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1. Lay the suit to be tested
face down on a table free of obstacles. |
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2. Flatten suit to remove folds and
wrinkles. |
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3. Standard encapsulated suits have two
exhaust valves. NFPA suits will have three. |
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4. Normally Lakeland suits will have a
protective shield over the exhaust valves. For instructional purposes the
protective shields on this suit have been removed. |
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5. Snap the exhaust valve caps off the
exhaust valves. |
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6. Remove the rubber diaphragms from the
exhaust valves. |
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7. From the inside of the suit, gently
stretch the tail of the exhaust valve while simultaneously pulling the
diaphragm out of the valve from the front. |
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8. The test kit includes everything needed
to complete the pressure test.
Note: NFPA kits have an additional twist lock adapter. |
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9. Remove the twist lock with the male
adapter from the test kit. |
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10. Mix one teaspoon of dishwashing
detergent with one cup water. |
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11. IMPORTANT! Always
moisten the rubber washer on the twist lock adapter with water before
inserting into the exhaust valve. |
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12. To avoid damaging the faceshield and the
suit material, place one hand under the exhaust valve on the head of the
suit while inserting the twist lock adapter with the male fitting into the
valve. Turn clockwise to lock in place. |
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13. From the rear side of the exhaust valve,
located inside of the suit, check to see that the twist lock adapter is
locked firmly in place. |
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14. Remove the twist lock with the
female adapter from the kit. |
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15. IMPORTANT! Moisten the
rubber washer on the twist lock adapter with water before inserting it into
the exhaust valve. |
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16. Insert the twist lock adapter into the
lower exhaust valve, twisting clockwise to lock it in place. To
avoid damaging the faceshield and the suit material, place one hand under
the exhaust valve on the head of the suit while inserting the twist lock
adapter. |
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17. Check to be certain the adapter is
locked in place. |
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18. If you have an NFPA chemical suit, you
will have to repeat the process a third time with the dummy plug twist lock
adapter. Insert this adapter into the third exhaust valve. |
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19. Begin to close the zipper. |
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20. As you get to the end of the zipper at
the top of the head, notice the plastic tab in the zipper area (shown here
by pencil point). |
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21. To completely close the zipper, pull the
zipper past this plastic tab. If the zipper is not completely closed,
air will escape and the suit will fail the pressure test. |
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22. Place the test gauge on a level surface
and in an upright position. Check the dial to make sure the needle is
exactly on zero. |
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23. If the needle does not read zero, adjust
it to read zero by turning the screw as shown here. |
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24. Remove the tubing loops from the test kit. There should
be two tubes of different lengths; a short hose with female quick disconnect
fittings, and a long hose with male nipples on each end. |
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25. Connect the long hose with the male
nipple to the twist lock adapter with the female fitting. |
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26. Take the other end of the long hose and
insert the male nipple into the female quick disconnect on the test gauge. |
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27. Connect the short hose with the
female quick disconnect to the twist lock adapter with the male
fitting. This is the fitting located at the head of the suit. |
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28. Take the other end of the short tube
coming from the exhaust valve at the head of the suit , and connect it to
the brass tee that has the test kit I.D. and serial number on it. |
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29. Turn the air flow control valve to the
off position (crossways). |
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30. Connect an outside air source to the
brass male disconnect on the air flow control valve . The most popular male
fitting is supplied. If this fitting is incompatible, it may be changed to
one that is compatible with the air source. |
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31. CAUTION! Inflate the
suit by slowly opening the air flow valve control handle. A
regulated air supply of 125 psi or less is required. |
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32. Pressurize the suit to 5 inches of water
column for one minute.
CAUTION!
Never inflate the suit to over 5 inches of water column! It will damage the
suit and the test kit. |
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33. Work out any big wrinkles in the suit
that might interfere with the test. |
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34. Remove the countdown alarm timer from
the test kit lid. If using the timer for the first time, pull the battery
protection tab from the back of the timer. If your test kit has been used
before and stored properly, remove the battery compartment cover, flip the
battery over, and replace the cover. Set the timer to exactly four minutes.
NOTE: To prolong the life of the battery, as well as for storage
purposes, flip the battery over after accurate completion of the test. |
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35. Reduce the air pressure in the suit to
four inches of water column by depressing the relief valve button located on
the brass tee. |
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36. Begin the test. Do not move or touch
the suit during the timed test as this will affect the water column
pressure, and will result in inaccurate readings. |
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37. Record the suit pressure at the end of
four minutes. If the suit pressure is 3.2 inches of water column or better,
the suit has passed the test. If the suit fails the test, remove it from
service immediately. |
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38. Release the air pressure in the suit by
completely unzipping the zipper . |
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39. Disconnect all hoses and store them back
in the test kit. |
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40. Remove the twist lock adapters from the
exhaust valves. |
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41. Reinstall the rubber diaphragms back
into the exhaust valves. First, pinch the rubber diaphragm sides against
each other. |
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42. Push the tail of the diaphragm into the
exhaust valve. Pull slightly and the rubber diaphragm should pop into place. |
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43. CAUTION! Make sure the
diaphragm lays flat. |
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44. Snap the exhaust valve covers back into
place. |
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45. Fold the suit up and return it to the
storage bag. Begin by folding the feet into the legs. |
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46. Fold over the opening and flatten the
suit. |
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47. In order for the suit to fit properly in
the storage bag, both legs must be folded as shown. |
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48. Fold the arms, accordion style, onto the
back of the suit. |
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49. Ensure that the arms are compactly
folded up. |
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50. In order for the suit to fit properly in
the storage bag, both legs must be folded as shown. |
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51. Fold the suit, starting at the bottom
and working toward the top. |
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52. Continue to fold the suit all the way to
the top. |
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53. Be careful not to crease the hood face
shield. |
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54. Place the suit back into the storage
bag. |
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55. For longer battery life, open up the
battery door on the timer and flip the battery over. |
