Why is the required pressure gauge on the wrong side of the solenoid for a leak-down test?
"1.5.2
Each system shall be fitted with a pressure gauge. The gauge shall read the cylinder pressure side of the
pressure regulator."
There is no requirement for the
solenoid to be after the regulator but there is a requirement that the pressure gauge be before the
regulator because regulators are prone to corrosion & failure, I have seen three failed regulators over the years.. Even if you did place a "low pressure" solenoid after the regulator a leak down is still simple and is now inclusive of the regulator, which is part of the intent, because regulator can fail. The solenoid can be either a high or low pressure model and it can be placed one either side of the regulator.
"1.7.3
A readily accessible manual or electrically operated (e.g., solenoid) shut-off valve shall be installed in the
low or high-pressure line at the fuel supply."
This just means the solenoid can be before or after the regulator but you will need to choose either a high pressure model or a low pressure model. A high pressure solenoid can be used on either side but a low pressure solenoid can only be use on the low pressure side of the regulator.
Why is there no VISIBLE way of ensuring the solenoid is closed (which is a requirement for WCC lockout procedure)? Well there is a switch. These devices are designed to be fail safe meaning they power open and have a strong spring for closure. If you know of one that has a visible indicator, that is also IP rated and 12V, 24V etc. let me know..
If you place the pressure gauge after the solenoid, in other words
tank valve>solenoid>pressure gauge>regulator>system hose, you simply close the tank valve with the stove running to reduce line pressure. Once flame get really dim turn off the stove burner. Now close the solenoid and read the line pressure. Now open the tank valve quickly and close it. The solenoid should maintain this pressure for the leak down testing of the solenoid.. Again, as above, there is no requirement for the solenoid to be on the low pressure side of the regulator. It is only the pressure gauge so it can be inclusive of the regulator.
FWIW ABYC A-1 is also Federal Law under the US Code of Federal Regulations so it is not just the ABYC who has examined this safety standard.
And if there is SO much preparation for every regulation, how do you explain the miriad of changes to wiring colour-codes for AC and DC wiring over the last 10 years?
The only real change I know of is adding
yellow as an alternative color for DC negative. This did not make
black for DC negative obsolete at all. Any surveyor who can't comprehend this should be hung up by their boot string..
Sorry, I stand by my rant. The constant changes you make require us boaters to put out thousands of dollars for "upgrades" that may well be completely unnecessary.
druid
Your rant is misdirected. ABYC standards are not law in Canada, yet, though some parts of it are for inspected vessels. The rumor circulating is that Canada may be making more of ABYC mandatory (even for recreational boats) if the rumors are true. If this is true then you need to take this up with your own government or moving forward it will only get worse.
Your issue is with your surveyor and NAMS & SAMS & their often incorrect interpretations of the ABYC standards. I can't even begin to count the number of times a surveyor has
misinterpreted the language/intent of the ABYC standards. Your rant/issues also lie with your insurance company who blindly accept a report from an often under-educated surveyor who many times simply make up rules as the move along. I just went this this in June regarding batteries. The surveyors gross misunderstanding of the standard was going to cost the owner many hundred's of dollars until he called me. One fax to the insurer explaining the actual standards, as related to the owners actual installation, they dropped it. Surveyor was simply under-educated and misinterpreted the standard. Heck you yourself misunderstood A-1 as related to the requirement for solenoids placement.
I even had one insurer mandate the external lead keel be bonded to the mast for lightning bonding. This despite TE-4 NOT being a
required standard. The insurer
claims that they have less hull damage on boats with a lightning ground. In this case your issue would be directly with the insurer as TE-4 is not even a
standard.
ABYC standards are voluntary at this point for recreational boaters, unless you have an inspected vessel, at which point a lot of the ABYC standards are Federal Law...
BTW if you want an inexpensive AC/DC panel the Blue Sea 8029 is a good deal. It has 1 branch circuit and 1 30A double pole main breaker. It also includes the reverse polarity circuit. The last one I sold to a customer was last year and I billed him $102.00 for it..... There are many thousands of boats in Canada that don't have ELCI main breakers and I am assuming most of these also have insurance. I worked on a transient boat just earlier in Aug that did not have an ELCI.
