Here is my two cents......following the "guru" deanc's constant advice.....,
Reading the "foreword" of ASME Sections I, IV and VIII you will find the following....
...............The Code Committee does not rule on whether a component shall or shall not be constructed to the provisions of the Code. The Scope of each Section has been established to identify the components and parameters considered by the Committee in formulating the Code rules.
Questions or issues regarding compliance of a specific component with the Code rules are to be directed to the ASME Certificate Holder (Manufacturer).
Inquiries concerning the interpretation of the Code are to be directed to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Committee. ASME is to be notified should questions arise concerning improper use of an ASME Code symbol.
So in effect, leave it to the Manufacturer and their AIA of record.
When reading the ASME Codes and Standards policy CSP-33.....Found Here...,
....."interpretations shall not revise existing requirements or establish new requirements"......,So, even interpretations are subject to interpretation if and when there is an identified need for a correction or clarification where factors such as (a) public health, safety, and welfare significance, (b) need for an accompanying standard revision, (c) elapsed time since publication of the interpretation, and (d) impact on continued compliance with the standard.
Additionally, the following was in the "foreword" of Sections I and IV but was located in paragraph U-1(c)(1) of Section VIII-1
"....Laws or regulations issued by municipality, state, provincial, federal, or other enforcement or regulatory bodies having jurisdiction at the location of an installation establish the mandatory applicability of the Code rules, in whole or in part, within their jurisdiction. Those laws or regulations may require the use of this Code for vessels or components not considered to be within its Scope or may establish additions or deletions in that Scope. Accordingly, inquiries regarding such laws or regulations are to be directed to the issuing enforcement or regulatory body......"
This should help make it simple for everyone!!
By the way, I agree with everyone here.....
There are three kinds of people in this world; those who can count and those who can't.