The New Era of Gasoline Fuel-System Regulations:
ABYC H- 24 & H- 25
BY DAVE GERR
(from information provided by John Adey and the ABYC Technical Department)
NEW EPA REGULATIONS have
made significant changes to gasoline fuel systems on boats. Here’s
what you need to know.
After several years of discussion, investigation and review, the
US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has introduced completely new regulations governing fuel installations on boats with gasoline engines or
equipment. Most of these new regulations have been implemented starting in
2009 and through 2011. (A few final
aspects are scheduled for implementation in 2012.) New regulations and
requirements mean added cost and complexity, but they are the law and must be
followed fully. Requirements in Canada
follow suit, which simplifies things a bit.
In fact, the new requirements could
well have been still more onerous, but
various boating industry organizations
(such as NMMA) helped to explain
industry concerns and work out acceptable solutions. No organization was
more instrumental in assuring that the
new regulations were as sensible and
reasonable as possible than the Technical
Department of ABYC. Under the direction of ABYC vice president and Tech
Department director, John Adey, ABYC
not only worked with the EPA regulators, but assisted in research and in conducting tests to demonstrate that –
where possible – simpler and more cost-effective solutions would be acceptable.
We’ll review here what the new EPA
regulations are and explain some of the
practical approaches for implementing
them. These regulations are now law
under the Code of Federal Regulations,
specifically 40 CFR Part 1060.
They will affect the way you design,
The EPA determined that only 15 grams
per square meter per day of evaporative
emissions was acceptable. Look for fuel
hose marked “A1-15”.
build, repair or inspect gasoline boats
from now on.
The new rules cover three ways that
the EPA identified in which hydrocarbons can enter the atmosphere from a
gasoline boat’s fuel system:
1) Evaporative Emissions
2) Diurnal Emissions
3) Fueling Spitback
Evaporative emissions are fuel that
escapes from the fuel system through
permeation through the walls of hoses or
of plastic tanks or, as a result of ventila-
tion. On small gasoline fuel systems, the
primer bulb can also be a source of evap-
orative emissions.
Standard USCG/SAE marine fuel
hose was rated A1 or A2, or B1 or
After extensive testing, it was found
that most (but not all) standard A1
USCG fuel already in use actually met
the 15 g/m2 per day requirement. New
marine fuel hoses must now all meet the
15 g/m2 per day standard.
These new hoses must be marked A or
B and 1, plus “- 15” for the EPA standard.
Compliant fuel hose marking is:
• USCG TYPE A1-15 J1527
Evaporative Emissions
Fuel-line hoses were identified as one of
the ways in which gasoline vapours
could escape into the atmosphere.
A “B” instead of an “A” would indicate that the hose did not have a fire-resistant cover to pass the 2-1/2-minute
burn test.
Traditionally, marine fuel hose with
the “1” rating was expected to have fuel
in it a good portion of the time, while a
“2”-rated hose was not intended to have
