26M fuel tank installation

[Mark Prouty]

I often just pull my 6 gallon Dura tanks far enough to fill em. I have one tank strapped just ahead of the engine that I have never removed to fill. Must be ok. I haven't blowed-up yet and the dock attendants never run away.

[ALX357]

just quoting lnfo on pumps at roadside gas stations...boat in water may be considered grounded, whereas on trailer....

[ALX357]

rub hand on non-conductive acrylic sweater in dry weather. then touch doorknob to get zapped. you just grounded the sweater, but at the wrong time -too late. but it would not have sparked if it (and you ) had been in contact with doorknob all along.

[DLT]

How do you "ground" an object made of insulative material?

[Mark Prouty]

I don't disagree that taking precautions such as keeping the nozzle in contact with the filler are good practice.

This is how I feel about it. Has anyone ever heard of a boat getting into trouble when filling portable tanks on the trailer or in the water? I've seen it happen with pickup trucks.

[DLT]

Yeah, don't get me wrong, take whatever precautions you feel are warranted...

I have absolutely no problem erring on the side of caution!

All fuels are dangerous stuff, even more so on a boat. So, please do be careful.

I'm just having a hard time seeing how one "grounds" plastic or fiberglass for that matter...

Of course, the surface of that plastic or fiberglass could be coated in a dirt (or other) film that might be "groundible"... Maybe that's what people have been alluding to, but I've been too dense to see it...

[Richard Lisch]

As in PR Honda only sells engines if they are installed by the dealer under Honda factory specs, they also do the gas plumbing which is included in their package.
They installed next to each 12 gal. tank a gas filter and water separator with individual sets of hoses all connected with Hasko quick connectors and prime bulb.
So the tank not in use has got the hose with bulb rolled up under the tank cover.
BTW I was told by the dealer that not using or bypassing the Honda set-up voids the included 3 year warranty.
Honda has the best reputation of all outboard brands here on the Island but is used mainly by commercial operators as their engine packages are quite pricy.
I am very happy with my Honda set-up. It's the third Honda I purchased.

[Frank C]

. . . implies the only safe way to fill fuel tanks on a Mac is to use small ones and take them out to sit on the ground or fuel dock.

Moe, your point is valid and the Petroleum Institute agreed with you. Their study, in fact, refuted that recommendation, pointing out that the plastic tank itself continues to insulate from ground any accumulated static charge, whether the tank is in a pickup, on a dock or on a concrete island. (Removing from the pickup at least somewhat protects the pickup). Hundreds of thousands of NON-events have convinced the public that there's no risk, so the public processes the warnings thru the "Q-Tip" filter ... "never insert a Q-tip directly into the ear canal" - right

Their study simply found that the risk is differently sourced (fuel flow into the tank) and that the actual risk "should be" and "usually is" mitigated by the grounded nozzle. The risk is strongly correlated with somewhat rare atmospheric conditions, but the risk IS REAL during such conditions.

As I understood it, their study revealed that the static potential results from friction among fuel molecules as they exit the nozzle. That potential is fully damped when the delivery nozzle remains in contact with a metal car body or filler pipe. However, in case of a plastic container, friction can build static potential, which will then reside across the surface of the fuel and the (unwetted) inside plastic surface planes. If that potential arcs to the grounded nozzle ... BOOM.

So that's my understanding of their three recommendations. It's such a simple procedure that I've managed to habitualize" it, even when filling my truck's metal tank .... WHY NOT ?? Avoid that static potential AND avoid the "statistic" potential. Your Mileage May Vary.

[Moe]

An insulator can hold quite a static charge. Remember running a comb through your hair, or rubbing a plastic rod or ballon with wool and then using them to pick up things like tissue paper or stick to something else?

I totally overlooked it when posting about the plastic tank sliding in the plastic bedliner, but the major cause of static there is the bedliner rubbing on the truck bed, and the tank picking that up. Plastic truck bed liners are dangerous that way, and the statistics bear that out. However, I prefer them to the spray-on kind and have had them in my trucks. I believe sitting the tank on the ground dissaptes that charge and will continue that practice.

The biggest static problem at the pumps are people who get back in the vehicle while fueling, then slide back out off the seat. We've all gotten a good zap after sliding out of a vehicle. While the fumes in a gas tank and filler pipe are way too rich to explode, those around the nozzle handle they grab are sometimes in the right ratio to do so when they discharge to it. And the biggest problem with the resulting big "foomp" is a human one, pulling the nozzle out of the filler, splashing gas everywhere with the nozzle still on. Same with portable fuel tanks.

[Bob Zoobricke]

Someone told me that wetting down the tank and the area you stand in just before refueling reduces static electricity. Has anyone ever heald this?

[Don T]

Hello:
We used to clean/coat the surface of plastic analog meters with oil like WD-40. It removed the static. Water / cleaner made it worse. I guess it depends on the nature of free electrons. Of course who wants an oily mess with dirt sticking to it.

[Moe]

Water, in and of itself, doesn't conduct, but it might better suspend and distribute impurites which do between the tank and ground. It also might raise the humidity slightly around the tank, if that's a probem. These are pretty big "mights" I would think.

[mtc]

I make it a point of always grounding myself on the metal frame of the pump casing before and during filling.

That would be an intense last vision, eh? A bright flash, then pain.

The important thing here is to keep the spark away from the fuel. If you ground yourself to anything that will conduct the static charge away from you, that can only help.

Don't comb your hair when fueling.

In the AF, our JP4 drivers had to refrain from wearing nylon underware. Not sure how they ever kept that under control, though.

Michael

[Moe]

And IIRC, the aircraft was grounded, the fuel truck was grounded to the same ground point, and the fuel nozzle was grounded to the aircraft before being attached/inserted. I think telling the personnel involved about how synthetic underwear melts into burned skin and has to be dug out helped a little.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

maybe i missed it, but...
there's been no mention of cell phone use while filling a container or vehicle with gas.
i've seen signs posted at some service stations that say it's a "no-no", yet others don't have a sign.
additionally, i see people with phones to their ears while the nozzle is in the tank.
as seinfeld says..."what's the deal with that!"