Are glass bowls on prefilters really a safety concern?

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Not permitted on MCA coded vessels either.... W

[/ QUOTE ] Rubbish, our rib is coded and it has a glass pre fuel filter.

Pete
 
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My understanding is they break when there is a fire and then feed the fire with diesel, making it a lot lot worse especialy if your at sea.

[/ QUOTE ]I would be interested to know if that has been confirmed by tests comparing different filter types. How would a spin-on filter with a rubber seal fare in a fire, or a CAV type with metal bowl but rubber seals on drain plug and through-bolt as well as above and below the filter cartridge.

On our boat the filter is fed by rubber hose, so it's fairly immaterial whether the filter is fireproof or not.

Someone earlier posted a suggestion about using fire-valve as used on oil heating boilers. The ones we have at home on the boiler close by spring pressure when solder melts. That might be an option.
 
By the time the fire is hot enough to crack the glass bowl I think you will be in the liferaft. I really like being able to see the condition of the fuel and if there is any water that needs draining.

Pete
 
Yet another load of b*ll*cks. To pass the BSS for inland waterways, I understand you must have a metal bowl. As others have pointed out, this means you cannot see the state of the fuel. You cannot see if it is dirty, cloudy or in there is any water in the bowl. This means it is not as safe as a glass one. OK the glass one is not fire-proof. And neither are plastic fuel lines. At one point the BSS insisted on metal fuel llines as well, but I heard that the result of that requirement was that a number of engines suffered broken fuel pipes due to metal fatigue, so the BSS allowed plastic fuel lines again.

There is no such thing as absolute safety. Unfortunately some of those making regulations do not seem to understand this. They also seem unaware of the law of unintended consequences.
 
Sorry but under the (old) Brown code they aren't permitted - our surveyor made us change them before issuing our 'pass'.

Likewise our flexible fuel pipes have to be to manufactured and certified to some obsecure standard.

Maybe different for you class of 'vessel'.... but more likely a difference of opinion by surveyors as our 9M rib also had to have a steel bowl...

Also have the relevant M notice which may or may not be applicable and may be the surveyor's influence is here - look at 14.A.2.5.6.

PW
 
PW, your link doesn't work, you have to many http:// in it, it should be Here however its for over 24m vessels.

Glass was allowed under the yellow code and the current regulations for coded vessels (sea going not canal boats) here:

MCA

Para 7.4.6 refers to the glass fuel bowl and 7.4.3 refers to fuel lines. Remember this is the latest set of regulations that have taken over from the Yellow / Brown codes.

Pete
 
Thanks Fly By II... as said we can only do what the surveryor wants or we don't get coded /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif The rib had to have fire resistant raw water hose fitted last year after an MCA inspection yet the surveyor had passed OK for the previous 7 years!

As for the replacement of the colour codes - no-one at the MCA boatshow stand seemed to know when the new code was going to be enforced or used although the date on it was April 2007 I think.

Seems the new guideline is a compromise by the statement to be sited out of the way of heat and accidental damage.

W.
 
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