Fuel Tanks and Fire

2door

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Guys,
This is a strange one but one that needs to be shared here because all of us, except our electric compadres have fuel tanks and gasoline to contend with.
An old firefighter buddy of mine, recently retired, knowing that I have motor bikes, called me and relayed a story he had read about in a firefighter newsletter he subscribes to.
A man was working on his motorcycle and had removed the gas cap. Presumably to keep dirt out and to keep the fumes in, he covered the hole with a strip of cellophane tape and when he was ready to put the cap back on he ripped the tape off and, apparently, there was a static spark that set off the vapors. He was not badly burned but his bike and garage were destroyed by the ensuing fire. The man was not smoking and there were no other ignition sources in the vicinity of the bike so static spark was ruled the culprit. It is not known if the tape or the man's hand generated the spark but with that in mind I plan to be a little more careful whenever I have the fuel tank open for any reason. This is probably one of those 1 in a million cases but still something to be aware of.
Tom
 
also guys dont have your cell phones in pockets or be using them while fueling this is good story tobe talking about because you will not here about these storiers unless you are in gas bus. or fireman etc. or envirmental work. TO everyone here at this site, your family is counting on you to safe! HAVE A SAFE TRICKER TREAT!!
 
i was thinking (luckily, just thinking) about fire the other day, when i installed a new clutch cable. my favorite method of making sure the end of the cable doesn't fray, is to put some heat shrink tubing on it.

with a lighter.

and it's right underneath the air filter.

the filter has a sponge filled with gas inside of it.

think about that the next time you're torch soldering or heat shrinking that cable end.

(i was also smoking at the time, since i had a lighter in my hand...)
 
Great post 2Door, good looking out :) Its also a habit of mine to never fuel my bike in the garage, or mix my gas in the garage as well. I always open the garage door go outside with my bike and gas can and do it there.
 
Rode with a bunch of bikers in the early 60s and one guy used to check his gas with a flash light. Worked great until his buddy stuck his head into the tank filler to take a look too.

Should have put the cigarette he had in his chops, out first. It was not pretty.

Steve.
 
Static can also ruin a computer however I cannot count the times (and I can count to ten) I have overlooked the need to be careful. A little reminder for us older types might be a good idea.
 
I've had have my frame wielded a couple of times . If the tank is full and there are no leaks than all should be good. As long as the tank is full there less vapor to ignite.
 
aquarianmonkey said:
I've had have my frame wielded a couple of times . If the tank is full and there are no leaks than all should be good. As long as the tank is full there less vapor to ignite.
Click to expand...
That is a myth. Be very very careful. Even with a full tank the vapors are present and can and will ignite. You've been lucky...don't push it. If you must weld on the bike remove the fuel tank and drain the carburetor.
Tom
 
I was changing a fuel pump in a Buick century for my neighbors sister and it was about 3/4 full and she wanted to see what the inside of the tank looked like after I pulled the pump out. When she leaned over she dropped her cigarette right inside the tank and nothing happened.

It did freak me out and I took a big jump back but all it did was put the cigarette out. But my friend Alex, like a idiot when we were out riding our quads he used his lighter to see how much fuel he had left in the tank and the thing lite up. He had flames shooting out of the tank and we smothered it to put it out..duh.
 
The conditions for combustion have to be right. Too much air, too much fuel or too little of either will prevent ignition (just like in our engines) but get the mixture right and you've got the makings of a bomb. A cigarette dropped into a fuel tank encounters a very rich mixture. Too much fuel and not enough air but hold it at just the right heigth away from the filler neck and at some point you'll find that sweet spot...guaranteed!
Tom
 
I was sitting on my 250 yamaha enduro fueling up and the shutoff didn't work on the pump...the thing was real hot like 100 degree day just got off the freeway. A big cloud of fumes came off the engine to witt I jumped off the thing. The guy inside watching me was laughing at me when I went in to pay...realy tested my religion. Never sat on my bike fueling after that one skerred me!
 
static cling wrap (reynolds wrap) made of cellophane

So the story isn't hard to believe.

I've heard of people putting ziplock bags over the carb and tank filler cap (cap on first like normal)
to reduce fumes in the house. I guess you are supposed to use rubber bands?

But can a ziplock bag trap fumes and cause static?

I think the best thing would be to just get a good petcock. Sick Bike parts has improved ones and I wish I had just bought it when I ordered other small parts.
 
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