Earthing GRP tank in GRP boat?

Hi guys, just wondering how you all would earth/ground a glass tank in a glass boat?
Can I just run a wire from the filler to a negative on a battery?

Thanks for any advice.

Rich.

 

You can't. GRP is not a conductor, therefore a wire won't make any difference.

 

Use a layer of carbon fiber?

 

I hope you're right gonzo!
I have however, cleaned and waxed plenty of moulds before and have received some pretty serious static shocks!

I know the tanks not going to get rubbed by anything to create static.

It's just when I put the static build up i had seen on moulds together with a petrol tank the idea concerned me and I certainly don't want to learn the hard way in his situation!

Rich.

 

rich, i had a savage lancer with twin 200 lt glass petrol tanks, i only remember earth wires on the metal filler necks.

 

Just a wire from the filler neck to the DC negative to prevent sparking.
It is mandatory in a lot of countries.

 

That wire is not required with plastic filer necks.

 

If it was built in , wouldn't it be grounded sitting in the water? On a trailer at the gas station would be a different situation.

 

Sam Sam I do follow your logic, but experience suggests something may be up!

I do run a stainless filler neck in my tank, would a plastic fitting guarantee no static sparks? Not sure what the difference is when static is concerned?

CDK that is what I was planning to do...
Is there any evidence that it (A) does what I want it to do and (B) is this evidence that the problem I'm trying to fix exists?

I will admit that as soon as it leaves the realms of normal 12v wiring I'm not the best person to ask but...
If static were to build up on my tank could it be "dissipated" via a wire to a nrgative on a battery or something similar

I am going to run a wire from the stainless filler to a - terminal on the battery.
It might do nothing or it might prevent a spark from the cap to the tank!
Who knows what a spark might do in the vicinity of fuel vapours and some nice fresh air!

Hopefully it will just be a waste of wire!

Thanks for the replies!

Rich

 

Static can build up on a fuel hose, plastic fill tube, or a tank when filling the tank. The fluid running through the fill creates it. But a simple wire from the metal fill fitting to the tank gauge fitting and then to the boats' ground will dissipate the static. This includes GRP tanks. As long as the metal fittings are grounded you will not have a static discharge.

 

The plastic gas tank installations I see have both the tank grounded and the fuel fill , vent fitting grounded.

If you google USCG or the various tank manufactures websites for installation instructions , you will see logical schematics of approved tank installations.

Ive always understood that "ground" or earth on a small plastic outboard boat is the stainless steel thru bolt that holds the motor clamp to the transom.

The electrical system Negative may or may not be a ground and may not even exisit on a small outboard boat.

 

According to PERKO they "should NOT be grounded.
http://www.perko.com/images/catalog/pdf/Fig. 0540 to 0591 Inst..pdf

 

Plastic fills. no ground needed.

 

Plastic fills do not need a ground, especially on trailerable boats.

From the USCG back in 2005 or 2006 (memory fading fast! LOL)

 

Here's a link to some basic fuel tank installations. The first is for gasoline tanks installed after January 1, 2o12, to meet US EPA environmental standards. The second is what was required prior to January 1, 2012

http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/fuel_tank.html