Lifejacket Servicing

I've had a good look and enquire about servicing, and the different makes, etc and found the following:

Crewsaver definitely state they are the only authorised service station for their jackets. I know personally of at least two service stations who will service their jackets though - as to what liability those companies place themselves under by doing so....:confused:

Then again, the MCA seem to think Cosalt are approved : http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/servicing_of_liferafts_v1.04.pdf

Newer Hammar units, the MA1 (as opposed the older M1A, not confusing at all!) have the bottle glued to the rear plate - if the jacket is activated, the whole mechanism would need to be replaced, if just servicing and the frontplate is out of date, the frontplate only should be replaced. I do have an anomaly in some notes about a torque being applied to the bottle when replaced, I am assuming this is for the M1A firing head.

Co2 bottles don't go "out of date" - The measurement of expiry is to weigh them and ensure they are not losing gas, as already has been said. If Weighing a Hammar cylinder with an MA1 head, you will need to add 22.0g to the equation to take into account the attached firing head.
 
The unit in question is the Hammar A1 unit, and the instructions on their web site certainly suggests the inflator mechanism can be replaced without changing the gas cyclinder and even gives instructions.
But does anyone know where to buy these without the CO2 cylinder?
 
I have recently replaced Hammar units with complete front activator and rear gas cylinder unit. The new units are MA1, yellow manual pull tag (generally sold to Nth America) and the old units were A1 (I think) red manual pull tag. Whilst they are interchangable into the same size apperture the internal mechanics are different so that a MA1 new front activator IS NOT compatible with an old rear A1 plate/gas cylinder so whilst the info with the new units does give part numbers for separate pieces and implies they can be replaced separately, this does not apply between models. If you do buy separately, be sure to get the matching pieces.

The info I was provided has intructions for both the MA1 and the A1. They are slightly different. The MA1 instructions say 'The black inflator body and Co2 cylinder shall always be permanently glued together with epoxy before installation in the lifejacket. This is required to guarantee the function of the cylinder seal indicator. [the A1 doesn't have this indicator which is viewed from the outside of the activator] The glue process can only be performed by a lifejacket manufacturer that is licensed by CM Hammar AB." They then show how to use a 'string' of epoxy glue when inserting the gas cylinder and also require the combination to be tightened to no more than 8Nm. Epoxy adhesive Loctite 3421.

However the A1 instructions are less adament about the gluing, presumably because it doesn't have the external seal indicator.They recommend tightening to not more than 10Nm but not less than 8Nm, BUT, early build versions (before B079/9903) [no date given] should not be tightened more than 5Nm. For the A1 they suggest Loctite 222 for "heavy users and/or extreme working conditions".

I used to check the tightness of the cylinder on my old A1 Hammar units each year by gripping the cylinder and plate from outside the bladder of the jacket. Only the first time I did it was there even the smallest movement on 1 or 2 of the 8 I tested but then again only 2 of the jackets were worn more than 3 or 4 times a year.

Sorry can't help with a source of gas cylinders. All those I replaced looked brand new and correct weight so I have kept them for spares, although the reality is that once a Hammar is fired the unit needs to be replaced.
 
Thanks Ray, some good info there.
When I was looking at all the spare lifejacket parts we have at the work place, it appears that the thread size on the various CO2 cylinders is the same.
i.e. a cylinder supplied by Secumar has the same thread as that supplied by Hammar.
 
nigel1 said:
Thanks Ray, some good info there.
When I was looking at all the spare lifejacket parts we have at the work place, it appears that the thread size on the various CO2 cylinders is the same.
i.e. a cylinder supplied by Secumar has the same thread as that supplied by Hammar.
Click to expand...

And I believe there are only 2 different threads on the auto firing mechanism on LJ's. (Note auto not hammer.)
The auto firing unit on a Spinlock LJ is the same as on a Baltic LJ.
 
Like everyone else here, I service them myself. I don't have Hammars, I have UML bobbins, which I replace if they are out of date (I am advised that the danger from an out of date one is that it will fire unnecessarily, not that it'll fail when needed). I have been told that it is acceptable to keep using cylinders if they are up to the specified weight and not corroded.

I blow them up with the dinghy pump and see if they lose pressure overnight. Some time ago there was an article in one of the yachting magazines saying that modern materials would not actually be damaged by the moisture in your breath.

Of course I wash them down etc. and repack. I find it best to suck the air out of them with the dinghy pump (I have an electric one).

One article I read suggested that the normal - blow them up hard and leave them overnight - should be supplemented by a "low pressure test" when they are partially inflated and left overnight. This, I believe, checks whether the non-return valve on the mouth tube is working properly. I must admit I don't do it.

I have, on three occasions, had someone on my boat do a proper test of the lifejackets by falling overboard. On two of the three, the bladder recieved minor damage hauling them back aboard and leaked. So if one of your lifejackets is use in anger don't just rearm and repack them, check that it is still OK.
 
You can certainly buy the Hammar bits separately to replace firing head and cylinder independently, for example here.

It is probably obvious, but never bad to state the obvious. When replacing the cylinder it should be one with the same weight of gas in it. All the cylinders I have seen are stamped with the weight of gas and the correct total weight when full.

I don't know how many threads there are for firing mechanisms, but I can tell you from (bitter) experience that there are two versions of the old UML bobbin which look almost identical but have different threads. A supplier at the boat show told me one was for Crewsaver and the other for everyone else.
 
Amulet said:
You can certainly buy the Hammar bits separately to replace firing head and cylinder independently, for example here.

A supplier at the boat show told me one was for Crewsaver and the other for everyone else.
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Again, going through my servicing training notes - I was told that the UM cartridges for Crewsaver were Blue (Green for military!), and all other jackets use the Grey or Black cartridges...However, the Crewsaver 190Plus uses a black cartridge, so I've encountered the "crewsaver only" issue, but confusion reigns!
 
bobgarrett said:
The unit in question is the Hammar A1 unit, and the instructions on their web site certainly suggests the inflator mechanism can be replaced without changing the gas cyclinder and even gives instructions.
But does anyone know where to buy these without the CO2 cylinder?
Click to expand...

Bosun's Locker £28.95. Personally though I'd spend an extra £3 and get them with the cylinder for £31.96 and free delivery from Wetsuit Outlet. If the jacket is fired manually, the head can be reset, in which case you only need a new cylinder. So having a spare cylinder or two is a good idea and getting them for £3 by buying the complete rearm pack as above is the most economical way of getting them.
 
prv said:
:confused:

Why don't Hammar automatic inflators count as "auto"?

Pete
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Well obviously they do but I'm sure you know what I mean. The 'standard' auto as opposed to the 'hammer' auto.
I once had a hammer Crewsaver LJ. The main reason for getting a hammer one was due to all the stories around at the time about LJ's going off accidently when dowsed with water on the foredeck.
With the newer lifejackets is this still an issue? The mechanisms seem to be better protected these days. I certainly don't consider it worth spending the extra. Especially at expiry time where a standard auto cartridge can be replaced significantly cheaper than the hammer kit.
 
PeterGibbs said:
This is a DIY job - inflate by mouth / pump and see if they stand up overnight, as you may have already done.

There is no testing of the inflation mechanism I know of - replace if dubious / long dated.

With life jackets there is a good case for seeeking out seasonal deals and replacing with brand new. Can't be wrong can it?

PWG
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Don't inflate by mouth, it puts moisture in there.Also tip from RNLI is put a condom around the cylinder.
 
Talulah said:
With the newer lifejackets is this still an issue? The mechanisms seem to be better protected these days. I certainly don't consider it worth spending the extra. Especially at expiry time where a standard auto cartridge can be replaced significantly cheaper than the hammer kit.
Click to expand...

Becoming less and less of an issue nowadays - Both the UM and HR Plunge cups are well protected with shielded ingress ports at the top of the cup and the jacket really does need to be submerged for it to fire. The crewaver 190plus also seems to feature a neoprene sleeve that the whole mechanism sits in, further preventing spray from getting to the plunge cup.

However, if you want extra piece of mind, go far a jacket using the HR *Pro* mechanism - It's uses the same re-arming bobbin as a standard HR firing head, but the plunge cup is a "U bend" design which makes it virtually impossible for spray to enter the unit, only full submersion will trigger the unit. It also has readiness indicators for the bottle and the bobbin.

Csail said:
Also tip from RNLI is put a condom around the cylinder.
Click to expand...

:eek:Useless unless worn?!?! :D
 
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