WARNING: Gas Station Safety

[Verdandi]

According to the Petroleum Equipment Institute, there is a danger of static electricity igniting the gas when you're filling your tank at a gas station. To prevent this from happening, you should never get back into your car while filling up, and you should always touch your car with your bare skin before touching the nozzle of the pump. The problem is caused by static electricity between yourself and the nozzle igniting the gas fumes when you touch the nozzle. Touching the car first grounds yourself, removing the static electricity. It takes no time at all and can prevent serious injury or even death. Please spread the word!

For more details, see the PEI website warning about it here: http://www.pei.org/static/index.htm

Some folks may have already received an email that's going around about this. While the danger is real, some of the details in some of the versions of the email are not accurate, according to the link above, which appears to belong to a reputable organization. According to them, neither any particular footwear nor use of cell phones increases your risk of this type of fire.

[Aiero]

Staying in contact with vehicle while getting the gas nozzle and returning it to the pump is a good idea also. To me it is second nature, I deal with the testing of highly flammable material on a daily basis at work.

Placing gasoline in a plastic gas container can also be dangerous as the plastic container may have a static charge built up and as gas hits the plastic *poof* it ignites the fumes, once again just by touching the gas container reduces the chances of autoignition. Plastic picks up static charge very easily. :shock:

Remember shuffling your feet also causes static charge build up so pick those feet up off the ground as you go to pick up that gas nozzle or touching the vehicle beforehand didn't do you any good.


I finally broke me down and posted, I've been reading the boards for years. Thanks Denmom, House Ogre, and mods for making it a pleasure to visit regularly.

[Aandaie]

In normal use, it should never happen whether you touch the car or not:


http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blgas-static-fires2.htm

"The Petroleum Equipment Institute recommends the following simple precautions to avoid causing static fires while refueling:

1. Always turn off the engine.
2. Don't smoke near gas pumps.
3. Never re-enter your vehicle while refueling. "



I've also seen those on about every gas pump at every station.

The touching your car thing is only needed, it seems, if you are breaking
the rule of not going back in the car.



http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.php

"For those who feel the possibility of static-caused fires warrants caution at the gas pumps, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission offers the following tips:

Tips for safe refueling:

Stay near your vehicle's fueling point when using a self-serve station.

Do not go back into your vehicle when refueling, regardless of whether you use the nozzle's hold-open latch.

If you must re-enter your vehicle while refueling, discharge the static electricity by touching a metal part of the outside of your car away from the filling point before touching and removing the gas nozzle.

Always turn your engine off before refueling.

Never smoke, light matches or use a lighter while refueling. "




For example, all 14 such fires in Missouri were caused by the same thing:

http://www.mda.state.mo.us/press/PR011801.htm


"...Hooker said. In each case, the customers got out of their cars, placed the gasoline nozzle in the fuel tank, began fueling, and then got back into their vehicles. When the nozzle kicked off, the customers then exited their cars, reached for the gas nozzle, and released a static spark that ignited the fuel's flammable vapors.'



I can honestly say, In 20 years of driving I have never ONCE done that. I don't even know why, getting in the car was just something I knew not to do when fueling.

[Aoladari Raveynfyre]

They were listening to talk radio and just HAD to hear the next part!!

LoL

Seriously you do touch your car before fueling by opening the hatch (unless you have a hatch you can trigger inside the vehicle).

[Phabos]

The REALLY scary part is I still occasionally see idiots smoking at gas stations...

/e scared to death


Phabos
Drunken Paladin of Brell
(but not while driving)
Tarew Marr

[Krazick]

The other day I saw the sticker on the pump I was using stating these things. I had never seen it before, and thought it was new (reason I noticed it).

The sticker had a final note (paraphrasing a bit):

If fire starts, do not remove the nozzle and back away from the vehicle.

It struck me as poor wording. Better (in mind would be):

If fire starts, (1) DO NOT REMOVE the nozzle and (2) MOVE AWAY from the vehicle.

Or maybe just simply:

If fire starts, MOVE AWAY from the vehicle.

But in all the years I have been driving (and before), I have never seen or heard of a fire at a gas station (other than on the news and in movies).

[Delfontes]

I had a car that didn't like to start for a while...

So I didn't like to stop it once it was going, and refilled the gas tank on multiple occasions with the engine running.

I also have been in places that are COLD and gotten back in the car, and heater, when fueling.

I don't smoke, so I haven't done that...

I am almost certain more than a few dozen people, especially in very cold places, have gotten back in their cars.

Even adding to the risk factor significantly these are very freak accidents.

Edit: Do you know what happens if you toss a lit cigarette into a puddle of gasoline and you don't happen to be in a movie?

The cigarette goes out.

[Verdandi]

True, it's definitely rare or we'd have heard a lot more about it. But the existing victims probably don't feel much better for knowing that. You don't have to choose to take this advice, but I think it's worth at least raising awareness for those who will choose to take it.

[Delfontes]

Yah, it is something that does happen, and it is nice to take precautions.

I just don't want everyone afraid that their car is going to explode everytime they refuel...

/apo

[Verdandi]

/hug Delfontes

[Mebaslea]

no using cell phones either

Also to add, cell phones also add fuel ignite a fire (pun intended), due to the static electricity they give off. So no more using cell phones or other equipment like that at the pump. I work as a Fire Fighter and have seen the results first hand. I come across people every day that have never heard this piece of advice, so spread the news.

I don't want to encourage those who decide to fill up to go back and sit in their cars but if you choose to, do this. When you get out of the car, touch the door handle of your vehicle before you take the nozzle out, hence if you picked up static electricity when you got in our out of your car, you removed it when you touched your door.

[Delfontes]

In the top link:

An e-mail is circulating that did not originate from PEI or API.
Remarks regarding cellular phones, victim gender and footwear are inaccurate. Only refueling fires that appear to be started by static electrical discharge are detailed in our report. It does not pertain to cellular telephones. In fact PEI has never been able to document a single refueling incident caused by a cell phone.

Really, I mean really, have you ever been shocked by your cell phone? Mine does get a little hot at times, but c'mon, there are no sparks caused by it.

There is documentation in some company's handbooks not to use their cell phones while fueling... but there has never been a documented case in which a cell phone was proved to have caused a pump fire, and believe me, I searched before I posted.

[Lilosh]

Re: no using cell phones either

Delfontes:

Also to add, cell phones also add fuel ignite a fire (pun intended), due to the static electricity they give off. So no more using cell phones or other equipment like that at the pump. I work as a Fire Fighter and have seen the results first hand.

I'll take his word for it. But I wont live in fear due to it either.


-Lilosh

[Delfontes]

Lilosh works for printer tech support...

If he told me that my printer might explode if I print a bad page... I'd still not believe him.

Show me the newspaper report where they show the guy with the burning cell phone still to his ear (complete with photo you shot before putting out the fire) and I'll grant you that you've seen it.

Don't mind me though, I'm an athiest, I tend to only believe things that actually have evidence that is unquestionable.

[Morani]

Mebaslea, I too was going to site what Delfontes did and then ask for your side. What have you seen/experienced?

Delfontes, biological science is my life. From that perspective, I can assure you that there is NO SUCH THING as "unquestionable evidence." Yes, there are a lot of things that are a good bet that they are true but everything in science is "the best working theory" we have. That's why we still call Newton’s "discovery" the "Theory of Gravity". Those things we call laws of science are the best models we can come up with under PERFECT circumstances (I.E. a fictional environment). You gotta go out on a limb and have faith in some things or your whole world is a great big question mark.