Ok, I was reading the other "gas" thread, and people indicated that they took their keys out of the ignition while they pumped their fuel so their car wouldn't catch on fire and explode.
I am here to dispel that myth. The chances of that happening are so slim, you'd be better off worrying about leaving your keys in if you do something silly like go in to pay...someone will steal your car. You'd be better off worrying about someone snatching your purse from the seat while you're outside of the car, also.
Fuel has a certain flash point, which is different for all types - there has to be a specific condition of vapors, oxygen, and an ignition source. Given that many gas stations have some sort of vapor control system in place, the only place you could really have any trouble is if there was a huge fuel spill. Even then, NOT likely.
This sounds really funny, but my first Army school was to be a petroleum supply specialist, and we definitely learned about all sorts of funny things like this for 12 weeks. Don't worry about your car, it won't blow up. Gas stations are more worried that if you don't go through with the motions of turning off your car and removing the key, people that are not very smart may also leave their car in drive while fueling, or will leave without removing the fuel nozzle from their tank. They AREN'T worried about your car exploding.
We've refueled Army vehicles while their engines were running, it's totally fine.
Actually, my main source of expertise is fueling helicopters, and the rotor blades create a much greater amount of static electricity than our civilian cars do, and can be dangerous - however, we still have what are called 'hot refuel' operations, which involve refueling the aircraft while it is still running, rotor blades rotating and all. It is still very safe to do, and the chances of anything happening are in the 0.04% range.
So rest easy, if you feel like listening to the radio while you fuel your car, do so.
I know this sort of thing is a habit that you develop while you first learn to drive, so me telling you it's safe to do so, won't make you change the way you remove your car keys before fueling your vehicle. Just trying to help all of you rest your minds on this matter! So don't worry!!!
I am here to dispel that myth. The chances of that happening are so slim, you'd be better off worrying about leaving your keys in if you do something silly like go in to pay...someone will steal your car. You'd be better off worrying about someone snatching your purse from the seat while you're outside of the car, also.
Fuel has a certain flash point, which is different for all types - there has to be a specific condition of vapors, oxygen, and an ignition source. Given that many gas stations have some sort of vapor control system in place, the only place you could really have any trouble is if there was a huge fuel spill. Even then, NOT likely.
This sounds really funny, but my first Army school was to be a petroleum supply specialist, and we definitely learned about all sorts of funny things like this for 12 weeks. Don't worry about your car, it won't blow up. Gas stations are more worried that if you don't go through with the motions of turning off your car and removing the key, people that are not very smart may also leave their car in drive while fueling, or will leave without removing the fuel nozzle from their tank. They AREN'T worried about your car exploding.
We've refueled Army vehicles while their engines were running, it's totally fine.
Actually, my main source of expertise is fueling helicopters, and the rotor blades create a much greater amount of static electricity than our civilian cars do, and can be dangerous - however, we still have what are called 'hot refuel' operations, which involve refueling the aircraft while it is still running, rotor blades rotating and all. It is still very safe to do, and the chances of anything happening are in the 0.04% range.
So rest easy, if you feel like listening to the radio while you fuel your car, do so.
I know this sort of thing is a habit that you develop while you first learn to drive, so me telling you it's safe to do so, won't make you change the way you remove your car keys before fueling your vehicle. Just trying to help all of you rest your minds on this matter! So don't worry!!!