Where to buy battery for Liferaft light

[skyflyer]

Having a go at self-servicing my liferaft (Seago) but although working I notice that the battery for the light expires this year so will need replacing (as well as some other items, e.g. Flares!)
If push comes to shove I don't mind replacing the entire unit, i.e. Battery and two lights, but of course there is a pocket in the liferaft canopy tailored to take the battery.
The unit looks like this one
http://hongyimarine.com/show05.asp?pkid=5005
But I have no idea where I can get one in uk or Europe
Any ideas where I can buy this or similar
Google doesn't seem to be my friend

 

[William_H]

Obviously the first thing you must do is open the battery case. This should expose the batteries and hopefully the batteries will have a type number. Often encased in heat shrink by light manufacturer so that you must cut away heat shrink to find the basic battery type. Typical might be the CR123 lithium camera battery. (about 3volts) Has very long (5 year or more ) shelf life. Not to be confused with lithium rechargeable. It is also possible that the batteries used have solder tags on which make them a bit harder to find. If you can't find batteries with tags then try soldering wires to join batteries. (hopefully in a reliable way) This might help you identify battery type and size. good luck olewill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes#Round_lithium-ion_rechargeable

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

I expect that battery pack is not serviceable (cant open it without wrecking it) and that the cells inside are connected by spot welded metal strips.

I strongly advise against soldering directly to cell that dont have solder lugs as it is very difficult to get a sound joint without overheating the cell.

 

[RIBW]

Having a go at self-servicing my liferaft (Seago) .........

You might want to read :-
http://montymariner.co.uk/articles/seago-4-man-offshore-liferaft-self-service/

'Monymariner' kindly edited and hosted this after my postings last year.
It includes some info on how I solved the battery issue (may not be the same as yours?
It also highlights some poor kit that you should consider replacing.
Cheers
Bob

 

[William_H]

I would think carefully about battery replacements as suggested by montymariner. Those battery holders from electronics stores are really horrible with poor contacts. Dougal may be right about difficulty of soldering on to cells. Try to find LiS02 batteries with tags for soldering for lights and even torches.
However some alkaline batteries may be OK with a long shelf life. good luck olewill

 

[skyflyer]

Regarding montymariner thread, my life raft is also a Seago and I will not be buying that brand again. They use too much stuff from China etc tfor which spares are unobtainable. I have decided to scrap the raft anywhere as noted in my other thread on subject

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

If you do decide to roll your own battery pack then there is a very significant factor. You will be very much more aware of battery shelf life and so could opt for a shorter one and simply replace more often. Pick ones that will fit a tv remote and you can use them as they are replaced.