Personal Floatation Devices

[Martin610]

Thought I would share this. I had a little time so I thought I would check the PFD's a little more carefully. I have been in the habit of just checking to see if the green indicator was there and calling it good. This year I opened up the jackets for inspection and was horrified by what I saw in a couple of them. Here's a pic: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoG2wfcivrbZrgx5teJ ... M?e=aNfsGO

Yeah. I will be a little more careful from now on. A little more corrosion and the CO2 would just leak out.

Once I had the right size, they are easy enough to replace.

-martin610

 

[marksandyham]

I visually check mine every year. I have to look again but I have West Marine PFD's and i think they suggest replacing the bobbin (yellow round thing) every two years and cylinder every five years. Also perform a leak check every five years. I used the inflation tube and inflated them and left them overnight. One was real world tested by my wife. (she does not wear those shoes to dock anymore). One by a friend who was on the swim platform and grabbed the flip up ladder to help herself up.

 

[FlyMeAway]

Best practice for inflatable life jackets is an (at least) annual safety check.

Disassemble the life jacket and manually inflate it so that it is completely full. Let it sit for 48 hours (ideally in a sunny spot). Check for any deflation/leaks. They are rare but they do happen.

Also if you have a non-hydrostatic model remember to check the bobbins annually! These also expire. They're actually more expensive to replace than the CO2 cartridges, usually, but depending on your model they come as a kit.

When you have an expired bobbin, you might actually try a PFD test. Jumping off your boat or a dock and feeling the PFD inflate around you is something you should experience. It can be quite a shock, and doing it once every few years is a good way to experience it without having the *first* time you experience it (especially in cold water).

The "green" indicator should only be used for the daily safety check before you don it each time.