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Location: Green Bay, WI | Hey guys, a little PSA here...
For those of you who wear an inflatable PFD, make sure your CO2 canister is within date tolerance before the season gets going too far. We are just gearing up with a new boat, to start fishing this season--and today we went to Cabela's in Green Bay. They have a pretty good sale on their brand of PFDs, so we bought a few for the boat. But they had extra CO2 canisters there, and it got me thinking about checking the one on my Mustang PFD. It was expired!
My point is that it's very easy to forget this little detail, but it might end up costing you dearly. So check it! And while you're at it, pull the bladder out of the cover and inflate it manually to see whether it will hold air pressure for some period of time. Mustang recommends about 10 minutes, according to the YouTube video I just watched.
So...I'm ordering a new CO2 canister kit today, right after my PFD passes its inflation test.
TB |
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Posts: 8729
| Crap. We've got two Mustangs that are probably 10 years old. Never even THOUGHT to check the date on the canisters.
I'll be doing that tomorrow.
And then, when I have the new canisters and we get the chance, we're jumping in with the old ones (in a safe place) to see if they really inflate and what that experience is all about.
Thanks, Tom.
You might have saved a life today. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Thanks--glad to know someone else got some benefit from the thread.
But I am embarrassed to tell you that I haven't checked the date in several years either actually! Now I was a few years out of limit. I did a little research and from what I could tell, the hydrostatic sensing mechanism in the PFD can actually fail to work properly if it's out of date. I am not sure whether or not that would show up as a non-green (ie; red) indication on the little indicator on the PFD, but I sure wouldn't want to find out the hard way. It's not too hard to imagine a guy getting whopped on the head while falling out of the boat, and not being able to manually activate the PFD.
Once I saw things were out of date, and just for kicks, I pulled the manual deployment tab and the thing inflated instantly! My wife was like "WHAT HAPPENED!?!?" as it was pretty loud! As long as I had the thing inflated, I gave it a thorough inspection and then deflated it through the little mouthpiece. Then I re-inflated it using the mouthpiece, just to see how long it would take--it went much faster than I would have thought actually, although I was sitting in my recliner doing it. I would hate to think of trying to do it while bobbing up and down and treading water in Green Bay...especially in 40-50 degree water! These things should be tested yearly (with the mouthpiece) and then the cartridge should definitely be replaced when it's due--not just when it's no longer green. I will say that the "refill" kit was pretty pricey though, at about $70. But it is what it is I suppose, and a guy needs to ask himself how much his life is worth?
By the way...the date on my PFD was on the HIT mechanism, not the canister. So it's right next to the status indicator, and within easy view. I have no excuse for not checking it--just negligence on my part, quite frankly. I didn't fish once last summer as my mother was in her final months and I never had the time--but even the year or two before that I really wasn't fishing much, so I'd just grab it and go when the chance to fish came up. Oops.
TB
EDIT: I should clarify that (from what I was able to determine online) just because your cartridge still has pressure, it doesn't mean that the hydrostatic sensor will work. And therein lies the problem: If a guy sees that the indicator is still green, he might not worry about getting the cartridge and HIT sensor replaced. Mine was still dead-smack in the middle of the green range...yet it was expired by 3-4 years! So would it have worked had I fallen into the water while incapacitated? Who knows. But Mustang's website clearly indicates that the things are good for five years.
The Hydrostatic Inflator Technology offers reliable inflation in a low maintenance design that will only automatically inflate when submerged in 4 or more inches of water and not inadvertently due to rain, spray or humidity. Exclusive to Mustang Survival in North America and maintenance-free for 5 years from date of manufacture or until inflated.
Edited by tcbetka 6/3/2017 8:46 PM
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Posts: 47
| All due respect but "expired" CO2 seems kind of curious. Are you certain this was not a manufacturing (born on) date or did it really say "best by" or "good until" or actually "expires on"?
I have used 20 year old CO2 to power air arms with no noticeable loss in power or number of available shots. Some of them have had dates stamped on them but just the date, nothing else.
Certainly I understand we may rely, God forbid, on these devices to save our lives or the lives of family or friends one day but I'd expect a fault to occur in the inflatable part of the vest itself before a cartridge failure. A bladder check, to me, makes great sense and maybe after "x" number of years, knowing the lifetime of rubber products, a preventative replacement should be in order. To my point I'd feel more confident using a "dated" CO2 can with a new vest than vice versa.
Again, not picking or belittling, just curious because it doesn't fit with my experiences.
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Likely a CYA for company. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | No, I think the (stated) five year period is for the hydrostatic sensing mechanism and not necessarily for the CO2 cartridge. Mustang doesn't make that particularly clear in their manual though, so I'm not 100% certain. I suppose it's possible that the seal on the canister could dry out or something, and gas could leak out slowly over time.
But even if the gas bottle was still fully pressurized--if the automatic deployment mechanism doesn't work because it's past its time limit...then what good is a full CO2 bottle if you've been bonked on the head?
Food for thought.
TB |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | In Ontario it's not a legal PFD unless it is being worn laying in the boat won't be acceptable. The police will check the date. I see rearm kits around here $20 to $25 Cdn.
Edited by horsehunter 6/3/2017 9:23 PM
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Posts: 20181
Location: oswego, il | esoxaddict - 6/3/2017 8:07 PM
Crap. We've got two Mustangs that are probably 10 years old. Never even THOUGHT to check the date on the canisters.
I'll be doing that tomorrow.
And then, when I have the new canisters and we get the chance, we're jumping in with the old ones (in a safe place) to see if they really inflate and what that experience is all about.
Thanks, Tom.
You might have saved a life today.
When testing yours please remember when you jump out of the boat, watch not to hit your head on the garage ceiling and put a matress on the garage floor. |
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Posts: 1516
| Good advice Todd did you learn that the hard way? |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | ToddM - 6/4/2017 4:03 AM
When testing yours please remember when you jump out of the boat, watch not to hit your head on the garage ceiling and put a matress on the garage floor.
Very helpful information! ToddM for the win.
TB |
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Posts: 20181
Location: oswego, il | My post was an inside joke at jeff. It bunched up more underwear than posted here. Corn flakes are yellow, thats why i dont eat them.:-)
Tom this was good information. Another piece of good information, fire extinguishers. Some have a guage many dont. I bet most boats have one that no longer works. |
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Posts: 8729
| Service if red. Both are still green, but the date on mine is 2004. According to the instructions you're supposed to replace the cartridge and the hydrostatic mechanism every 5 years. Samantha's is from 2014, so not bad there, except for the fact that hers was apparently recalled for a potential faulty mechanism.
Stupid question:
I decided to take the manual hose and see if mine inflates. Anybody know how to get the air out of the #*^@ thing after you inflate it?
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Location: Green Bay, WI | There should be a little "dust cover" (cap) on the tube. Turn it around and use it to depress the little value stem inside. Just like the valve stem on a car tire, for the most part.
TB |
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Posts: 841
Location: Southwest PA | ToddM - 6/4/2017 5:03 PM
My post was an inside joke at jeff. It bunched up more underwear than posted here. Corn flakes are yellow, thats why i dont eat them.:-)
Tom this was good information. Another piece of good information, fire extinguishers. Some have a guage many dont. I bet most boats have one that no longer works.
Fire extinguishers are actually part of what I do for a living Todd. Most of the marine extinguishers that come with boats are manufactured by kidde and are disposable. Meaning, used once and they're done. If the extinguisher loses pressure, it's done. If it is older than 12 years, it's done. They need to be checked by a certified extinguisher technician once a year who could tell you the deal. You could also purchase a non-disposable extinguisher which can be recharge and will last for a loooooong time. I would suspect the co2 cartridge in the self-inflatable PFD is the same deal or even a D.O.T./USCG mandate. Couldn't tell you without seeing the cylinder designation number. Co2 cylinders are typically a 3a or 3aa cylinders which require a hydrostatic pressure test at intervals of 5 years. My guess would be, due to the size of the cylinder and it's one use and done nature, they want you to toss them instead of test them. This is a good thread, thanks for lettong us know about these issues!
Edited by Tommis 6/4/2017 8:29 PM
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Posts: 8729
| Yeah, my fire extinguisher is probably gone too. Not something you think about, but I had a buddy whose boat is now in 100' of water on Lake Michigan. They had life jackets and throwables, it was a warm day in warm water, nobody got hurt. But they had a fire, the extinguisher was dead, and everyone on board had to bail out and watch the boat burn up.
This may be the best thread in the history of MuskieFIRST. |
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