Materials

• In the U.S., federal regulations 183.501 to 183.590 cover the manufacture, testing and positioning of installed gasoline engine tanks for boats. The manufacture of gasoline engines is commonly completed using aluminum and plastic for the shell of the tank. Other materials that can be used for producing tanks include steel and stainless steel. Federal regulations include the testing of gasoline tanks. Tests include the slosh test, pressure-impact testing and the static-pressure test. For use on boats a gasoline engine tank must be able to withstand a fire for at least two and a half minutes to pass required federal testing.
  
  

Automobiles

• The installation of gasoline engine tanks in automobiles requires the use of a charcoal canister since federal regulations were altered in 1970 to require their use for limiting hydrocarbon emissions into the atmosphere. Other federal regulations include the use of rollover protection devices that limit the ability of gasoline to spill from tanks in case of an accident. Cars equipped with catalytic converters have a smaller fuel inlet nozzle line that limits the ability to put leaded gasoline into the fuel tank.
  
  

Emergency

• Gasoline engine tanks can be installed within and outside buildings for use as emergency generators. The National Fire Protection Association provides guidelines, and states issue regulations regarding the installation of emergency generators. For example, fuel tanks stored within a building are limited to a maximum 25-gallon capacity within the state of Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Emergency generators stored outside a building are not limited to a size, although outdoor storage tanks of large capacity require permits for installation.
  
  

Boats

• Numerous regulations are in place regarding the installation and use of gasoline engine tanks within a boat or yacht. Gasoline engine tanks are not permitted to act as support structures for walls or decking and cannot be integral to the integrity of the hull of a boat. Tanks that are to be installed in the front portion of a boat are required to pass stringent testing different from the safety testing required of tanks installed in the rear portion of boats. Tanks are labeled for use in boats, including labeling that must be placed on a tank if it has passed static pressure testing.