Fumes and Sparks

As autos can and should be designed for more safety,boats with EFI and most modern technology can be designed for more safety using the principle shown in the thread Safe Remote Fuel System for Boats.If the fuel system and fuel storage are isolated from the inside of the boat and drained and ventilated overboard,electronic warning and gas detectors do not need to be relied upon to detect and remove explosive gas mixtures,but they can be used.A failsafe system is needed.To use Hydrogen and other volitile fuels it will be essential to keep fuel and propulsion motors out of a boat.Outboards can do this ( inboards can be designed the same way) but carry gallons of fuel under the floorboards,relying on good maintenance and ventilation only to keep a boat safe.Many boats in the UK run LPG inboard motors with fuel cylinders in the motor compartment.Even if the cylinders are themselve gas tight better to put fuel in a safer place away from potential sparks and fume build up.

 

I think I remember that regulations in Norway say that all fuel conections nead to have double hose clamps.
A cheap and easy rule that is no problem to folow.
Rules should not make things more dificult for people, but make them safer.

I would sugest that anny ventelation fans are of EX construction and that they start automaticly when the ignition is switched on to make shure you don't forget. Activate a timer relay the moment the fan starts that is blocking the start off the engine until it has gone 5min or something.

I don't think a fuel hose ever will leak if you make shure you buy good qualety and inspect and change regulary.

 

Actually Stian, you are right. Hoses rarely leak. The leaks are usually at a fitting. That is why double clamping is required on fills. However, your comment about quality hoses is right on. That's why hoses in the US have to meet specific requirements. Otherwise people who don't know better would run down to the local auto parts store and buy any old auto fuel hose. Those hoses aren't alcohol resistant because the fuel rarely stands in the hose very long, they don't meet the fire resistance test, and there are various other requirements. If they didn't we would see a lot more leaky hoses. And inspection is very important. You should check them every time you open the engine hatch, but at least no less than once a year.

 

I agre Ike

I would exspect the qualety off fuel hoses in the US to be about the same as here and in Europe, but if they was only 1/2 the qualety it would stil be good enough if used corectly. They are reinforced so normal use should last for years.

I has reused fuel hoses over and over again on my motorbikes and car's and I have stored them all kind off places and sometime I find a hose that fitt along with some mecanical sharp object's, but to this day I did not see one leak. When I have lekage it's allways at the conection. (I don't incurage people to do this, buy new)

A friend off mine used a hose for fruit juice like old grandmoms use when they heat berry to make juice at home.
Some off you might know this proces at least hose that are older.

The short storrt is that those hoses get hard when they get in contact with petrolium, but they are only 1/10 off the price off a fuel hose.

Regulation would not be neaded if people used comon sence when they did stuff at home and was concerned about there own and others safety, but this is not the case.

People are stupid and should be protected against themself. We are our own worst enemy.

If it can go wrong it will go wrong.

Nothing is foolproof, fool's are to inteligent

 

Actually, with the exception of a few very bad asian fakes, almost all of the Marine fuel hose in the US is made by two companies, Trident and Shields. And they were both started by the same guy.

 

Asian product's have bad reputation, Japanese car's was rubish 40 years ago, but today it's bether then the germans. Malaysia, Indonesia and China is going to catch up in time I would asume.

I,m familiar with Trident's products and I hawe no complains about them. Shields I did not hear about. I think all the products I have used is from Trident and Wurth.

 

Shields http://www.shieldshose.com/, Trident http://www.tridentmarine.com/
Wurth http://www.wurthusa.com/project/en/topnavi/wurth-usa/wurth-usa.html. Oddly enough I didn't remember Wuth but I immediatley recognized their logo so I must have run across them in my travels.

 

I belive wurth is german so maybe they are not that well known in the USA.

Was it not Trident that invented the window wiper or am I imagining things?

 

I think it's not the same Trident.

 

If annyone know for shure I would like to know just to setesfy my curiosety

 

"They" don't make laws, we do.

 

Hi gonzo,where do you get your legal information about EFI in boats,do you have access to USCG Regulations regarding the instalation of EFI fuel systems in boats that are available to the public.Can you supply an information source please.

 

They are in the Code of Federal Regulations.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html

 

Thanks gonzo I have been there many times with my legal advisers (and it costs) I was hoping there was information for ordinary boaties to work out what they must do to comply with the recreational boating regulations regarding EFI instalation in boats.like the people using this forum.

 

Unfortunately there are no single set of standards. Often times the regs are contradictory.