Service Procedure:

• Service station records raft information (container or valise pack, serial number, raft model/part number).
• Container or valise is opened, and inflation system is disconnected.
• Life raft is removed from container or valise.
• Container or valise is cleaned, and fiberglass or valise is repaired as required.
• Container or valise decal labels are renewed.
• Life raft is inspected inside and out.
• Emergency pack contents are checked, and items are replaced if expired according to regulations.
• Life raft carcass is inspected and tested as noted below in the testing process.
• Cylinder operating head/valve and release wire are inspected.
• Inflations systems and high-pressure hoses are inspected.
• CO2 cylinder is checked and weighed for correct CO2 & N2 contents.
• Life raft is deflated, repacked into container or valise, and prepared for dispatch.
• Inflation hose is tested (tested with every service).
  Life raft is inflated with compressed air until the pressure relief valves vent.
• A 60-minute pressure test is completed on the lower buoyancy chamber, upper buoyancy chamber and arch chamber.
• All valves are sprayed with a soapy water solution used to detect leaks.
• Ambient temperature, barometric pressure and the raft’s chamber pressure are all recorded.
• After 60 minutes, the chamber pressure is recorded, and corrections are made using the changes in barometric pressure and temperature.
• Final chamber pressure after correction shall not be less than 95% of pre-test pressure.
• Any leaks will be located and repaired.
• If the life raft is equipped with an inflatable floor, this is also pressure tested for 60 minutes.

Testing process:

• Life raft is subjected to specific tests at various intervals.
• Gas inflation (GI) stress test using the life raft’s own CO2/N2 cylinder to inflate the life raft.
  • Frequency of GI testing: every 5 years.
• For valise-packed rafts, the painter line is pulled, and the raft is to be inflated as it would in the field.
• For container-packed rafts, the raft is removed from the container folded. Then, the painter line is pulled to inflate the raft. Inspection is performed following this initial inflation.
  Necessary additional pressure (NAP) test at double the working pressure rate.
  • Frequency of NAP testing: every 10 years; annual service intervals thereafter.
• Floor seam (FS) test is performed to check the seams of the internal floor.
  • Frequency of FS testing: every 10 years; annual service intervals thereafter.