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BSS fail?


Gareth E

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7 minutes ago, bizzard said:

The metal plugs are usually made from a sort of alloy, probably Mazak.

I didn't know, but guessed they weren't steel, so edited my post a while back. 

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Actually I've seen one or two vehicle diesel engine that have been in a fire and the plastic spill pipes with not much pressure in them seem to have shriveled and shrunk, like heat shrink or crisp bags, where they were heated which appeared to or might have sealed them up.

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Apart from compliance with BSS about the material used, the whole exercise to drain the filter makes a mess - spilling fuel as well as draining water (especially if you drop the screw). I replaced the thumb screw on my filter with a simple brass on-off stop valve. - but I had workshop facilities to fabricate an assembly of parts to make it fit the thread of the filter bowl.

 

 

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35 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

Apart from compliance with BSS about the material used, the whole exercise to drain the filter makes a mess - spilling fuel as well as draining water (especially if you drop the screw). I replaced the thumb screw on my filter with a simple brass on-off stop valve. - but I had workshop facilities to fabricate an assembly of parts to make it fit the thread of the filter bowl.

 

 

That sounds good, it it require a plug in the end.

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My CAV fuel separator had a plastic thumbscrew to drain it. This passed BSC several times before it was picked up. It was easily replaced by a 1/4 BSP steel plug. Most threads on fuel systems are BSP.

This incident takes us back to the BMC spill pipes which were genuine spares but non compliant. Flexible fuel lines have to have the correct spec marked on them. Glass filter bowls were also outlawed because of the possibility of breakage and spillage even though they were made for the job. In domestic oil heating systems many changes such as this have been applied. The next upset will no doubt be that oil flexies will have to be dated and replaced within a time scale. With lots of these little niggles, a bit of common sense stirs up much vitriolic rhetoric similar to 'my granddad smoked 50 woodbines a day and lived to 95' ignoring the excessivenumber of premature deaths and lung disease caused by smoking.

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55 minutes ago, mross said:

They say cigarette-smoking increase the chance of death.  This is demonstrable claptrap.  From the day we are born, the chance of death is 100% and never increases.

It increases the chance of death tomorrow, and the day after and the day after that, but not the inevitability that one day it WILL come..................

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21 hours ago, Martin Megson said:

The actual BSS requirement is as follows:

591cb78069f93_ScreenShot2017-05-17at21_49_48.png.5803ad2d0cd2e89d28342d0712e45965.png

https://www.vetus.com/fuel-systems/fuel-filters.html


Note
All VETUS Spin-on filters meet the CE (ISO 1088) and ABYC requirements (relating to installation in the engine room) and have withstand a fire test of 2,5 minutes.

All VETUS centrifugal filters meet the CE (ISO 1088) and ABYC and are Germanischer Lloyd certified which makes them applicable for commercial vessels.

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7 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

That sounds good, it it require a plug in the end.

That's a point! Thanks. There is no plug. I will fit one, and maybe change the valve for one that is specified to withstand 600C for 2.5 mins. I'm guessing a gas pipe duty type.

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22 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

A liveaboard 'neighbour' of ours was told to disappear for an hour as he was not allowed to do 'residential boats', if they were not onboard then it could not be a liveaboard. (weird logic !!!)

They came back to a 'new BSSC'.

 Similar experience having to stand outside a garage with bald spare tyre while the MOT certificate was issued.

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22 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

That's a point! Thanks. There is no plug. I will fit one, and maybe change the valve for one that is specified to withstand 600C for 2.5 mins. I'm guessing a gas pipe duty type.

I was comparing it to the requirement for a plug in a fuel tank drain valve.

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2 minutes ago, stegra said:

 Similar experience having to stand outside a garage with bald spare tyre while the MOT certificate was issued.

When the MOT first came out my grandad (a retired mechanic) used to phone the garage up and tell them he needed a new MOT. They'd tell him to pop round in an hour or so to collect it ;)

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5 minutes ago, WotEver said:

When the MOT first came out my grandad (a retired mechanic) used to phone the garage up and tell them he needed a new MOT. They'd tell him to pop round in an hour or so to collect it ;)

 A friend took his motorbike to be tested and the examiner said it looked alright and asked if it went ok. He said it did and and it was passed. That was in the early '90s.

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Just now, stegra said:

 A friend took his motorbike to be tested and the examiner said it looked alright and asked if it went ok. He said it did and and it was passed. That was in the early '90s.

I had a similar motorcycle examiner, but mine was in the 70's. 

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15 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I was comparing it to the requirement for a plug in a fuel tank drain valve.

It drew my attention to something I need to attend to. I think I need a screw plug on the outlet pipe from the valve.

Last week I had an awkward job to do, needing stepping down on to the base of the engine compartment (an extremely rare event) I unknowingly caught my trouser leg on the knob of the valve slightly but was unaware of it until I felt my ankle getting wet - that happened to be diesel dripping down my leg into my shoe.

As an afterthought, from comments on this thread, I think it a risk that can be avoided. It is possible that something placed in the engine compartment (mine is full of equipment and things) could accidentally 'fall' onto, or against the knob of valve, and vibration could maybe move it enough to continuously spill some diesel - and pass unnoticed - until perhaps the engine stopped.

 

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I've always found it best not to argue with safety examiners even if I don't agree. At the end of the day there not the one who needs BSS certificate. A nice cup of tea (how do you like it, always asked.) And a slice of cake when they arrive I think is best .

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5 hours ago, Horace42 said:

It drew my attention to something I need to attend to. I think I need a screw plug on the outlet pipe from the valve.

Last week I had an awkward job to do, needing stepping down on to the base of the engine compartment (an extremely rare event) I unknowingly caught my trouser leg on the knob of the valve slightly but was unaware of it until I felt my ankle getting wet - that happened to be diesel dripping down my leg into my shoe.

As an afterthought, from comments on this thread, I think it a risk that can be avoided. It is possible that something placed in the engine compartment (mine is full of equipment and things) could accidentally 'fall' onto, or against the knob of valve, and vibration could maybe move it enough to continuously spill some diesel - and pass unnoticed - until perhaps the engine stopped.

 

It is a BSS fail not to have a sealing plug or cap on the outlet of any fuel tank drain - oh and the cap or plug must be a 'tools to remove'

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May I point out that all the recent filter drain plugs I have seen and made in such a way that they do not need to be remove, only loosened, to allow water/fuel to drain. The CAV ones have a flat down one side and others are hollow with a cross drilling. Both seal with a flange against the underside of the filter with a "rubber" washer.

Its only when I change the plastic ones for an 8mm bolt do I have to fully remove the plug.

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8 hours ago, Horace42 said:

It drew my attention to something I need to attend to. I think I need a screw plug on the outlet pipe from the valve.

Last week I had an awkward job to do, needing stepping down on to the base of the engine compartment (an extremely rare event) I unknowingly caught my trouser leg on the knob of the valve slightly but was unaware of it until I felt my ankle getting wet - that happened to be diesel dripping down my leg into my shoe.

As an afterthought, from comments on this thread, I think it a risk that can be avoided. It is possible that something placed in the engine compartment (mine is full of equipment and things) could accidentally 'fall' onto, or against the knob of valve, and vibration could maybe move it enough to continuously spill some diesel - and pass unnoticed - until perhaps the engine stopped.

 

How about removing the leaver.

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12 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

How about removing the leaver.

I might do that, yes. And use it as a key - on a piece of string to avoid losing it or dropping it in the sump.

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1 hour ago, Horace42 said:

I might do that, yes. And use it as a key - on a piece of string to avoid losing it or dropping it in the sump.

You could do that, but as I said above it is a BSS fail - assuming your boat needs a BSS - if the fuel tank drain outlet is not plugged or capped etc.

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On 20/05/2017 at 11:51, Chewbacka said:

You could do that, but as I said above it is a BSS fail - assuming your boat needs a BSS - if the fuel tank drain outlet is not plugged or capped etc.

Yes it needs a BSS and has a recent one. It is a detail not spotted by the examiner. I will fit a plug to be on the safe side. Thanks for pointing it out.

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