Can Someone Explain This?

[jeffnick]

I'm allowed to put a 40 gallon plastic tank in my engine room, but not a 1/2 pint see thru bowl?
http://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2012/05/raycor-clear-bowl-double-standard.html

 

[Don S]

Re: Can Someone Explain This?

The fuel tank passed the certification tests, the filter didn't.

http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/pdf/downloads/FUELSYSTEM.pdf

 

[Bondo]

Re: Can Someone Explain This?

I'm allowed to put a 40 gallon plastic tank in my engine room, but not a 1/2 pint see thru bowl?
http://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2012/05/raycor-clear-bowl-double-standard.html

Ayuh,... The fuel bowl may only hold a 1/2 pint, but if broken, the 40 gallons in the tank has the potential to flow out through it...

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Can Someone Explain This?

The fuel tank passed the certification tests, the filter didn't.

http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/pdf/downloads/FUELSYSTEM.pdf

Not necessarily even that, they may have only submitted one for certification. No idea how they are certified, but if its like anything else that has to be certified by a government standard, the process isn't cheap. Companies aren't going to do more models than they have to.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Can Someone Explain This?

Really quite simple: Many clear bowls are made of polycarbonate plastic. Polycarbonate it embrittled by hydrocarbons--in this case gasoline --and become easy to break. The CG has no way of knowing what the bowl is made of since it has not been certified. And as stated in a post above, plastic bowls can break even if not affected by gasoline. THUS: To keep gas out of the bilge, only a metal bowl is acceptable.