Dyno Fire - Take a moment to read this please.

[fasterfaster]

Sorry to hear of your incident, but thankful for the warning. I have a photo of my son fueling the race car in the the garage with my grandson looking on, and after hearing this it makes me shudder. I've done this - as have all of you - so many times without really thinking about the potential for an accident. There will be be training and safety measures put in place for the future! Meanwhile I pray for your complete and speedy recovery.

Dave

[Zmechanic]

The talk of a gas water heater igniting garage fumes is eye opening as well. I just moved into a house with a gas water heater in the garage. Gonna have to keep my head screwed on tight.

if the heater is elevated off of the floor no problem as gasoline fumes are heavy and move along the floor. if you spill raw gasoline in that area all bets are off.

Hah, right you are. Quick search showed building codes require it for this very reason.

[pamotorman]

The talk of a gas water heater igniting garage fumes is eye opening as well. I just moved into a house with a gas water heater in the garage. Gonna have to keep my head screwed on tight.

if the heater is elevated off of the floor no problem as gasoline fumes are heavy and move along the floor. if you spill raw gasoline in that area all bets are off.

Hah, right you are. Quick search showed building codes require it for this very reason.

I found this out when I questioned this practice in our condo in fla.

[DCal]

I have a ground wire going from the metal opening on the fuel cell to the roll cage. If I keep the gas station fuel nozzle in contact with the metal on the fuel cell is that sufficient? This stuff always makes me uncomfortable

[R.Brown]

...

My present theory is that the friction from fuel going thru the filter element in the plastic funnel contributed to this. When the fuel jug was lifted off the funnel, spark. This of course goes along with the perfect storm cold and dry conditions.

Ryan

Ryan,

Had you always used the filtered plastic funnel prior to this?

Yes, this setup, the fuel cell and funnel have been in constant use for 17 years.

Ryan

[R.Brown]

Guys,

I need to tell you that while laying in the hospital, one of the major things I focussed on (after my future with my three boys and family) was that I had to get the word out there to as many people as possible, to make them stop and think next time they are dealing with fuel.

So... thank you to those who have acknowledged that they will be more aware. I actually caught myself subconsciously smiling and feeling relieved when I read your replys, that I could possibly have made a small difference. Must be my current mental state compelling me to tell you that.

Ryan

[406shark]

Thanks for taking the time to post up about your incident. I hope your recovery goes well.

I have a question to those of you that can help answer a question about this.

I have an aluminum fuel cell mounted in the back of my truck, grounded to the chassis. I use a large plastic funnel that sits in the cell opening. I use a plastic fuel jug for my 110 race fuel. I lift and pour from the jug directly into the funnel, without actually touching the funnel due to my tailgate panel being higher than the funnel. Am I asking for troubles doing it this way?



Jeff

[MadBill]

Yes, as per my above post, the static charge can build on the can as you pour and if you inadvertently move it closer to or in contact with the funnel, a spark will occur.

[wyrmrider]

on the raised water heater
remember the wind ignition in an above post
raised water heater helps but is not perfect

[pcnsd]

Ryan,
I am sorry for your misfortune and if you will permit, I suggest that you look at the bonding requirements of NFPA 30, Chapt.18, Part 5.2.2
http://www.nfpa.org/Assets/files/AboutT ... 20Post.pdf
and the OHSA requirement at
CFR29, 1910.106,e,6,ii
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadis ... &p_id=9752

It a requirement when transferring flammable liquids from one to other container that the containers have a common ground connection.
Here are some pictures of how I interpret these requirements at our hazardous waste storage bunker. It is an 8' grounding rod bonded to welding cable that links the various drums. I use a magnetic welding ground that self attaches to the drums and the transfer container. All containers are attached together before opening any. The welding ground face up is the one that attaches to the portable container. I use only metals containers.

20170127_131836.jpg

20170127_131847.jpg

Best wishes for a full recovery.

[Old as Dirt]

Thank you Ryan.. take the time to ground your tanks, and hope you have a full recovery.. prayers going out to you..

[ou812]

This is really eye opening for me as I have many times filled our Poly fuel cell in the dyno room with fuel from a poly container (VP) into a plastic funnel that has a screen in it. I always hold the container tight to my body as I fill, with our dyno cell fan on as well. I have a ground wire going from the metal ring on the top of the fuel cell to the metal table the cell sits on...not really sure if this is sufficient or not?
I also pour from metal cans (VP) into the fuel cell using the same plastic funnel...and I always rest the container (metal or poly) on the funnel from start to finish but it's always in the back of my mind that static electricity could light it off so I'm careful but maybe not enough?
I will say that from now on I'm going to wear a fire jacket, face mask, and fire proof gloves while filling the fuel cell.

One more question...in the car, since the fuel cell is bolted to the car body, and the body is grounded to the frame, is it still necessary to ground the cell with a wire to the frame?
So sorry this happened to you Ryan, words cannot explain the sadness I feel for you having this happen while your at work just trying to do your job. And I can never thank you enough for bringing this to my and all of our attention!!
Thank you very very much...
Brian Hafliger

[Belgian1979]

Guys,

Just a question. I do not own a fuel cell, so I don't transfer a lot of gas, unless at the gas station and I think those have grounding through the fuel hose. From a couple of cases at work I know that the regulations on those things is very, very strict.
To be correct, I only had one, rather recent case, where a guy filled up a car at a station where the nozzle had a cap on it saying it was out of use. Luckily nothing big happened in terms of human damage, but a lot of material damage. The gaspump had one of the pumps leaking around the pulley, which was the reason for a fuel leak. It's still unclear where the ignition came from .The thing just virtually blew up when the nozzle was put back into the pump. We saw that clearly on the security camera's images. Some say it's because the guy filling up hadn't touched his car.

Anyway, my guestion : the only transfer of fuel I do is when I fill up my grass mower. This is from a metal (military style) jerrycan to the gas mower with a plastic funnel. How on earth do you ground a grass mower ? I mean the whole fuel tank is basically plastic and you cannot really reach the tank.

Thanks anyway for the heads up and a speedy recovery.

[Krooser]

I've been burned twice... first time was when I repaired the engine in my GTO. Had to take a spin around the block before I had the clutch adjusted or the exhaust hooked up. I made the run and had to pull into my buddy's two car garage from a narrow alley. The garage had two 7' wide doors... I wedged the car partially in one door... couldn't get it in reverse to back out and try another shot since the clutch wasn't right (and the timing was wrong).

After warming up the engine in the doorway I 'blipped' the throttle and shut it off... not knowing the fuel pump's rubber inlet hose was split and had spewed about 5 gallons of gas on the floor... the flame from the ex. manifold lit up the spilled gasoline... I couldn't get either door open on the car because of the angle I was on in the doorway. The car wouldn't re-fire to back out and my friend's efforts to push it out were futile since the car was jammed in gear without a functioning clutch! I dove out the drivers door into a pool of burning gasoline.

The only thing that saved my *ss was it was raining that night and I managed to roll in the water running down the center of the alleyway... wound up with minor second degree burns on my face, arms, legs and chest.

Five years later I managed to pour a quart of burning methanol over myself and my sister-in-laws living room while trying to lite an old Junger's oil space heater... more serious burns on my right arm and hand. It was winter in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and after riding shotgun for 45 minutes while my wife drove me to the hospital with my right arm hanging out the window to have the cold winter air minimize the pain (it was in the single digits for temps) I wound up getting treated for my burns AND frostbite at the same time... .

I hope the PO gets well soon... burns are nasty stuff even in moderate amounts.

[R.Brown]

Ryan,
Very sorry to hear of your accident. Gas is a scary stuff. It does not light off like they show in the movies. The reality is it goes from nothing to a fire ball almost instantly. I don't know how you felt about this - probably scary who ever you are but for myself I have a deadly fear of burning to death. Glad you made it through though burn surgery is painful. I hope you recover fast and fully. I have had occasion to quietly thank who ever invented Halon.
David Vizard

Thanks for the kind wishes. Very interesting how you bring up how fire lights off, that will be something that haunts me forever, that instant flame engulfment. I also share your fear of perishing in a fire.... In my case, a 6" tall snow bank saved my life.

Please, let's all be safe,
Ryan