Fuel Tank and Battery Under Console

[Boone]

Would it be a possible explosion problem to place the battery and fuel tank under a console?

[Alik]

According to ISO10133, You can not place battery next to fuel tank

[gerard baladi]

Nor even a bilge pump. if my memory serves me right, it should be located not less than 60cm.

[Palmer]

If you have an outboard you can do anything you want. If not you have to follow Coast Guard Title 33 CFR, Sections 183.401–183.460. Which says that a battery may not be installed directly above or below a gas tank, fitting, or any fuel system component other than an uninterupted length of fuel line. They may be in the same compartment.

[cyclops]

Since we do not know anything about the boat, or the shape and any openings in the console we are making bad guesses. Specific details would really help. A photo would get us to all agree.

[Boone]

Here are some photos of the boat, console, tank and battery.

[Thunderhead19]

Why can't you panel off thefuel tank enclosure so that no vapour can pass into the battery compartment? I assume that you refill your portable tank on the dock, and not inside the boat?

[marshmat]

There is an explosion hazard with the setup depicted. Gasoline vapours are heavier than air and in your console would drift right into the battery box with the currnet setup.

A portable fuel tank should be at least partly exposed to the air, it should never be fully enclosed. And portable tanks are ALWAYS removed from the boat for filling.

In the boat pictured above, I would place the battery under the black hatch in the front of the console. I would put an airtight panel immediately behind this (not strictly necessary though) and add two vents in the topmost corners of the battery compartment to allow hydrogen to escape. The fuel tank would go in the open space behind, where it can be tethered in place with shock cords and can be removed for fuelling. The portable tank should not be in an enclosed compartment but the battery box can.

I will quote from Canadian standards here (I believe American ones are basically identical as they were harmonized last decade). Fuel tank bay must have 1 square foot of area exposed to the atmosphere for every 10 cubic feet of volume, or else you must install a venting system (TP1332 6.6). Batteries must be in a dry location above bilge water level (8.9), shall not be directly above a fuel tank or fuel system component (8.13), and must offer a means for hydrogen to escape (8.16). The setup I described above would probably be the easiest way of meeting this.