Filling fuel cans on vehicle

[Bedlam]

Take a look at this video. Its hard to tell if she grabbed a smoke in the car and that caused the fire, or the static she produced with that sweater.
looks like she was lucky, and maybe made a new low temp cutting torch too.
YouTube - ....Atention woman driver !!!!

[MossRoad]

Originally Posted by Bedlam

Take a look at this video. Its hard to tell if she grabbed a smoke in the car and that caused the fire, or the static she produced with that sweater.
looks like she was lucky, and maybe made a new low temp cutting torch too.
YouTube - ....Atention woman driver !!!!

I have a conversion van with cloth seats. Each and every time I get out of it, as soon as my feet hit the ground, I get a huge wallop of static if my hand is on the metal door handle. If I do not touch any metal, and just get out, I can walk up to the metal posts that hold up the canopy over the pumps and get blasted. The action of sliding across the cloth seats charges me up. Guess is the same thing happened to her with that sweater.

What amazed me about that video is that it looked like she tried to blow it out, then shut off the nozzle and removed it from her car, then tried to beat it out on the ground. YIKES! RUNNNN!!!

[MossRoad]

Yep. Go back and watch the video. She goes back to the car, slides in and out on the seat, gets out of the car without touching anything and grabs the handle. POP!.

I believe there is a warning on all the gas pumps around here that tell you to touch your hand to metal before filling the tank and it also says to not get back into and out of the vehicle again without touching metal. How many folks do you think are ever taught that before they get their license?

[jimmer2880]

In my younger years, several of us had chain-smoked to our campfire location, carying a coffee can full of gas to light the fire. Unfortunately, none of us had a match, lighter, etc (You would have thought at least ONE of us smokers would have a light). We tried, unsuccessfully for a very long time trying to light that gasoline with already lit cig's. And yes, we even put a couple of them out in the gas.

I'm not saying it's impossible. However, I am saying that is very hard to use an already lit cigarette to ignite gas.

I believe its the spark, or open flame that makes it go boom.

[PaulChristenson]

Originally Posted by jimmer2880

In my younger years, several of us had chain-smoked to our campfire location, carying a coffee can full of gas to light the fire. Unfortunately, none of us had a match, lighter, etc (You would have thought at least ONE of us smokers would have a light). We tried, unsuccessfully for a very long time trying to light that gasoline with already lit cig's. And yes, we even put a couple of them out in the gas.

I'm not saying it's impossible. However, I am saying that is very hard to use an already lit cigarette to ignite gas.

I believe its the spark, or open flame that makes it go boom.

In Fire Fighting terms...it isn't the material that burns...ITS THE VAPORS...

[patrick_g]

Originally Posted by Wayne County Hose

I have a degree in electronics and know

Your comment about plastic fuel containers being spark safe or not a source of static sparks is NOT TRUE.

Dissimilar insulators can produce tremendously high voltages and resultant sparks capable of igniting gasoline vapors. Maybe your curriculum didn't cover static electricity generation much. Maybe it is too "old fashioned."

It has been well demonstrated that gasoline (a fair insulator) when flowing over plastic (gas can) generates a static charge. By law the metal gas nozzle is grounded BUT the gasoline being a fairly good insulator, insulates the gas can from the nozzle and so a sizable charge can build up on the can. It is possible for this charge to make a spark by jumping to the metal nozzle. The risk is reduced if the nozzle is kept in contact with the fuel can.

I make no claim that this is Consumers Guide check rated lethal first time every time but it can happen.

Even a dry desert wind just blowing over the car can charge the car with static electricity. The first contact of the nozzle to the car should not be the tip of the nozzle to the car's filler hole where a spark can cause ignition. If you are touching the grounded nozzle and with your other hand touch the car away from the open gas hole the charge will be dissipated. Alternatively you can touch the nozzle to the gas flap or other metal on the car before you remove the gas cap. Then insert the nozzle and keep metal to metal contact throughout the fueling.

When fueling a gasoline fueled aircraft the first thing the driver does when he gets out of the truck is to pull out the ground wire from the reel on the truck and get the ground in place. The nozzle is ALWAYS to be kept in contact with the aircraft during fueling to prevent a spark.

Sorry, if I was a bit shrill, B U T... Plastic gas cans in the truck bed, lined or not with a plastic liner or spray on or sitting on the ground can generate static sparks and need to be handled with caution. Just because they don't blow up or ignite first time every time doesn't mean they can't or won't.

There is no simple means of "grounding" a plastic can. An advantage of sitting the cans on the ground is that if there were a problem you could drive the vehicle away from it.

I use plastic cans. I fill them in the bed. I try to be careful with the nozzle to reduce risk. Maybe one day the makers of the cans will use additives in the plastic to promote conductivity so they won't build up a charge. Meanwhile...

Pat

[Egon]

Paul, didn't you fellows have a rag to dampen with gasoline and then pull a plug wire??? I hope you realize how lucky you all were!

The Hydrocarbon Industry gets all choked up about static electricity, plastic containers and grounding cables.

I think??? boat fuel tanks need some proper grounding before the fellow on the dock will fill them?? or is it before they can be certified??