Lifejacket Recharging
Torrential Rain and a flat battery (and hence no bilge pump) recently left my friend with a flooded boat and four automatic lifejackets inflated in the locker of his RIB... I guess he at least knows they work! Even if you don't suffer a calamity like my friend it is worth periodically unpacking your jackets to check their condition, check they are airtight, and to replace the gas bottle and sensor head, which are lifed items.
This is a relatively simple process using spares obtained from your local chandlery. Here's what I recommend:
1. Give the Jackets a good wash with fresh water to get rid of any dirt and salt accretions. Allow to dry thoroughly. Check that all is in good condition, look for tears, corrosion, dirt or salt build up, mould.
3. You will need a new sensor head and a full gas bottle. The new set is illustrated here (left) along with a discharged set (right). Note the Green cap pops off on discharge revealing a red plunger, and the gas bottle nozzle is punctured. Make sure you have the right weight of gas bottle These are 150-165N jackets and require a 33g bottle.
2. It is worth fully inflating the jackets to ensure they stay inflated for the time specified. I would expect at least 12-16 hrs
4. Deflate the jacket fully via the Oral Inflation Valve... packing a partly inflated jacket is a real struggle!
5. Check and replace any damaged SOLAS reflective tape (available from chandler's... or Amazon!)
6. Repack the jacket, folding the bladder in the same manner as the manufacturer as much as possible. Pack the side with the auto inflate mechanism last. Make sure the manual pull toggle is clear.
7. Situate and screw in firmly the new sensor head (no tools required... finger tight)
8. It's a good idea to mark the new cylinder as a reminder of when you changed it
9. Situate and screw in (finger tight again) the gas cylinder. Most jackets have a sleeve to retain the cylinder and keep it from flailing about when the jacket is used.
10. If the jacket has been inflated by use of the manual inflation toggle, a red tell tale will appear (see pic). This needs to be covered by a green clip (see above). Replacement clips are available at chandler's.
11. Job Done!