Brass Fuel Line Fittings

[Mike Sibley]

I am installing new aluminum fuel tanks and am trying to identify a good source for a variety of fuel line Fittings. In searching the internet, I have found numerous suppliers of brass fittings at attractive prices. Even the local Lowes has some of the fittings I need at decent prices. Although they sure look the same as the ones at the local West Marine, I'm not sure if they all are appropriate for fuel lines in a marine environment. If the size is correct, are all brass hose barbs (and other common fittings) more or less created equal?

[Chief Engineer]

Spend the money and buy marine hose barbs....Lowes/Home Depot is all Chinese made. Parker makes good fittings (Same comapny that makes RACOR). There are Parker outlets all over.

[sundown]

Is brass to aluminum a good idea? I thought there was an electrolosis factor?

[Chief Engineer]

Not if is bonded and not wet...correct me if I am wrong

[anjou]

Two non ferrous materials together are ok, the problem occurs when you mix ferro and non ferro

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sundown

Is brass to aluminum a good idea? I thought there was an electrolosis factor?

Brass is a copper-based alloy, and CANNOT be connected directly to Aluminum.

Copper alloy fittings cannot be used in “direct” contact with Aluminum tanks. A 300-Series Stainless barrier must be provided between Aluminum tanks and Brass fittings and/or fuel lines.

Use an Aluminum 'barb" fitting to connect "A-1" rubber fuel hose to Aum. tank.

See also ABYC H-33, Diesel Fuel Systems

[Eleven]

Aluminium tank sounds like an aircraft thingy. Why? Go zinc plated steel, even stainless steel, and fit it fir the life of the boat.
Brass Auto-Brake pipe should be good enough but the cost of all this is small, and the loss of fuel at the wrong time too great.
And make it as big as fills the space nicely. You don't have to fill it right up all of the time. Provide an extra set of connections and add a car style filter and electric pump so you can recirc 'iffy' fuel and check the filter for water and dust/grit. Pipe tank connections to the low point or sump of the tank. Add a shallow baffle to trap the last pint in the sump/low point.
You'll only do it once so do it right.
Just had to do work on my tank and I'm not happy with what I put back.
Your local industrial parts supplier will have a wide range of pipe fittings and should have a look up table for 'marine diesel' rated components and they'll be cheaper than a walk in shop. Have fun. Don't forget the soap.

[Chief Engineer]

In any Marine supplier I go to...I am not talking West Marine...I am talking
Yards that have there own parts store.

Originally Posted by GordMay

Brass is a copper-based alloy, and CANNOT be connected directly to Aluminum.

Copper alloy fittings cannot be used in “direct” contact with Aluminum tanks. A 300-Series Stainless barrier must be provided between Aluminum tanks and Brass fittings and/or fuel lines.

Use an Aluminum 'barb" fitting to connect "A-1" rubber fuel hose to Aum. tank.

See also ABYC H-33, Diesel Fuel Systems

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

I have never seen an aluminum hose barb
In any Marine supplier I go to...I am not talking West Marine...I am talking
Yards that have there own parts store.

Here's one: http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/9797-3...m-moeller.html

[sundown]

Here is a link to an excerpt from "Boat Building With Aluminium" :
Boatbuilding with Aluminum - Google Books

Basically it says "don't connect brass to aluminum" and gives an illustration of one alternative method of connection.

[sundown]

one other thing I should suggest is if you are going to use a nipple as a conductivity break check it with a magnet: not all "stainless" is equal

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

I have never seen an aluminum hose barb
In any Marine supplier I go to...I am not talking West Marine...I am talking
Yards that have there own parts store.

You’ve got frequent to a better class of yard, Chief.

See ➥ http://bongo4u.com/sites/scepter_mar...ings_Tubes.pdf

Or Page 24 ➥ http://www.sceptermarine.com/sites/s...atalog_Low.pdf

Or ➥ Moeller Marine Online - Connectors

BTW: A stainless steel isolation nipple needn't be non-magnetic (though that's nice), just 300-series S/S.

[Blue Stocking]

All the fittings in Bluestocking's diesel fuel tank are aluminum.

[ZARYA]

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

Spend the money and buy marine hose barbs....Lowes/Home Depot is all Chinese made. Parker makes good fittings (Same comapny that makes RACOR). There are Parker outlets all over.

I bought 2 racor filters 500 ma do you know where I can buy the fittings
to connect those filters to a 5/16 fuel hose. I have searched all the marinas,automotive and hardware stores in my area with know success.
The port tread on the filter is 3/4 inch with 16 unf tread.The only thing I could find is always npt tread.

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by ZARYA

I bought 2 racor filters 500 ma do you know where I can buy the fittings
to connect those filters to a 5/16 fuel hose. I have searched all the marinas,automotive and hardware stores in my area with know success.
The port tread on the filter is 3/4 inch with 16 unf tread.The only thing I could find is always npt tread.

Racor makes a 3/4 unf to 3/8 NPT adapter (RAC-911-08-F6, I got mine from Hamilton Marine).