IgNoRaNt

[BradSmith]

Can Cell Phones Cause Explosions at Gas Pumps?

This is one on cellphones and gas stations. It doesn't seem likely that any gas station has blown up becuase someone was on a cell phone. But if the cell phone companies put out warnings it might just be better to listen.

Do you know how low the odds of winning the Powerball Lottery are? Yet people pay for the tickets. So I would suggest that you don't buy a ticket that might even remotely have a chance of ending with your death or the death of others.

 

[Drozd]

Can Cell Phones Cause Explosions at Gas Pumps?

This is one on cellphones and gas stations. It doesn't seem likely that any gas station has blown up becuase someone was on a cell phone. But if the cell phone companies put out warnings it might just be better to listen.

Do you know how low the odds of winning the Powerball Lottery are? Yet people pay for the tickets. So I would suggest that you don't buy a ticket that might even remotely have a chance of ending with your death or the death of others.

there's got to be a point though at which the chances are so rediciously remote that it becomes a non issue...

the mythbusters tackled this myth along with the stactic electricity part of getting in and out of your car to touch off an explosion...
the cell phone part was busted...as was the static electricity part was too...as the length they had to go to to get a reaction was well outside the realm of probability...

I mean come on a meteor fell once and the metiorite struck and killed a dog...should we never let them go outside for fear of them being struck and killed by metiorites..

the problem is we live in an overly litigious society and have to cater to the lowest common denominator, and therefore have to put all sorts of warning labels on things that don't really need them because there is THAT idiot out there...I mean really...seriously...do we really need a warning label on hair dryers that instruct people to not use them in the shower....or warning labels on coffee cups that the coffee is hot?

 

[BradSmith]

there's got to be a point though at which the chances are so rediciously remote that it becomes a non issue...

the mythbusters tackled this myth along with the stactic electricity part of getting in and out of your car to touch off an explosion...
the cell phone part was busted...as was the static electricity part was too...as the length they had to go to to get a reaction was well outside the realm of probability...

I mean come on a meteor fell once and the metiorite struck and killed a dog...should we never let them go outside for fear of them being struck and killed by metiorites..

the problem is we live in an overly litigious society and have to cater to the lowest common denominator, and therefore have to put all sorts of warning labels on things that don't really need them because there is THAT idiot out there...I mean really...seriously...do we really need a warning label on hair dryers that instruct people to not use them in the shower....or warning labels on coffee cups that the coffee is hot?

I hear you I really do. I don't think it is much of a chance at all. In fact I am 100% sure that you're more likely to get in an accident and die on your way to the gas station rather than starting an explosion with an e-cig. Or, for that mattery dying by having a hair dryer fall into the tub with you. They have actually shown that there are only a couple of things that would take you out if dropped in a tub. I think an Iron was one of them. A toaster didn't work.

There is however something else to consider, if there are warnings about things like cell phones or smoking or whatever isn't it likely that insurance plays a part?

 

[Drozd]

I hear you I really do. I don't think it is much of a chance at all. In fact I am 100% sure that you're more likely to get in an accident and die on your way to the gas station rather than starting an explosion with an e-cig. Or, for that mattery dying by having a hair dryer fall into the tub with you. They have actually shown that there are only a couple of things that would take you out if dropped in a tub. I think an Iron was one of them. A toaster didn't work.

There is however something else to consider, if there are warnings about things like cell phones or smoking or whatever isn't it likely that insurance plays a part?

yeah most of those appliances now have an internal fuse...and then the requirement of a GFI style plug in the bathroom now (well within 5 feet of a water source really)...so you'd have to be using an extremely old appliance on a non protected circuit (ie, extension cords out to a non GFI outlet and an outlet that's on a breaker that's way over amped for that matter)...

insurance might play a part too since they like to get their hands into everything...but I think it's more likely a put a warning label on everything so the sue happy crowd can't sue senario..

 

[muttSRT]

Regardless if a cell phone, static electricity, a cigarette, e-cig or car muffler etc etc etc will or will not start a fire or cause a fire is not the issue. The issue is there are signs posted and rules to follow. I agree with Brad when he says thats insurance plays a part in it. Debating over whether or not it can or can not start a fire is kind of pointless.

Me personally, I am more worried if a tire/wheel coming off of a passing truck will run me over at the pump and not so much about starting a fire:
YouTube - gas stations are dangerous!

 

[BradSmith]

Regardless if a cell phone, static electricity, a cigarette, e-cig or car muffler etc etc etc will or will not start a fire or cause a fire is not the issue. The issue is there are signs posted and rules to follow. I agree with Brad when he says thats insurance plays a part in it. Debating over whether or not it can or can not start a fire is kind of pointless.

Me personally, I am more worried if a tire/wheel coming off of a passing truck will run me over at the pump and not so much about starting a fire:

Man that is nuts. I was merging onto highway 101 by Marina Ca. and a truck tossed a tire. It bounced over one car then across the divider and right into the window of an oncoming car that was probably doing around 65 mph. Not cool at all.

What really scares me is drivers who don't pay attention. My cousin Tracy and her husband got creamed on their softail by someone who blew off a stop light. Thay had three little boys and it was the saddest funeral I have ever seen. She was the sweetest person you would ever meet. I think our whole town mourned for a year at least.

 

[jfdpl686]

I am sorry but this nonsense has to stop. Smoking, open flames, or ANY ignition source can cause a fire.
I said previously about the danger of misinformation online and we have to add TV. I don’t care what those mythbusters do or say; they are not experts and they do not research properly. The false sense of security “because it’s not common” has to be addressed.
Yes, it is true, it is not common, but it does not mean it is impossible! Just because a video or a couple of bozos say it, it does not mean it is very dangerous.
NFPA – National Fire Protection Association- is an agency researching fire issues and safety since a long time. Most codes around the world trust them to write and base the fire codes on their finding.
“A man was pumping gas at a station just outside Spartanburg, SC. He grabbed the nozzle and felt a shock. The spark ignited nearby gasoline vapors and caused his truck to become involved. His year-old daughter, was buckled inside his truck that was on fire. The man and his daughter escaped without harm, but his truck and a portion of the gas station were destroyed”

I trut this information and not those bozos playing stupid stunts. There have been victims in fires at gas stations; dead people! Ask their families about their feelings of people paying stupid stunts in gas stations.

http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/Research/FireSafetyVehicles.pdf

Yes, insurance companies; better said, underwriters play a factor. And again, they have their own research groups doing this for a long time. Some of them are way more strict than NFPA suggestions, like Factory Mutual (FM Global is their research group) which is known to boost between 3 to 5 times NFPA requirements.

Please, don’t spread false sense of security encouraging people to do this kind of actions.

 

[voltaire]

Static is in a whole other ballpark as far as risk goes. The static risk is a very real one, specially if you wear a fuzzy sweater, play around with it, and get in and out of your car on a cold dry day:
YouTube - Gas Station Fire, Static Electricity Starts a Flash Fire.

The getting back in your car while the gas is pumping is a huge risk factor, and it's unfortunately something that is done much more often when it's cold and dry outside, which is exactly when you SHOULD NOT do it!:
YouTube - Gas Pump Static Electricity Fire

And another:
YouTube - Static Electricity Gas Explosion at Gas Pump

Do not fill a gas can in the back of a truck!!:
YouTube - Gas Pump Explosion Caused by Static Electricity

And another:
YouTube - Fire at the Gas Station

Cellphone almost surely falsely blamed instead of much more probable culprit, simple static electricity:
YouTube - A cell phone and static electricity

Unrelated, but most dramatic. Don't check the fuel level in a gas tanker truck with a lighter!!! This one also says it was caused by a cellphone but that is just flat wrong. (I'm guessing he was a rookie just judging by how he drove, let alone the use of a lighter. I hope he wasn't burned too badly) -
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
YouTube - Phone call causes fire at gas station

 

[zoiDman]

You have to say one thing about the first video, The girl did exactly what she was supposed to do once the fire started.

She removed the gas pump, put it away from the car and ran. Smart girl.

Also notice, it looked like she was wearing gloves or mittens. When you get out of your car and start rubbing your wool sweater, your going to build up static electricty.

Had she touched something metal with her bare hand, she would have grounded herself.

 

[firefox335]

Interesting thread. I almost vaped while filling up th other day. Then I thought... naahhh. I remembered that it's been said that people shouldn't use cell phones while filling up, so I decided against it. I know the probability of ignighting gasoline fumes by vaping or using a cell phone is probably very slim, but I think I can go a few minutes without vaping to fill up my car. I won't do it and I think that people who do are either majorly addicted or are just being obnoxious.

 

[Reign]

You have to say one thing about the first video, The girl did exactly what she was supposed to do once the fire started.

She removed the gas pump, put it away from the car and ran. Smart girl.

Also notice, it looked like she was wearing gloves or mittens. When you get out of your car and start rubbing your wool sweater, your going to build up static electricty.

Had she touched something metal with her bare hand, she would have grounded herself.

Actually, thats not entirely correct. You want to leave the nozzle in your vehicle as to keep the liquid fuel from squirting. Typically there are emergency shutoff buttons on the pumps at the stations. Otherwise, you can lift the lever on the pump to shut off the fuel.

Reaching for that nozzle is what causes alot of injuries when these fires happen. That girl just got lucky that she clicked the handle off as soon as she touched the nozzle.

Another thing, is the locking mechanism that can lock the fueling handle in the open position creates these opportunities. Nearly all of these situations would have been avoided had the drivers held the handle down during the entire fueling of their cars. Laziness will get you everytime.

 

[BradSmith]

OT kind of, but my friend who owns a gas station now has about a dozen various e-cigs that are sitting in his lost and found. People set them on or near the gas pump and forget them. On a plus side it made him curious enough to ask me what model he should carry in his station. His brother also owns a liquor store in town. I went to school with these guys and they are a trip. The liquor store is carrying 510's and all the extras plus liquids. The gas station is carrying 808's and everything to go with them. They talk trash about each other all the time and put down their choice of liquids and models etc. But it's really just good business for both of them. They have a blast and it has been great for both of them. Because they are carrying good models they are bringing in customers from a bunch of the towns in the area.

 

[jayquik03]

I'm confused this is a grown man that did this? I can't see the original \/id but I see a guy named smokie doing "dares" and if he's the one that did this, wow.

 

[quakereject]

Lol.. round here we tend to throw all logic and laws of physics out the window don't you know...was it a rude and tacky stunt to pull?....probably.... was it dangerous...not even remotely....

I know you don't, at the very least. This is a large forum, however.

Of course, this was more in response to the idiotic drama brought over by little hall monitors hanging out and reporting back like good little fan boys, whilst compiling lies and such on top of it from elsewhere.