filling gas tank in PU bed

I have been told to never fill a portable gas tank while the can is sitting
in the bed of a pick up. However with the use of plastic, or roll on bed liners
does that still hold true?? Regards, old jim

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

I've seen a warning on gas pumps not to do it but never could figure out why. I'll be curious to hear.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

When I was operating a service station the "powers to be" told us not to fill a gas can in a truck bed with a plastic liner. Something to do with static build up by the gas moving inside the plastic gas can. But I don't know how being on the ground helps?

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

Yes static build up. But I thought it had to do with metal cans and metal PU beds. old jim

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

Yes it has to do with static, and being on the ground would help dissipate the build up to ground. Never fill it off the ground. More so in a plastic bed liner.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

MinUph said:

Yes it has to do with static, and being on the ground would help dissipate the build up to ground. Never fill it off the ground. More so in a plastic bed liner.

Click to expand...

Would dryer sheets help?

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

Yes Jim, dryer sheets do help. Put one in each pocket and if you have silver fillings or dentures put one in your mouth. Cuts down on static and you won't cling to your food as much.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

Gas fumes are heavy and filling the tank in the bed you could end up with a box full of fumes.
Almost anything could touch it off.Same reason you don't fill a portable tank in the boat.
A guy I worked with was in Europe in WW2 he used gas carried in a helmet to ignite damp wood in a fire place.
He set the helmet on the floor across the room with some remaining gas in it.
After a few minutes the the fumes ignited across the floor setting off the fumes in the helmet.
If you think about it the fumes were probably drawn across the floor by the draft in the fireplace.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

Here's the deal. Metal can in a metal bed is a problem. Why? Because that truck is sitting on RUBBER TIRES, which act as insulators, not allowing any static electricity to "drain" to ground.

Add a bed liner, and you've just made the problem WORSE. Why? Because now the can is insulated from the truck by a material known to CREATE static electricity - and the truck is still insulated from the ground. It's relatively easy to generate 40,000 volts of static electricity under these conditions. Hell, you can generate that much, just pulling scotch tape off the roll!

Bottom line: Put those fuel tanks ON THE GROUND when you fill them.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

BobGinCO said:

Here's the deal. Metal can in a metal bed is a problem. Why? Because that truck is sitting on RUBBER TIRES, which act as insulators, not allowing any static electricity to "drain" to ground.

Add a bed liner, and you've just made the problem WORSE. Why? Because now the can is insulated from the truck by a material known to CREATE static electricity - and the truck is still insulated from the ground. It's relatively easy to generate 40,000 volts of static electricity under these conditions. Hell, you can generate that much, just pulling scotch tape off the roll!

Bottom line: Put those fuel tanks ON THE GROUND when you fill them.

Click to expand...

I knew someone with the right expertise would chime in sooner or later. But I did like MinUph's input on dryer sheets.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

wrench 3 said:

I knew someone with the right expertise would chime in sooner or later. But I did like MinUph's input on dryer sheets.

Click to expand...

I didn't want to say that if you could raise the relative humidity of the planet to around 98%, that static buildup is greatly reduced.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

I think that about covers this subject. So shall we discuss the high cost
of good tequila?? old jim
so where are the emi smiley faces?

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

I like Cuervo gold :lol::watermelon:

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

The best thing to do is fill your tanks in the morning The ground temp. is always 65 Degrees unless the gas station just got a shipment of gasoline .Static electricity is less likely at lower temps and in the shade.

Re: filling gas tank in PU bed

MinUph said:

I like Cuervo gold :lol::watermelon:

Click to expand...

He said GOOD Tequila.

While many people prefer the "Silver" variety, I do not.

Tequila Terminology:

"Silver": Vintage "last week". No aging. Good for mixing, or stripping paint.
"Reposado": Aged at least six months before bottling. Much smoother. The minimum age I will consider for a shot.
"A?ejo": (Pronounced on-yay-ho.) Aged at least one year before bottling. The smoothest tequila. My preferred grade of tequila.

"The Worm". The worm is not a sign of quality, or "specialness" unless you consider a bug in your booze special. It was started as a marketing ploy by some guy that decided he was going to start making tequila (was it in 1946?) Total hype.

I like Corazon, Gran Centenario, and a few others (I have a bottle of Gran Centenario A?ejo in my freezer right now, at home).
I really dislike Patron products. Oh! If you're a Curevo guy, forget the "Gold". Get the "Reserva de la Familia". Yeah, it's a hundred bucks a bottle. Yeah, it's that good.

EDIT: "Training Wheels". Some people think you have to have salt and lime with a shot of tequila. Well maybe you do with that paint stripper variety. In my family, training wheels are for kids. Maybe we're hard-core.

EDIT 2: "The Toast".

Para arriba, para abajo, para centro, para dentro. (Then down the hatch.)

Translates to something like "for above, for below, for inside, and for something else" I don't speak that much spanish, even after five or six shots.