Thread: I thought....................

Originally Posted by 4bee

"Next time take the can out & fill it on the ground". "Huh", sez me. "It's all open & I thought the hose is earthed". He ignored that one & went on about static electricity yada yada yada.

He didn't tell me while I was doing it & there are no signs re this. Use of Mobys, yes, but not filling JCs.

Anyone know if he was talking bollocks or the truth?

I know this is a cold thread, 4bee, but I knew a guy who burned his Rangie to the ground doing just that - tailgate down, jerry's in the back. It's because the nozzle IS earthed that you can get a spark from the unearthed can. I've always fill mine, plastic or petrol, on the ground. Static builds from the movement of the vehicle, same as generating lightning in a cloud.

I think steel spikes in the forecourt might be overkill. Perhaps if you just drive a tent peg through the bottom of the jerry every time, that would be enough?

I wont repeat it but they do need to be on the ground and as Zook said its good practice to touch the car before you fill to earth the car. The biggest cause of petrol station fires is women because (when you could) they put the clip on so you dont need to hold the nozzle whilst filling and then go back to the car and sit in it the seat covers and the synthetic clothing they are wearing generates static then when they go back to take the nozzle out the static dishcarges and ignites the vapours. There is actually a video of exactly this happening at a servo in the US.

Mythbusters did test this sort of, they at first busted the myth that mobile phones can start a fire, they cant, but they then looked at what might do it that makes people think it was a phone and static was it.

The whole fear of jerry cans being filled on the ground due in part to the Rhino plastic ute liners many farm utes have, a big plastic surface like that generates a lot of static which is highly dangerous. I know of a few servos that wont let farmers fill up 44 gallon drums which are secured in the back of a ute with a plastic tub liner because of this. Matt