H20 RELEASE UNITS

An H20 is a disposable release unit with a guaranteed function of 24 or 30 months of installed life onboard (depending on what is written on the top label). You may store your unit on the shelf, counting back the operational lifetime from the date label.

For example,
A 24-month unit with years 20/21/22/23, may be stored until Dec -21 before installation onboard to obtain the full operational lifetime.

The "wheel-mark" is the symbol applied to a product approved by the EU's Marine Equipment Directive standards (MED). The directive focuses on HRUs for liferafts, specifying release depth, breaking strength of lashing, and Weak Link™.

The hydrostatic housing in an H20 R and H20 E are the same, but the H20 E is regarded as a component in the free-floating arrangement of Radio Equipment. Therefore, the type of approval (and "wheel-mark") lies with the EPIRB manufacturer.

For EPIRB-brackets, Hammar's products are regarded as components. In some models, Hammar makes the bolt/rod, but in many models (especially newer), the EPIRB manufacturer holds the design. Hammar's recommendation is to contact the service network of the EPIRB for spares and replacements.

Inflatable liferafts may be equipped with lines for different purposes. The painter line is the raft's activation line connected to the inflation mechanism of the raft. A painter line needs to be connected to a Weak Link™ to activate the raft if a vessel sinks.

The bowsing line is meant to lash the raft to the vessel when embarking and has no function for a liferaft's automatic launch. (For MES, these functions may vary.)

The expiry date of an HRU must be marked when installed on a vessel (see instructions on how to mark units further up on this page). A unit that is kept in service past its service life will possibly fail to fulfil SOLAS criteria. During inspections, unmarked units will lead to observations.

To prevent unmarked units from ending up in service, Hammar recommends that release units be marked with an expiry date when they leave the client's control. Marking of expiry date on release units should be performed prior to installation onboard

The H20 is made out of glass fiber reinforced nylon. At the end of service life, Hammar recommends disposing of the unit in an environmentally-friendly manner following local regulations.

The DOC (Declaration of Conformity) as a document is not connected to the individual Unit but to declare there is a Type Approval connecting the product to a certain chapter of regulation (in the case of HRU, SOLAS; Free Floating arrangement for Life Rafts). The DOC is generic for HRUs leaving Hammar under the validity of the Type Approval. The HRUs for which the DOC is valid are marked with a production date found within the serial number, xxxxx YYMM xxx. This month of the year should be within the dates for the Module B and D in the DOC.

The easiest way to find an HRUs correct DOC  is by scanning the data matrix on the top label using the MarCode app. With this, the DOC will follow the product all the way thru the supply chain.

Valid certification such as DoC and CoC is accessible through scanning your H20 using the MarCode App. For units manufactured before November 2020, please contact your supplier. You can find the manufacturing date on the top label: xxxxx YYMM xxx.

You can find the latest certification under the product page in our Product Catalogue.

You may also find them here

You can find all downloads for our products under the product page in our Product Catalogue.

You can also find the H20 manual here.

The design H20 Hydrostatic Release Unit makes the releasing mechanism unaffected by the tension in the white rope sling. This means the H20 will release the lashing even under high tension. The breaking strength of the white rope sling is 15kN. 15kN is the breaking strength of liferaft fittings and painter line system for rafts more than 25 persons set in LSA 4.1.3.2, except for the weak link (LSA 4.1.6).

MGN 343 Clarifies the LSA code further by saying each painter line must be connected to its own weak link.

So even if the breaking strength of the white rope sling, very well, may handle multiple liferafts, the single weak link in each H20 SOLAS standard model means a one-to-one HRU/life raft is recommended.