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Safe if you don't do anything stupid - like smoking Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Wed, 25 May 2005 06:47:47 In Reply to: Smoking and filling car: what to do?, Sam, Tue, 24 May 2005 18:54:59 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Yes, gasoline vapors ignite in only a small range of air-fuel mixture. Is it likely that those fumes will reach the cigarette at just the right mixture and ignite? No.
But how many times have you spilled some fuel pulling the filler out? In the unlikely event that somebody spills some fuel and then drops a cigarette, it would get nasty, fast.
Is it safe? Probably. Is it stupid? Yes - why take the chance.
The title comes from something my former boss once said. He installed an auxilary fuel tank in his VW bug (old style). One cold night he switched over to it, and some water had frozen at the take-off line. So he took out a road flare and used it to thaw the gas line. When I showed surpise, he said "It's perfectly safe, as long as you don't do anything stupid." Yes, he was right - with no air, the gas won't ignite. And the gasoline pulls the heat of the flare away quickly, so it shouldn't melt the line.
Shouldn't, probably, etc. Would you thaw a gas tank with a road flare?
Is is safe to smoke a cigarette while refueling? Mostly. But the downside is pretty far down. Fire of any kind and gasoline is bad.
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