Have you ran into any Idolt's with Cigarette's at the Gas Pump Lately?

[Hobe Sound AK]

Twice at the Same Race Track with in 6 Months. This Evening, I was getting some Gas at the Race Track in Stuart. All of a sudden I see this Clown walking from the Pump on the Other Side of me with a Lit Cigarette in Hand. That mean's he had walked by someone Pumping Gas on the Other Side. I jumped on his Sorry Ass and he got the Nerve to tell me, you owe me an Apology? for calling him out. I told him do you know what Gas Fumes are Dumb Ass? I am starting to see this more and more, at any Station, what are these People thinking. Do you have to be a Non-Smoker like myself to realize this Danger? Told the Manager but he had left. I have noticed that Smoker's are always indigent when you confront them about this! I saw Footage of a Chemical Plant go up once, never forgot it. It must be part of the Dumbing down of America. If anyone here works at a Gas Station I would ask you this, can you set off the Fumes if you are right at the Pump?(With Cigarette in Hand) I would think so! If anyone else had a run in like this, please post it here. I am very surprised I have not read of a Gas Station Blowing up somewhere in the U.S. by now. Paul

[Altarboy]

Sadly, I've done it myself back in the day.

[Hobe Sound AK]

We all make mistakes. But This Guy doesn't know any better. I could tell by his Attitude. The 2% out there. Or 98 depending on how you judge them.

[NAPOTS]

sounds like a stupid thing to do. I like to smoke cigars occasionally but I wouldn't smoke while pumping gas...or reloading.

[Hobe Sound AK]

I always look around now, sometime you see an Employee in the Front on Break, but it is more than 50 Feet Away. That Saying watch out for the Other Guy is very True at the Gas Station. Paul

[Kadmos]

When you say "jumped on" I hope you mean verbally admonished, not physically attacked.

Assuming we're talking about regular gasoline...a lit cigarette will not ignite gasoline under any sort of normal circumstance.

If you drop a cigarette into a puddle of gasoline the cigarette will extinguish. If you hold it inches above it will not ignite.

To get it to ignite you would have to have some sort of container above the gas, collecting vapors, and then insert the cigarette, probably while either taking a drag or blowing through it.

Most explosions at gas stations happen because some fool tries to fill up a jerry can with gas while it's sitting in his trunk or in the back of a van/SUV. At that point a cigarette might ignite it, but so would a cell phone, or any of the lights near the tail end of a car.

[Hobe Sound AK]

Thanks Kadmos for the Helpful Information. No I only told him off for what I though was a Careless Act! I was not aware that Gasoline was not as Flammable as I thought. Why would the Cigarette go out if you dropped it in a Puddle of Gas? Now I know why I have seen People fill Gas Can's on the Ground. Did not know about the Cell Phones.

[N/A]

What Kadmos said is what I've been taught, except the reason you don't fuel containers while they are in a vehicle, is that you need to set them down so as to ground them and prevent a static spark. That's why you should always make sure you touch your vehicle to ground it before opening the filler cap.on a cold, dry day that static spark could go WHOOMP!!

[Kadmos]

Thanks Kadmos for the Helpful Information. No I only told him off for what I though was a Careless Act! I was not aware that Gasoline was not as Flammable as I thought. Why would the Cigarette go out if you dropped it in a Puddle of Gas? Now I know why I have seen People fill Gas Can's on the Ground. Did not know about the Cell Phones.

No problem. I'm a smoker, and I agree that it's a careless act indeed. While the odds might be 50,000 to 1 of ignition, it's not a good reason to take the risk, or to risk others.

Occasionally some moron might fill a jerry can in the back of an SUV and a careless smoker might walk by asking for the time and ignite it. Unlikely, but possible.

It's also possible that the top part of a cars gas tank has a hole and vapors build up in the bodywork...again a thoughtless smoker may ignite it.


The problem is gas itself doesn't really burn, it's the correct mixture of gas and air that ignites. For instance if you were to cover your car's airbox with plastic, completely preventing air from entering, then naturally the car wouldn't run.

In a puddle, or pool, or even a glass half filled with gas, the vapor won't reach a strong enough concentration for a cigarette to ignite it. If the cigarette is dropped in, then the gasoline will smother the flame, depriving it of the oxygen it needs to remain lit. Even if you try to very carefully lay part of the cigarette in gas, the paper and tobacco will wick up the gasoline and extinguish the cigarette.

N/A is right about the spark, in a trunk even the static spark may ignite the gas vapors. Much less likely just standing by the pump, but still very possible. But a plastic jerry can will go up in a trunk just as easily as a metal one, it's really a matter of vapor buildup.
A lot of people used to fill up in the trunk because they were concerned that if the can somehow scraped on the car and sparked that was more likely to cause a fire, or that the metal to metal contact of putting it in a trunk might create static. But the truth is the buildup. Always take the can out and put it on the ground.

But always touch your doorframe before pumping gas.

Especially if you are getting in and out of the car during the fueling process. A lot of static gas fires were started because someone started filling up the car, jumped back into the car to stay warm, probably in woolen clothing and then hopped out when it was finishing up, touched the metal of the nozzle and sparked it.

Add thick rubber boots preventing discharge, wool socks and heavy gloves, and yep it happens.

I think I should walk back what I said on cell phones though, I know there were some stories around, but I'm not sure how well documented those are.

[Oswald Bastable]

For instance if you were to cover your car's airbox with plastic, completely preventing air from entering, then naturally the car wouldn't run.

Easier to just stuff a banana up the tailpipe.

[Kadmos]

Easier to just stuff a banana up the tailpipe.

Wouldn't stop air intake, but it's possible that the back-pressure would stall the car.

More likely the banana would be expelled, possibly at a rather impressive velocity, or some part of the exhaust system or EGR system would fail, a blowout of some sort.

I really enjoyed that movie when it came out...but it really doesn't hold up well

[Oswald Bastable]

I really enjoyed that movie when it came out...but it really doesn't hold up well

Disagree...just saw it again last week. Still funny...trust me!

Also, intake and output are part of the same system...stop airflow at either end and the result is the same...stall. Exhaust pressures are not sufficient to cause a blowout before stall.

[Kadmos]

Disagree...just saw it again last week. Still funny...trust me!

Well.....I'll take your word for that

Also, intake and output are part of the same system...stop airflow at either end and the result is the same...stall. Exhaust pressures are not sufficient to cause a blowout before stall.

But I won't for that

Seems to me the car will start ok, being able to intake air, the exhaust valves will seal off enough back-pressure flow to allow for a buildup in the exhaust system. More than likely I expect the banana to be pushed out. My second though is that if it doesn't, pressure will build up enough to blow out some other part of the system.

I'm talking about a car here...a small engine would be totally different, you can kill something like a model airplane engine by putting your finger up to the exhaust. Covering the exhaust on a push mower would likely work as well. Even your average motorcycle I think it would work.

But with a car, I think there is enough piping and tubing to allow for pressure build up to become a major factor.

[Oswald Bastable]

Seems to me the car will start ok, being able to intake air, the exhaust valves will seal off enough back-pressure flow to allow for a buildup in the exhaust system. More than likely I expect the banana to be pushed out. My second though is that if it doesn't, pressure will build up enough to blow out some other part of the system.

I'm talking about a car here...a small engine would be totally different, you can kill something like a model airplane engine by putting your finger up to the exhaust. Covering the exhaust on a push mower would likely work as well. Even your average motorcycle I think it would work.

But with a car, I think there is enough piping and tubing to allow for pressure build up to become a major factor.

Nope...

Air in, has to go someplace. No place to go because exhaust is plugged (unless there's an exhaust leak) not enough time for pressure to build before stall. Engine heat would alter that equation, but again, no place for the exhaust to go, not enough time for the engine to create enough heat to alter the equation...stall.

[Kadmos]

Nope...

Air in, has to go someplace. No place to go because exhaust is plugged (unless there's an exhaust leak) not enough time for pressure to build before stall. Engine heat would alter that equation, but again, no place for the exhaust to go, not enough time for the engine to create enough heat to alter the equation...stall.

An engine is, in a sense, an air pump. Air compresses. Eventually yes that pressure has to go somewhere, but I think it blow out some bit to vent the pressure. The most logical to me is it would blow out the banana.

[Oswald Bastable]

Heh...looks like both answers are correct, dependent on the volume of banana (or potato) used.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/...he-car-explode