grounding fuel tank

[capt lar]

when we surveyed our new boat, one of the things that showed up on the surveyor's "to do" list was ground the fuel tank. we have a universal diesel. why would we worry about grounding ? capt. lar

[delmarrey]

When adding fuel to a tank the flow actually causes a static charge.
With diesels there's little chance of a fire but it's just a customary safety measure. You never know what fowl thing might burp up out of the ole tank. Like contaminated fuel, for instance.