot pipe is connected to inside the raft?

If the foot pipe ports were not used were their function checked?

I am currently servicing a 4 man life raft and the reason for my question will be explained. I am taking video recordings of every stage.

Thanks

 

[john_morris_uk]

I have a couple of question to ask anyone who has watched their life raft being serviced, can someone help please?

When the life raft was being inflated where was the air being fed in? - Was it in the pipe when the bottle was removed? or was it in the ports where the foot pipe is connected to inside the raft?

If the foot pipe ports were not used were their function checked?

I am currently servicing a 4 man life raft and the reason for my question will be explained. I am taking video recordings of every stage.

Thanks

If I recall correctly, the bottle was removed from our LR and the air line connected to the hose that had been on the gas bottle somehow. The excess inflation valves were examined carefully, but I don't recall them being pressure tested by the airline as the LR inflated. They might have been but I don't remember excess air being blown off through the valves.

 

[Strathglass]

If I recall correctly, the bottle was removed from our LR and the air line connected to the hose that had been on the gas bottle somehow. The excess inflation valves were examined carefully, but I don't recall them being pressure tested by the airline as the LR inflated. They might have been but I don't remember excess air being blown off through the valves.

Thanks John, The reason I was asking is that when I tried to inflate the LR (gas bottle still connected) using the ports for the hand/foot pump I found it was impossible to inflate the lower tube as the mushroom valve failed to work and as soon as I took the pump off the tube deflated before I could put the plastic cap on and that was in my dining room, not at sea. It was relying on the plastic cap to seal the air in the lower tube and it would have been impossible to inflate the lower tube adequately using the supplied pump at sea.

As the LR has never been serviced from new one can only assume that the valve has been faulty from new.
I have sent a fairly strong letter to the LR manufacturers, as even if the LR had been serviced it is probable that the fault would not have been found - Until real deployment.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Thanks John, The reason I was asking is that when I tried to inflate the LR (gas bottle still connected) using the ports for the hand/foot pump I found it was impossible to inflate the lower tube as the mushroom valve failed to work and as soon as I took the pump off the tube deflated before I could put the plastic cap on and that was in my dining room, not at sea. It was relying on the plastic cap to seal the air in the lower tube and it would have been impossible to inflate the lower tube adequately using the supplied pump at sea.

As the LR has never been serviced from new one can only assume that the valve has been faulty from new.
I have sent a fairly strong letter to the LR manufacturers, as even if the LR had been serviced it is probable that the fault would not have been found - Until real deployment.

Please don't assume that the valves weren't tested just because I don't remember them being tested! I was watching our LR being serviced and it was the first time that I had seen it out of its packaging and inflated since we bought it new. The man gave a running commentary but there was a lot to take in and he was obviously very slick and good at his job so it all happened fairly quickly. No sense of me being rushed - just that I didn't stop to ask about those particular valves.

I don't regret paying for the LR to be serviced as the bill was very reasonable and I saw everything inside was OK etc. I also got to keep the old flares that were still over a year to go, but would have been binned as our LR has a three year service interval...

What was interesting was that the last time our LR was serviced I handed it in in Devon. This time, it was near Glasgow but it was the same man who did it. He found his signature on the card inside where he had replaced the gas bottle last time. This means that Ocean Safety had sent it from Devon to Scotland for the previous service as they were sharing the work out amongst their centres!

 

[Strathglass]

I am not assuming that this would not have been picked up during a service but my LR has never been serviced so I am assuming that it left the factory with a faulty valve.

Since sorting out the valve both tubes LR have remained fully inflated for 24 hours and I can inflate both tubes using the supplied pump without them deflating when I try to screw the cap on so it is time for a repacking job. I was only asking the question to try to determine whether or not the fault would have been found during a normal standard service.

My LR does not have any internal flares and the only things that showed any 'wear' were the sea anchor and the sponge. I have a compressor and vacuum pump as well as a heat sealing press. I will be able to reuse the original vacuum bag as it has about 4" of spare length at the end which will need heat sealed.

I am only servicing the LR myself as the nearest place has said he would have to farm it out and could not give a total cost until it had been inspected and the fixed quotes I have received elsewhere within driving range have been non cost effective relative to the price of a new one. I don't like signing an open ended cheque.

As I am not a commercial user it is not mandatory that I have a valid authorized signature on my LR. The main thing is that I have to satisfy myself that it is 'fit for purpose'.

Thanks for the answers John

Cheers
Iain

 

[john_morris_uk]

No problem - I wasn't sure what point you were making and I'm very sorry to hear that there may have been faulty valves on your LR from new. Good luck with the repacking. I assume you have weighed the cylinder and its not rusty so should be OK?

If the fee this time was as much as the previous time, then I would ave considered a new raft. Ours was a commercial one, but nowadays its used on our leisure only boat.

 

[KREW2]

I took my 19 year old Plastimo to "Safe-to-Shore" in Poole. As I had no history with it he said bring it along and I will look at it for £40.
He unpacked it and inflated it it with an air line, after removing the air cylinder, until the release valves made a loud farting sound. He said it looked in excellent condition, and if it was still fully inflated after 24 hours he would replace what was needed and re-pack it.
I phoned him the next day, he said it was all very good, replaced a few items re-packed it and charged me £140.

 

[Strathglass]

I took my 19 year old Plastimo to "Safe-to-Shore" in Poole. As I had no history with it he said bring it along and I will look at it for £40.
He unpacked it and inflated it it with an air line, after removing the air cylinder, until the release valves made a loud farting sound. He said it looked in excellent condition, and if it was still fully inflated after 24 hours he would replace what was needed and re-pack it.
I phoned him the next day, he said it was all very good, replaced a few items re-packed it and charged me £140.

I wish.
My lowest estimate was £300 with no replacements, if only the bottle required replacing this rose to £384.

I wish there was a bit more competition up here.

I cut open the vacuum bag, removed, weighed and replaced the gas bottle. I then attempted to fill each tube independently through the topping up ports but the lower tube would just not hold air. Once I had traced and sorted out the fault the lower tube inflated fine.
It held it's pressure overnight so I am assuming I have sorted out the problem. I would have liked to have replaced the mushroom valve but I don't know whither I will be able to source one or not.
Unfortunately I am under a 'little' domestic pressure not to leave an inflated LR in the dining room for too long so I have to push on with it.