Ideally yes, as then the service centre can ensure the inflatable bladder / lifejacket can be refilled correctly after service.
These are essential life-saving products for the protection of your life and should be treated with the appropriate care & respect. Having your lifejacket / floatation garment serviced on a regular basis may cost you money but it is a small price to pay against the value of your life.
For SOLAS life jackets they must serviced at an independent approved service centre approved by both the manufacturer and the National Administration. E.g. In the UK this would be the MCA (Maritime & Coastguard Agency). They must be serviced at intervals of 12 months maximum.
For CE life jackets there is no legal requirement for servicing but it is strongly recommended that they are also serviced by an independent approved service centre or an annual basis.
The life / replacement period on the operating parts is as follows:
NB. This is assuring there is no interim damage or corrosion to these parts within this period. If there is, then they should be replaced at this point.
Yes, we supply all rearming parts required for all our lifejackets and rearming instructions can also be supplied.
NO, it does not dramatically affect the thermal floatation properties as long as the tears / holes / cuts are not too big or too numerous.
For example less that 15 cm tears. It is however recommended that these should be patched / repaired as soon as possible to keep the suit working to its optimum level and also to retain the waterproofness for working comfort.
We have a list of all the approved MULLION Service stations on our website. You can also find this on the MCA website
If you have any other questions, please contact Mullion support.