New York Public Vessels Practice Test

Backfire flame arrestors are safety devices placed on carburetors to prevent a flame from traveling back into the carburetor and igniting fuel vapors. They’re required on gasoline inboard engines that use carburetors because those engines can backfire or flash back through the intake, posing a fire hazard to the vessel. Diesel engines don’t use carburetors, since they rely on compression ignition, so a BFA isn’t part of their safety setup. The rule described targets inboard gasoline engines with carburetors specifically, not every vessel with an engine or outboard engines in general.