 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsBoatsPaddle BoatsSailingCruisingBuildingElectronics Related Topics CarsMotorcyclesMore Topics ... |
Boat Forum / Building / July 2005Fuel-tank installation
Hallo! I would like to get some advice concerning gasoline-tank-installation in a motor boat: After completing the repowering of my boat with a dual-caburated motor I looked for a reliable position for the fule tank, previously installed in the bow by the manufacturer. Because there was enough volume near the center of buoyancy, I decided to place the tank there, tightly screwed and taped on the extensions of the motor-stringers. Although this position might be physically the best one, fuel-lines could be held quite short and servicing is easy, I've some strange feeling: The tank is in direct neighbourhood in line to the engine, there are at least 5 inches between them, no separating wall or plate made of epoxied plywood or alu, steel, ... is installed. Now my question: Are there any rules or regulations (coast guard) prohibiting the installation of a fuel-tank in nearly the same compartment with the engine? By the way: Of course the tank is connected to motor-ground as well as the copper-lines and the water-separator are grounded to the tank. A correctly dimensioned blower to suck gasoline-fumes is installed. What do you think, anything left I've to work on? Any advice will be appreciated! Bye, Hajo Here in the US, you cannot place the fuel tank in the same compartment as the motor(s). If it is plastic, it has to have at least passive ventilation with scoops facing fore and aft. Regardless, if it has a fuel sender or other electrical wiring in the same compartment, it has to be force ventilated and there are rules for the sizing of the vents and on flow rates. Since it sounds like you are using gasoline, it might be worth your while to have a professional look at it since regulations vary country-by-country. Something else to keep in mind is that the original designer put the fuel way up in the bow and may have taken this into account when he did his final design (longitudinal center of gravity). How's the boat float and run when it is empty and the bow tank is low on fuel? Any tendency to porpoise? If it's sits reasonably level at rest and is stable and satisfactory in this condition when using the boat, then you should be fine putting the fuel amidships as you are. As a rule of thumb, try to keep the fuel's CG at around 1-1/4 waterline beams forward of the transom. If your new fuel tank location moves the CG too far aft, then the most likely affect will be a tendency to porpoise ...and the porpoising may come and go depending on speed, will likely be more likely in smooth water and may disappear in a slight chop (since it lengthens the effective wetted length of the hull). If your boat sits too low in the stern (a swamping hazard when in rougher seas with people standing in the stern ...easier for waves to come in), or it shows a tendency to porpoise (especially if it gets violent), then you'll want to move your fuel back forward -or- always carry weight in the bow (ballast) to compensate. Have fun, Brian > Hallo! > I would like to get some advice concerning gasoline-tank-installation in a [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Bye, Hajo > Here in the US, you cannot place the fuel tank in the same compartment as > the motor(s). REALLY! Thats a bit drastic isn't it? Must make fitting a day tank a real pain, especially if you like having the day tank above the level of the injector pumps (allows the use of gravity feed to the engines). Or does this only apply to your main tanks, in which case I really don't see the point, as a decent day tank will contain enough fuel for quite a respectable fire! > Since it sounds like you are using gasoline, it might be worth > your while to have a professional look at it since regulations vary > country-by-country. Ohh, is this petrol specific, that makes more sense now, I was thinking diesel or heavy oil rather then petrol (Which IMHO is just wrong for anything except outboards). Regards, Dan (who is very glad he lives where the coastguard don't try to pull this crap). Brian, where do you find that requirement? I've searched quite a few sites for reference to regulations including http://www.nyss.com/federal.html#3M and not found such a statement. There are requirements for ventilation and statements that one shan't have fuel in the bilges, requirements for fire extinguishers, etc. but nowhere do I find the requirement for a bulkhead between the fuel tanks and the engine. Would it maybe one of the voluntary standards, or maybe specific to one state? Roger derbyrm@NOSPAMearthlinkNOSPAM.net http://home.earthlink.net/~derbyrm >> Here in the US, you cannot place the fuel tank in the same compartment as >> the motor(s). I think everything you need to know about fuel tank and fuel system installation is in Title 33 of the CFR: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_99/33cfr183_99.html You may also want to spend some time plowing through Title 46...which won't be easy. And then there are the CG regs...their site is almost impossible to find anything on!  SignaturePeggie ---------- Peggie Hall Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987 Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor" http://www.seaworthy.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=40&cat=6&page=1 > I think everything you need to know about fuel tank and fuel system > installation is in Title 33 of the CFR: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > won't be easy. And then there are the CG regs...their site is almost > impossible to find anything on! Interesting, Peggy... Quoting from Title 33: " Subpart J--Fuel Systems Sec. 183.550 Fuel tanks: Installation. (a) Each fuel tank must not be integral with any boat structure or mounted on an engine." Would this mean that a monel fuel tank glassed into a sailboat keel would be illegal ? Brian C > Interesting, Peggy... > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Would this mean that a monel fuel tank glassed into a sailboat keel > would be illegal ? D'd if I know...I only remembered tripping over some fuel tank regs while searching for waste plumbing regs, and since I was having a slow afternoon, went looking for 'em again. However, If do seem to remember something in my search that said glassing of foaming in any fuel tank is a no-no...but I could be wrong, and I'm not gonna hunt it down again. :) SignaturePeggie ---------- Peggie Hall Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987 Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor" http://www.seaworthy.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=40&cat=6&page=1 http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.tpl?fno=400&group=327 Well sorta. The ABYC regs state that a gas tank cannot JUST be supported by plastic foam. It's OK to foam a tank in, but you have to provide additional supports. Probably because the long term strength of the foam, for support, probably degrades. Brian >> Interesting, Peggy... >> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > of foaming in any fuel tank is a no-no...but I could be wrong, and I'm not > gonna hunt it down again. :) I think this is what I was remembering ...the bit about not mounting ON an engine. I did a search of my ABYC and USCG regs and can't find a statement that specifically states that the fuel tank cannot be in the same compartment as the engine. I sit humbly corrected. My apologies. Brian >> I think everything you need to know about fuel tank and fuel system >> installation is in Title 33 of the CFR: [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Brian C Yes ... a bit drastic. I did some research in my copies of the ABYC and USCG regs to check my memory and you're right ...nothing says you cannot have the tank in the same compartment as the engine. That said, note that you are disallowed from mounting a tank ON an engine. I think that's what I was remembering. You do have to meet the ventilation requirements that I stated though. Brian >> Here in the US, you cannot place the fuel tank in the same compartment as >> the motor(s). [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Regards, Dan (who is very glad he lives where the coastguard don't try to > pull this crap). >>Here in the US, you cannot place the fuel tank in the same compartment as >>the motor(s). [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > diesel or heavy oil rather then petrol (Which IMHO is just wrong for > anything except outboards). Since I am about to install the tank in my boat as well I have read through the rules that the CE marking in Europe are based on. A gasoline tank can not be installed in the same compartment as the engine, there must be a gas/air tight wall between them. For a diesel tank there are no such rules. SignatureOddgeir I'm building a boat: http://www.oddgeirkvien.com/baat Hans-Joachim Sellner schrieb: > Hallo! > I would like to get some advice concerning gasoline-tank-installation in [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Bye, Hajo Many thanks for your discussion! I'll try to fix the fuel-tank a little bit closer to the bow, so the distance between tank an engine will be about 1 feet. Perhaps it's better to get this space, I don't know. By the way the tank is made of steel and painted. It will really be well fixed, so it cannot move around. But once again, what's your feeling: Any problems to expect with my "same compartment topology" (engine+tank nearby, no wall or anything else between them)? Thanks and bye, Hajo Yeah.......... wear a parachute as well as a life jacket. That way you won't get killed when you hit the water........... > Hans-Joachim Sellner schrieb: >> Hallo! [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > nearby, no wall or anything else between them)? > Thanks and bye, Hajo |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.