Plastic Gas containers and Plastic liners in Pickups?

[CobyRupert]

Interesting replies.
Bed liners are a great source of static charge buildup. (BTW: Anybody ever take their kid to those vinyl/plastic playground slides on a sunny day? They really should be grounded as the shocks can be really nasty)

Interesting comments about having ground straps for cans, or grounding wires in the nozzle hose. To me that makes sense only if the place your making the final connection to ground, where the spark will jump, is away from the fumes. Was surprised to hear hoses are conductive, but I guess they are. To me it seems like you wouldn’t want a grounded nozzle that a highly charged vehicle or plastic jug, bed liner, etc.. wants to jump (i.e. spark) to, because that’s where the fumes are .

The only thing I can find that prevents all of us blowing ourselves up when we touch the grounded nozzle to a statically charged vehicle is that the fuel to air ratio is too rich at the car’s tank neck. That’s unsettling.
Or most vehicles discharge themselves through the tires so there’s no potential difference with a grounded nozzle?

In reality, most cases occur when the static spark source is the person themselves. They went back into their car while pumping, wiggled in the seat getting in and out, during dry weather, then come out and touch the nozzle (spark) with fumes nearby.

 

[ovrszd]

Those that are simply too lazy? Probably little to none.

Those that may not be able to due to strength or disability? Probably at least some.

How are they going to empty the jug into their tractor?

 

[tguy]

Don't we have an automotive/electronic engineer on board?

 

[Grumpycat]

Sometimes I'll need to fill seven 5-gal diesel containers during one trip to the station. I agree with tguy that it's no fun humping them back into the truck, but there's no way I'll risk trying to fill them in place. :no:

Diesel is not the spark risk that gasoline is.

You can legally mount a transfer tank in your truck bed for diesel, but to do the same for gasoline is much more difficult to stay within code.

 

[Grumpycat]

The tires are conductive to ground due to the carbon content.

Yes. Once in my youth I was very surprised to place a trailer behind the car, not hitched, and was able to illuminate the trailer brake lights with a single 12V wire from the car. Barely lit. No obvious return path, only through the trailer tires, concrete driveway, then car tires. Previously thought impossible.

 

[Industrial Toys]

This truly is the first place I have ever heard of this Carbon in the tires creating a ground. As a kid, I remember seeing many vehicles having the aftermarket strap dragging on the pavement to disipate static.

Just ordered my fuel delivery. Anybody else stocking up on account of the Iran matter?

 

[cqaigy2]

Getting old and trying to reduce "accidents." Reading the WARNING label on the pickup liner cautioning that static electrixity could build in the container and cause an explosion.
Is this a real hazard? I hate taking the containers (plastic and metal) out of the truck and filling then having to pickup and put back in!
Is there a way to ground the truck/bed-liner to make this a safe practice???

I know what you mean about picking full 5 gal cans off the ground and back into the pickup. When i go to Costco, they have these large concrete bollards in front of the pump island and i put may cans on those. They're a few feet above ground.

 

[ovrszd]

Just ordered my fuel delivery. Anybody else stocking up on account of the Iran matter?

Doing your part to raise the price eh??

 

[Industrial Toys]

Maybe. But there is usually a lag in the price of delivered fuel as opposed to the pumps where it already rises in anticipation of some problem.

 

[ovrszd]

Maybe. But there is usually a lag in the price of delivered fuel as opposed to the pumps where it already rises in anticipation of some problem.

I can't tell you within .25 cents what fuel costs here. I'd never consider making a trip to town to buy fuel before it goes up a couple cents. Or driving a longer distance to get it from a fuel station that is a couple cents cheaper. I've never understood that.