Auto-Inflate PFDs

[AlpharettaRK]

Who has experience with them? I have one that I always wear when fishing alone. How much water does it take to detonate it. Does anybody know if rain will set it off?
I have considered wasting the cost of a recharge kit and jumping in with it on. I think it might be good to see what the thing does so I'm not figuring it out during a real emergency.

Cheers
Randy

 

[Dixemon]

It doesn't take much water at all, and yes rain would definitely do it if the inflation assembly was soaked enough to get to the Bobbin. The Bobbin is nothing but compressed salt, it takes less than a second to activate when it is immersed in water. you can buy a three pack of bobbins and also the CO2 cartridges you can buy aftermarket. I always weigh them to make sure they are fully charged. I would inflate/Ops check the PFD yearly and check for leaks by submerging in water and looking for bubbles. A company I used to work for would leave them inflated for 24 hours and make sure they didn't Deflate as well. I think it is an awesome idea to test your gear frequently.