Can anyone confirm whether a metal fuel filler and fuel tank require 'earthing'? My Norman 32 has a stainless steel fuel tank and filler has a metal neck which connects to a plastic hose which then connects to the fuel tank. The fuel is diesel rather than petrol. If it is a requirement, what do I connect to what? Many thanks.
I'm fairly sure the filler should be bonded to the tank at least but best bet is to download the bss guide and have a read as we will all be delving into memory and stand a good chance of being wrong.
I had an inspection on my 32 last year. I had made a new aluminium tank and the inspector only asked me to change the fuel pipes. Nothing about earthing the tank
"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."
If you cannot ground to the water then perhaps use a floating ground as it suggests. An interesting point on the i-boats forum post above is how petrol running down a filler pipe can itself generate static. Never heard of THAT one before.
Hope you don't go cross-eyed from all this reading. My Surveyor who side-lined for BSS inspections and certification did require that I cross-bonded my metallic deck fillers and my tanks to the engine and to the battery neutral and that all metal on the boat was similarly cross-bonded, including for example my sink and taps.
EARTHING
Posted - 19 Apr 2017 : 19:16:45
