"Non-aromatic" fuel

[3930dave]

You're welcome Beefer.

I know a wizard class high voltage electronic designer - as he puts it "Eventually (meaning high enough voltage), everything is a conductor".

It's all relative..... with a live cable on a car, the human body is a way better conductor than 4 tires - staying in the car is critical. Electricity loves the path of least resistance.

I saw a tidy tank in the back of a township pickup near home recently - it did have a grounding wire w. big alligator clip attached to the tank, with instructions. This issue has been long known (engineering wise), just not commonly understood.

Years back (before rolling resistance was as critical) I remember bad batches of tires that were known for creating a lot of static. It was common to see people add the flourescent grounding straps to the metal bumper, to drag behind the car. I think those straps are still around, but with better tire formulations, aren't needed as much. Hard to find a car with a metal bumper now too !

Rgds, D.

 

[BeeferMan]

It's all relative..... with a live cable on a car, the human body is a way better conductor than 4 tires - staying in the car is critical. Electricity loves the path of least resistance.

This is very true, it's always a bummer when the human body becomes a conductor for high voltage. But it's important to also realize that you don't have to touch the ground and the car at once to be in danger - if you were to climb outside the car and stand on the hood you'd also be in danger as now you are the most external part of the charged vehicle - you will become charged to the same potential as the outside of the vehicle. You are only fully protected if you stay *inside* the vehicle.

 

[dougtrr2]

If we are so concerned about static electricity then why do they not shut down gas stations during thunderstorms. Heaven forbid I slide across a seat, leave a gas can in the car, or use my cell phone while fueling. But no questions asked about fueling in the middle of a lightning storm. Kind of makes you stop and think doesn't it.

When I was a teenager I ran marine/white gas in my little speed boat once. It went like **** for a while and then the engine seized up. You could even pull it over with the rope. As it drifted down river it would cool down and then we could restart it and run like the dickens again until it seized. After about the third or fourth time we noticed the warning that said NOT to use white/marine gas.

Take Care,
Doug in SW IA

 

[Scooby074]

Lightening storms are not the same issue, unless perhaps you are struck in the head while in the process of filling.

The mere act of moving fuel generates static, in the area of the fuel and its vapours. Exactly where you dont want it.

At work we had some pretty flammable solvents. Bonding of storage barrels, pumps and receiving cans was absolutely mandatory when transferring..

 

[3930dave]

For the longest time, buried gasoline tanks at stations were metal. The start of that practice was long before my day, but I suspect they figured out pretty quickly that they better do something significant for lightning protection at gas stations. Modern tanks are now non-metal, but with all the associated piping, I expect there is still extensive lightning protection built into gas station design today.

All that said, if there were lightning bolts crashing down nearby, I'd put off re-fueling till things settled down. Lightning is just too unpredictable. I put that situation in the same category as eating junk food 3 meals a day, 365 days a year. We don't have laws against either behaviour (lightning+gas, non-stop junk), but mostly we'd agree that neither seem prudent.

A guy I worked with years ago had a couple of buddies killed by lightning standing in the middle of a farm field. They were visiting the farm, and stayed away from trees when the storm blew up. What they never knew was that where they were standing in the middle of the field was directly over top of a buried metal irrigation pipe.

There are unknowns that can cause you serious harm, or worse. Many people don't realize that you shouldn't fill a portable gas can while it is in/on a vehicle - that is a known risk - if a few more people understand that after reading this thread, then it's keyboard time well spent.

Rgds, D.

 

[timster2]

With all the new vehicles using plastic fuel tanks remember that the fuel gauge sending unit, fuel pump and associated fuel plumbing are grounded to the vehicle chassis. The fuel entering the tank is discharging static energy to the fuel and plumbing in the tank while fueling.

I have done a lot of educating on the subject of static especially when it comes to electronic components. I would pass a block of Styrofoam around then get my static meter out and show how just handling the Styrofoam packaging has generated several thousand volts of static. Now go and touch that electronic circuit board and discharge that energy into sensitive electronic components and you will have trouble. The trouble could be immediate or take a while to manifest itself but damage was done. There is good reason electronic circuit boards are wrapped in static bags.

 

[3930dave]

In high Winter salt use (or ocean shore) environments, it is a good idea to check the ground strap on the fuel filler tube. Corrosion is bad enough here, that I've seen these straps rotted right off.

Rgds, D.

 

[Scooby074]

In high Winter salt use (or ocean shore) environments, it is a good idea to check the ground strap on the fuel filler tube. Corrosion is bad enough here, that I've seen these straps rotted right off.

Rgds, D.

Ford just had a recall on them about a year ago. My f150 had new straps put on under it. Trucks were dropping tanks on the road because ford didnt apply proper corrosion protection on the tank straps.