Static electricity at the pump

[telcoman]

I kind of wondered why some pumps forced one to hold the handle the entire time while filling up.

Static electricity from returning to the vehicle & sliding across a seat and returning to the pump can result in blowing up the pump.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07....html

Telcoman

[TeflonG35]

Wasn't this on myth busters?

[Slider4105]

Yeah, if you just touch the car door or the pump or something metal you'll dissipate your static charge. It's a problem if you build up a charge and then poke around the filler neck cuz you'll set off the fumes.

[smockers83]

I've never heard of stations requiring you to hold the nozzle the whole time, but here in MI a lot of them have signage that say don't get back into your vehicle while filling up, that the customer must remain at the pump.

[Jacko3]

Interesting! In the cold, I tend to discharge all the static electricty flowing on me by touching my car numerous times to ensure all of it is discharge before I even touch the fuel pump. And even when I touch anything after leaving my car, I have to discharge any potential static electricity once more.

The other issue which many people are becoming more oblivious too, is the use of cellphones at gas stations. cell phones can start fires at gas stations, and yet I see tons of people using them while pumping gas. Maybe this is a myth. But i do know many years ago, there was serious warning about using cell phones at the pump.

[smockers83]

Cell phones and pumping gas is a myth. Although popping popcorn with cellphones is not a myth.

[awdjdmtalon]

Mythbusters busted the cellphone usage while pumping. Not to say that it is 100%. But they are pretty indepth w/ thier confirming/busting.

Static electricity can be a problem in the colder reigins of the country. But at the same time there has to be the proper level of fumes to oxygen for a spark to ignite the vapors. It has to be between the LEL and UEL. That is the lower explosive level and the upper explosive level. Any higher or lower than that, and nothing will happen. I learned this in my Firefighter 1 class years ago.

[pippen99]

It's less a worry about staic electricity than about the nozzle's auto shut off mechanism malfunctioning. You have some yahoo set the nozzle on auto and then go into the convenience store and take 10 minutes to get a coffee and a danish, meanwhile the auto shutoff fails and pumps 30 gallon of very flammable liquid down the side of the car on onto the ground. This is definitely not cool considering the temp of catalytic converters and the occasional idiot who just has to get those last two puffs of his cigarette.

[zozoka1212]

Yes, It is not a myth. It happened numerous times. Here is one on tape.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=b3x-8tj49ac

As it mentioned before. Not to go back to your car. She was wearing a polyester top maybe it was leather iterior. You can see she was trying to fix her dress. Polyester and any other "plastic" hove tendency to charge you up. We used to play with that in school. We used to ask our moms to get the "favorite" top. In the school we had a message bord made from wood and had a clear coat on it. We grabbed the long sleeve and rapidly rubbed it to the board back and forth few times. More you do it the more you get charged up. After you go to your bud(keep holding your long sleeve) and get your finger close to his ears and once you get about 1/2 inch away from his ears snap. Biga$$ sparkle.

It damn hurts too.

zozo

[rn79870]

I know that whenever I'd buy fuel for the Cessna they would always attach a grounding wire to the aircraft before fueling. But, a plane builds up more static elecetricity in flight than you would sliding across the seats.

[oldandslow]

I wouldnt worry about an explosion,unless Your running regular gas.Since premium burns slower,We will have time to get away!. 

[rn79870]

...Although popping popcorn with cellphones is not a myth.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/...n.htm

[smockers83]

^ Ughh

[Jacko3]

Rn79870:

That's true! A static discharger is always attached to an aircraft before it is refuelled, and aircraft fuel or Jet A1, is a lot less flamable than regular gasoline---some call it a more refined form of Kerosene which is used for cooking in some developing countries. I wonder why the same static precautions is not being used in automobiles.

[Jacko3]

Thats interesting! Now that more of the gasoline at the pump has up to 10 % ethanol in it, do you think that changes the LEL and UEL, so that ignition by a cell phone spark is more likely than not, as ethanol is a more volatile liquid than regular gasoline?

[smockers83]

No, cell phone ignition is so rare of an occurance that it is statistically insignificant and is essentially 0.

[Slider4105]

Chances of this happening are pretty low, just don't go walking around in a van in socks and then poke at a gas nozzle that's filling a car up.

[Jacko3]

Smockers:

How so? I have heard of a high school experiment where pop corn seeds are placed on a desk with two cell phones, then someone from one part of the school calls the two cellphones, only for the popcorns to actually pop as a result of the energy coming form the waves of the cellphones.

Don't you think this energy from cell phones could trigger a spark more easily with gasoline blended with ethanol?

[zozoka1212]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AcLS2WJERQ0

zozo

[smockers83]

Jacko, I thought so too as I saw various videos on YouTube, but check out rn's post with the link to truthorfiction.com.

Doing a little research, the low power transmitted by cell phones at .4 and 3 watts and at the frequencies used, just isn't enough to make ignition a concern, nor will it pop popcorn (microwaves operate around 2.5 GHz at hundreds of watts, cell phones operate between 800-900 MHz or 1.8-1.9 GHz)

[telcoman]

I wouldnt worry about an explosion,unless Your running regular gas.Since premium burns slower,We will have time to get away!. 

LOL

I still suspect that the use of regular provides better MPG

[Jacko3]

Smockers:

Thanks!