GASOLINE FUEL SYSTEMS
Safety standards for gasoline fuel systems on recreational boats.
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The EPA regulations cited below are now in effect. They became
effective January 1, 2012 and all boat builders and boat importers must
comply with them.
Ethanol and Blended Fuels:
In recent years the US EPA has required use of Ethanol blends in
gasoline. E10 (10% Ethanol) was the standard, but in 2010 and 2011 the
EPA began looking at the use of E15. The marine industry raised strong
objections to this and as of 2012 E15 use is limited to road vehicles
produced after 2007. It is not recommended for use in marine
engines. Here are some references:
Survey Of Published Data And Reports On Blended Fuels In Marine
Applications: US Coast Guard.
http://www.nmma.org/assets/cabinets/Cabinet213/USCGSurveyReporton
BlendedFuels.pdf
Hottopics: The latest on Ethanol And New Research On Isobutanol
https://newboatbuilders.com/pages/hottopics.html
Much Ado About Ethanol
https://newboatbuilders.com/docs/Ethanol.pdf
USCG and EPA Guidline for fuel systems
http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/ABYC.1002.01.pdf
Warning: I am only going to very briefly cover the basics here. There
are requirements in the Federal Regulations and in ABYC standards that are
not included here! I will only hit the high points. Contact ABYC and the
Coast Guard to
get the latest standards for fuel systems. Read the Federal
Regulation
33 CFR 183.501-183.590. Federal regulations for recreational boats apply only to gasoline, but
I have included notes when the rules for gasoline differ from the ABYC
standards for diesel. ABYC has standards for both permanently installed
gasoline fuel systems. and portable fuel
systems.
Diesel Fuel Systems: The
USCG does not regulate diesel fuel systems for recreational boats.
However, ABYC does have a standard for Diesel Fuel Systems in ABYC H-33.
Contact ABYC (https://www.abycinc.org)
for a current copy. There are also ISO ( ISO 10088 can be obtained
through ABYC) and Canadian Standards
https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/construction-standards-small-vessels-2010-tp-1332-e#wb11
for Diesel Fuel Systems.
First a note about the reasons behind the fuel, electrical and ventilation standards. Why is all this stuff
required?
Safety
Considerations for fuel systems.
A page about
Marine
Engines
The Federal fuel system safety regulations in
33 CFR 183.501-183.590 apply to:
Recreational Boats with permanently installed inboard gasoline engines for:
Propulsion
Generators
Auxiliary Equipment
This does not apply to:
Outboards:
Portable Equipment: (portable means it can be removed without using tools)
Although you aren't required to follow the Federal fuel system
regulations on outboard powered boats, you should use them anyway. Better
yet, use the ABYC
standard which is more comprehensive than the Federal regulation.
ABYC
standard H-24 Gasoline Fuel Systems applies to both inboard
and outboard powered boats with permanently installed fuel systems. If you ever get dragged into court, the
complainants attorney will ask you. "Do you meet ABYC
standards?" If you decide to use portable fuel tanks, ABYC has a standard, H-25 Portable Gasoline Fuel
Systems, for boats with portable fuel tanks.
They also have a standard for diesel fuel; H-33 Diesel Fuel Systems.
FUEL TANKS
I strongly recommend that anyone
building boats with permanently installed gasoline tanks not
build their own tanks. The reason is simple. You have to certify that
whatever you put in this boat meets Federal Regulations. Fuel tanks have
to meet a whole raft of rules, both USCG and US EPA, and unless you are setup to test them it's
better to just buy them from someone who has already tested and certified
the tank.
The same logic applies in other countries that
use the Recreational Craft Directive, or the ISO standards. It is
much easier for a boat manufacturer to buy tanks from a tank
manufacturer who certifies that the tanks meet the regulations that apply
in that country, than it is to build your own and go through the lengthy
and expensive certification process.
Here's a list of the USCG tests that tanks
have to meet. See
33 CFR 183.501-183.590
The 2 ½ minute fire test: Under very specific conditions the tank has to
survive a fire for 2 ½ minutes. The test setup for this is not cheap and
only a few test labs have one and know how to perform the test.
Slosh Test:
Pressure Impulse Test:
Static Pressure Test:
The tank must be capable of passing all of these
tests. If it passes the Static Pressure test it must have a label that says; "This tank has
been tested under 33 CFR 183.580" which means it has passed the static
pressure test. There is more information that needs to be on this label.
See labels
Also, if you are planning to put the
tank in the forward half of the boat it has to meet additional
requirements. Tanks that don't meet those requirements have to have a
label saying "Must be installed aft of the boat's half length."
Gasoline tanks cannot be integral with the hull. That means that the hull
cannot form one side (or more ) of the tank. Tanks must be separate from the
boat structure. and cannot support a structure or deck. Some boat builders
do use integral tanks but only on diesel powered boats. Diesel
fuel tanks may be integral with the hull.
Additionally, plastic (cross-linked polyethyelene, roto molded) tanks have to
meet
EPA requirements for evaporative emissions and be labeled by the tank manufacturer.
So, go buy a tank from a tank supplier.
Some other considerations. Basically there are two kinds of tanks
commonly used in recreational boats, aluminum and plastic. Both have
distinct advantages. Some people swear by aluminum, others swear at it.
The same is true for plastic. I prefer plastic. Plastic tanks don't
corrode. But the choice is yours to make. Tanks are occasionally made out
of other materials such as steel, stainless steel, monel and so forth. If
you want to use materials other than aluminum or plastic, you will probably have to
have the tank specially made. No matter what material they are
made out of they all have to meet the same requirements for strength and fire
resistance.
Some builders want to build tanks out of
fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP). This is common practice for
diesel tanks but not advisable for gasoline tanks. It is not prohibited,
if they meet all the other requirements for gasoline tanks. But,
there have been serious problems with FRP gasoline tanks leaking,
primarily due to high levels of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) in the fuel.
I would strongly recommend you do not make gasoline tanks out of FRP.
Prohibited Materials:
Ternplate: (Sheet steel, coated with a lead-tin alloy. An alloy of lead
containing tin (10-20 per cent) and antimony (1.5-2 per cent.)
Black Iron or Carbon Steel: Unless galvanized on the inside and
outside.
Ferrous materials encased in foam: If you want
to enclose a tank in
foam the tank cannot be a tank made of a ferrous (iron or steel) material.
To see all of the ABYC standards for tanks call the
American Boat and Yacht Council
, (410-990-4460) and get a copy of
H-24 Gasoline Fuel Systems, or H-33
Diesel Fuel Systems.
The rules for plastic fuel tanks
have changed. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
published evaporative emission
regulations for fuel systems on recreational boats. When purchasing plastic tanks be sure to
ask your supplier if they meet the EPA regulations. |
Here are some links to explain the Evaporative Emissions Regulations from the EPA.
USCG and EPA Guidline for fuel systems http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/ABYC.1002.01.pdf
EPA Documents on Evaporative Emissions Regs
Perko Evaporative Emissions http://www.perkofuelsystems.com/regulations/epa/
Fuel
Tanks An article I wrote for Pacific Yachting Magazine Published January
2009 (in PDF Format)
Fuel Tank openings: Any opening in gasoline fuel tanks must be
on the topmost surface of the tank. The fuel inlet, the fuel tank vent,
the opening for the level gauge and the opening for the pick up must all
be on the topmost surface of the tank.
Prohibited openings: Drains are
not allowed on gasoline tanks. Sight
gauges are not allowed.
Diesel tanks are
allowed to have openings below the top of the tank such as a
drain, or sight gauges.
Foaming in Fuel Tanks: (encasing the
tank in plastic foam)
Sec. 183.552 Plastic encased fuel tanks: Installation.
(a) Each fuel tank encased in cellular plastic foam or in
fiber reinforced plastic must have the connections, fittings, and labels accessible for
inspection and maintenance.
(b) If a metallic fuel tank is encased in cellular plastic
or in fiber reinforced plastic, water must not collect between the plastic and the surface
of the tank or be held against the tank by capillary action.
(c) If the plastic is bonded to the surface of a metallic
fuel tank, the adhesive strength of the metal to the plastic bond must exceed the cohesive
strength of the plastic.
I believe that foaming a metal tank in place is
a death sentence for the tank. Why? Because the foam traps moisture
between the foam and the tank. It is that simple. Some builders
like to foam tanks in place. It is simple, cushions the tank
against impact, and they don't have to build a complicated mounting
system for the tank. However, consider the consequences.
The US Coast Guard requires that if you foam a
tank in place the strength of the bond of the foam to the tank must be
stronger than the foam itself. In other words, a shearing force
would break the foam before breaking the bond. In practice this is
very difficult to achieve. What happens in reality is that after
repeated slamming of the hull, and vibrations from the engine, the bond
breaks. This creates a gap between the tank and the foam, and moisture
gets trapped around and under the tank. Further, the
requirements for tank installation are, no moisture can be trapped
on the top of the tank, and the fuel fittings must be accessible.
This means if you foam the tank you must leave an area clear of
foam around the fittings, or not allow any foam above the top of the
tank. Otherwise any moisture on top of the tank gets trapped there
by the foam. In practice the above requirements are rarely
achieved and the tank corrodes long before its normal life span.
Also consider aluminum tanks. Aluminum
tanks are rarely painted because they have a natural aluminum oxide
coating that is formed by exposing aluminum to air. This oxide
protects them from corrosion. So aluminum tanks should always be
mounted with space on all sides and the bottom. To paint aluminum or to
bond foam to it, you must remove the aluminum oxide. You are
removing the very thing that protects the tank from corrosion.
Plastic tanks on the other hand do not need
coatings or paint. They need to be installed so that they will
expand a little when first filled. Foam would not allow this expansion.
Additionally foam will not adhere well to polyethylene plastic, so it is
impractical to foam in a plastic tank.
FUEL SYSTEMS:
Vents: Fuel tanks have to be vented. The
vent itself has to either have a flame arrestor that can be cleaned, or be
designed in a way to prevent a flame front from igniting the fumes in the
vent. There are a lot of different brands of fuel vent fittings on the
market that accomplish this. Some times the vent line itself can be a
flame arrestor. This depends on the design of the vent.
The US EPA rules may require
charcoal filters on vent lines. Check with the USCG or ABYC.
(The links below are not an endorsement of Perko,
Attwood or BlueSkies. It only
illustrates the system with a charcoal filter.)
Perko
Evaporative Emissions
In addition canisters must not get water or liquid fuel
in them because it ruins the contents and makes them unusable. So there
must be some means in the vent line to prevent water intrusion. The
following items are methods that can be used. There are other solutions.
Perko's Water Deflector vents
This vent must not allow gasoline that might spill from the vent when
someone overfills the tank, to spill into the boat. However, it is also illegal to spill fuel into the
environment. So, think about it. There are several manufacturers that make
combined fuel fill and vent fittings that do just that.
Fuel hose must now meet much stricter standards for evaporative
emissions. Look for hose labeled USCG Type A1-15, USCG Type B1-15. This means it meets
the new EPA standard.
Fuel Hose: When fuel hose is used it must be either USCG Type A1-15, USCG Type B1-15. Where you use it determines what
type you use.
From the fuel inlet on the engine (usually the fuel pump) to the
carburetor you must use Type A1-15.
Each fuel vent line or fill line must
be USCG Type A1-15 and the line from the fuel tank to the engine inlet must
be type A1-15;
UNLESS:
if no more than five ounces of fuel
is discharged in 2 1/2 minutes when:
(A) The hose is severed at the point
where maximum drainage of fuel would occur,
(B) The boat is in its static
floating position, and
(C) The fuel system is filled to the
capacity market on the tank label.
Then you may use Type B1-15.
As a practical matter, few boat builders want to have to stock two types
of hose, so most buy only Type A1 and use it everywhere. This is fine. Just
be sure that you put in your owner's manual that the hose from the fuel pump
to the carburetor and the vent and fill hose must be TYPE A1-15.
So what is the difference between A1, and B1. USCG
Type A hose has to pass the
2 ½ minute fire test, B does not. The theory is the A is under more pressure
than B, and being on the engine is exposed to more danger of fire than B.
Since B is between the pump and the tank, if a leak occurs, the pressure
rapidly drops to zero and the pump just sucks air, stopping the engine. Fuel
doesn't get sprayed all over the place. The fuel line between the fuel pump
and the carburetor, or fuel rail, is under pressure and if a leak develops,
fuel will be sprayed around the hot engine. So there is a greater risk of
fire. This hose must be A1-15 which is fire resistant. In addition, A1 hose
is required when the hose always has fuel in it. Hose that only has fuel in
it briefly, such as the fuel fill hose may be B1.
You do not have to use hose! You can use metallic lines.
Some manufacturers do. For example, Mercury Marine inboard engines come with
steel fuel line from the fuel pump to the carburetor. Metal lines do not
allow vapor to escape through the fuel line walls.
Metallic fuel Lines: If you use metallic fuel lines, the ones that run
from the fuel tank to the fuel inlet on the engine must be one of the
following; seamless annealed copper, nickel-copper, or copper-nickel. From
the fuel pump to the carburetor they can be any metal you want to use.
Beware. You could set up a galvanic couple and the tube will be eaten away
like powder. Choose carefully if you use metal fuel line from the pump to
the carburetor. Do not use copper tubing. Pure copper is very
subject to galvanic corrosion and cracking from vibration.
Anti-Siphon: The fuel line on a boat must
run uphill, or else you have to have an anti-siphon device. An Anti-Siphon
valve is that annoying little valve that most builders put at the tank
outlet, that seems to get clogged at the most inconvenient times. So, if
the top of the fuel tank is higher than the inlet on your fuel pump you
have to put anti-siphon in the system. This is because the possibility
exists that your entire fuel tank could siphon out into your carburetor,
and fill up your manifold, and ruin your whole day! So, the solution is
obvious. If you don't want this nasty little gadget in the fuel line, put
the tank lower than the engine fuel inlet. But, also make
sure none of the fuel line between the tank and the fuel inlet on the engine
dips below the level of the tank top.
System Pressure Test: The entire fuel system must be pressure tested to
insure there are no leaks. You have to test the system at least at three
PSI, unless you have a long deep system. Then it must be 1 ½ times the
greatest pressure in the lowest part of the system. For most boats three
PSI will do.
Grounding: All metallic components
of the fuel system that are in contact with fuel must be electrically
grounded to prevent a static discharge from causing a fire or
explosion.
Recent events have caused the boating
industry to examine the policy regarding the bonding of plastic
body fuel fills with metallic caps and retaining chains.
Existing USCG & ABYC policy states that the bonding of
these components is voluntary.
A study by IMANNA Laboratories has shown that connecting
the metallic retaining chain and cap of a plastic body
fuel fill assembly to a boats bonding system may result in
electrostatic discharge from a land-based fuel pump nozzle to the
metallic components of the assembly when the boat is not in the
water.
This condition does not exist when the boat is in the
water due to the equalizations of the ground potentials between
the fuel pump nozzle and the boats bonding system.
It is recommended by ABYC and the USCG
that new and existing installations of this type of fuel fill
assembly DO NOT INCLUDE any attachment to the boats bonding
system. Existing connections should be removed from the point of
connection to the boats bonding system to the fuel fill assembly.
Removal of the metallic components of the assembly is
not necessary; however, the U.S. Coast Guard and ABYC still require
that METALLIC body
fuel fills be bonded.
For further information contact:
ABYC (410) 956-1050
jadey@abycinc.org
US Coast Guard at
Po.L.Chang@uscg.mil 202-372-1077
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A typical fuel tank installation showing fill (red hose), vent and fuel
line to engine (center). The fitting in the upper right corner is the fuel gauge sender.

Type A1 Fuel Hose (Blue Stripe) and Type A2 Fuel Hose (red Stripe)
(A2 no longer used)
Inspected Vessels:
For manufacturers/builders building small passenger vessels that are
inspected and certified by the US Coast Guard, there are regulations for
their fuel systems different than those for recreational boats.
46 CFR Subchapter T Part 182 Machinery Installations Subpart D: Passenger Vessels
under 100 Gross Tons. USA Fuel System Standards for Commercial Small Passenger Vessels.
Under 100 Gross tons.
Revised 10/03/2018 © newboatbuilders.com 2001-07 All rights reserved.
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