​When you are out on the water you probably wouldn’t dream (we hope) of being without a life jacket, just in case the worst happens. However there is very little point in us having life jackets if they don’t work properly. A lot of people don’t really consider life-jacket maintenance but we cannot stress enough now important it is.
There are two types of life jacket maintenance to consider. The first involves checks that are carried out by a professional company like us at Adec Marine, and the second are those you can do yourself. At least once a year every lifejacket you own should be sent for a thorough once over and a new certificate. (We can service all different makes and types of Yachting CO2 inflation Lifejackets at our UK MCA and DNV approved Liferaft Service Station located in Barking, Essex. Alternatively you can bring your lifejackets into us at our offices in Croydon, Surrey).
If you don’t do that already, you really need to start. In addition to this you should also carry out checks yourself at least once a month.
A good place to start is having a thorough check over the outside of the jacket, examining pouches, reflective strips and webbing for wear, loose threads or holes. See here to read a useful article about how you can check your lifejackets yourself regularly.
Here at Adec Marine we will do an in-depth visual inspection, plus a much more sophisticated inflation check, where the temperature and pressure are monitored over a period of time. You also get a certificate and details of the checks that have been carried out. It’s vital to get all your lifejackets checked professionally yearly and around once a month through the sailing season try to check them yourself. Be confident that you know how to activate the light, find the whistle and deploy the hood.
Don’t mess around with your safety on the waters! Get your life jackets serviced today.
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