Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 08:56:21 -0600
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: sdurrant@MosbyCH1.com (Scott Durrant)
Subject: Re: Dead ly Serious Fun with Gasoline
Yeah, I heard about this too. A capacitor is the separation of two
conductors by an insulator. Hmmm ... let's see:
A steel truck
A bedliner
A steel gas can
yep, that works.
I'm thinking even a plastic gas can could be disastrous if the pump isn't
grounded just right. What are those gas pump handles made of?
----------
> From: Jeff Carver <CARVER_JEFFREY@aphub.aerojetpd.com>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu>
> Subject: Dead ly Serious Fun with Gasoline
> Date: Tuesday, June 17, 1997 8:09 AM
>
> Been catching up on the weekend posts. Took me until Tuesday!
>
> On the subject of gasoline, I saw a notice at one of my local gas
> stations that, while not of much direct VW interest, it may be for
> those with malfunctioning gas guages, odometers, forgetfull, etc.
> (you know, those situations that require getting additional gasoline
> into you stranded vehicle, not that I"VE ever had this problem =8-0
>
> There is a real potential for fires caused by filling gas cans while
> tha cans are in a plastic bed liner in a truck (I suppose the same
> could be true for those newer plastic station wagon liners too).
>
> Apparently the plastic bed liner can attain a sufficient static
> electrical potential that the act of filling a gas can placed on the
> plastic liner can initiate a spark, and boom, gas fire.
>
> DO NOT FILL GAS CANS IN THE BED OF A TRUCK WITH A
> PLASTIC BED LINER
>
> According to the article (no reference to source unfortunately)
> 23 people have died or been maimed as a direct result of doing this.
>
> For those who may think this is a hoax, I firmly believe that the
> scientific reasoning behind this situation is believeable, and it
> can't hurt to fill the can on the ground. Better safe than sorry.
>
> - Jeff
> While it may not be a loss to the VW world to lose a few non-VW
> trucks, it would be a shame to lose a VW owner in the process ;-) or
> a neighboring VW at the gas station!
|