What Do You Do with Your Disney Pictures?

[Groucho]

I don't have any faith in mythbusters ever since they did the show on the dangers of re-entering your car while pumping gas. They supposedly proved that it is totally safe to re-enter your car while pumping gas, and that there is no risk of static electricity igniting the gas fumes when you go to remove the gas nozzll from your car... when in fact if you google it, you will find numerous videos showing fires started in that exact way,

A Year ago February, 15 minutes from where I sit right now, a 19 year old young man, lost his life, when he was pumping gas re-entered his car, then when he touched the gas nozzle a spark ignited gas fumes and he and his car were engulfed in a fireball.

It troubles me that they could state so strongly that they proved it couldn't happen, when video proof is so readily available on the internet..

Are you sure about that? I've seen every episode from the first, oh, 5 seasons or so (I'm catching up on the ones since then) and I believe I saw that episode and I am pretty sure that they did not say that it was safe. Did you see the episode or are you going from second-hand information?

If I remember right, it was cell phone use that was "busted" - cell phones are not going to start a fire at the gas pump. Getting in and out of your car definitely will and I'm almost positive that that is what they said.

A quick Google search finds this summation (I added the boldface), from episode 2:

A properly-working cell phone poses almost no danger of igniting gasoline, even when surrounded by gasoline vapor with the optimum fuel-air mix for ignition. The actual risk comes from an electrostatic discharge between a charged driver and the car, often a result of continually getting into and out of the vehicle.

I think you need to be a little bit more sure of your facts before falsely smearing one of the more important shows on television, one that encourages skeptical thinking and interest in science, two things which are sorely lacking in this country.

I have this episode recorded so can get specific quotes if you don't believe me.

 

[Groucho]

Here's a cut-down version of the myth in question, as posted by Discovery Channel on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw6-PhvcS3M

Around 1:15 is when they get to the static charge part of the story, and specifically point out and show videos of what happens when static is involved, and also what to do (don't pull the nozzle out!)

I think you owe Jamie and Adam an apology.

 

[MICKEY88]

Here's a cut-down version of the myth in question, as posted by Discovery Channel on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw6-PhvcS3M

Around 1:15 is when they get to the static charge part of the story, and specifically point out and show videos of what happens when static is involved, and also what to do (don't pull the nozzle out!)

I think you owe Jamie and Adam an apology.

perhaps they did the show I saw prior to the cell phone show, because they clearly tried to generate static electricity to start a fire... and they could not do it

 

[MICKEY88]

I think you need to be a little bit more sure of your facts before falsely smearing one of the more important shows on television, .

Ouch that's a little harsh..
I know what I watched on tv, because I commented to the person watching it with me, it had nothing to do with cell phones, and they certainly didn't have an expert there explaing that it does indeed occur, again perhaps the show I watched happened first and someone contacted them and gave them info that encouraged them to do it again,,


check out this message board

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-33308.html


read from here down, apparently I'm not the only person that saw the show..

remilk04-07-2007, 06:51 PM
Last Season on Mythbusters, Adam and Jamie busted the myth that statis electricity would cause a fire or explosion at a gas pump.

Try as they may, they could not start a fire or get an explosion from gasoline from the static discharge from a car or other vehicle.



Dial Tone04-08-2007, 11:08 PM
They explained in Myth Busters that the flash point of gas fumes were not enough to ignite even in saturated environment and a bigger spark.
The thing with the cell phone isnt true either.


another message board..

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=273493

08-29-2004, 09:51 AM
HeyHomie
Charter Member Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Springfield, IL
Posts: 6,447

Quote:
Originally Posted by ZebraShaSha
Mythbusters did a show on this. Cellphones do not create enough of a spark to blow anything up but static electricity can, and has, been shown to cause a big enough spark to ignite the vapors.

The Mythbusters team could not replicate a static electricity explosion for any amount of trying. They tinkered with the static electricity source, different ratios of air to fuel, etc. and never got a fire to start with a static electricity discharge. The smaller and younger one (Jamie?) declared the myth "busted."Of course, earlier in the program they showed actual video footage of fires at gas stations being started by static electricity sparks, yet since the Mythbusters team couldn't replicate it then it must have been a myth.

 

[Groucho]

perhaps they did the show I saw prior to the cell phone show, because they clearly tried to generate static electricity to start a fire... and they could not do it

This episode was episode two in their first season (plus three pilot episodes), so the fifth episode ever aired. They did revisit it in episode 14 but they were tackling the myth about cell phones - static causing a fire is not a myth and they were not testing that.

Ouch that's a little harsh..
I know what I watched on tv, because I commented to the person watching it with me, it had nothing to do with cell phones, and they certainly didn't have an expert there explaing that it does indeed occur, again perhaps the show I watched happened first and someone contacted them and gave them info that encouraged them to do it again,,


check out this message board

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-33308.html


read from here down, apparently I'm not the only person that saw the show..

remilk04-07-2007, 06:51 PM
Last Season on Mythbusters, Adam and Jamie busted the myth that statis electricity would cause a fire or explosion at a gas pump.

Try as they may, they could not start a fire or get an explosion from gasoline from the static discharge from a car or other vehicle.

Just because more than one person believes something does not make it true. This quote is wrong on multiple levels; not only are they factually wrong about what Mythbusters were attempting to do (they were testing cell phones causing fires, not static; in fact static was pointed out as the real reason fires started that were blamed on phones), but it could not have aired "last season" but the message was written in 2007. The original episode aired in 2003 and the revisit was in 2004.

The fact is that human memory is very unreliable (just look at any court of law for proof), that's why it's so important to check and recheck one's facts. Perhaps when you originally saw it, you were multitasking and didn't catch everything that was said? As the video I linked to shows, they clearly point out that entering your car was a real danger.

In fact, I remember getting a dirty look from someone after I pointed out to someone that they shouldn't do it when they were doing it while pumping gas next to me one day not long after the episode aired.

 

[MICKEY88]

This episode was episode two in their first season (plus three pilot episodes), so the fifth episode ever aired. They did revisit it in episode 14 but they were tackling the myth about cell phones - static causing a fire is not a myth and they were not testing that.


Just because more than one person believes something does not make it true. This quote is wrong on multiple levels; not only are they factually wrong about what Mythbusters were attempting to do (they were testing cell phones causing fires, not static; in fact static was pointed out as the real reason fires started that were blamed on phones), but it could not have aired "last season" but the message was written in 2007. The original episode aired in 2003 and the revisit was in 2004.

The fact is that human memory is very unreliable (just look at any court of law for proof), that's why it's so important to check and recheck one's facts. Perhaps when you originally saw it, you were multitasking and didn't catch everything that was said? As the video I linked to shows, they clearly point out that entering your car was a real danger.

In fact, I remember getting a dirty look from someone after I pointed out to someone that they shouldn't do it when they were doing it while pumping gas next to me one day not long after the episode aired.

once again, the episode I saw was not about cell phones, they were specifically trying to start a fire with static, they rubbed different types of matrerials together etc, to simulate getting in and out of the car, I also remember the cell phone one, but that is a different show,

so different people on different message boards are having the same bad memory, these same people also reference the cell phone issue as a seperate on...??

well we could go on forever, I was sitting watching TV nothing else, when they concluded by saying myth busted, I looked at the other person and said wow, I've seen numeros videos of fires starting in such a way....and those who know me will tell you my memory is scarey at times, and I'm fairly certain I'm intelligent enough to know what I saw and what was said.
I'm a little confused as to why your memory is fact, but mine might be wrong, but whatever.....

I know what I saw and I owe no one an apology, I'm guessing that even if I found the video, you would claim it was edited... so feel free to blast me once again, I'm done with this, I left the boards for a reason, ....and this, shows me that it was a good decision at that time,

 

[Groucho]

well we could go on forever, I was sitting watching TV nothing else, when they concluded by saying myth busted, I looked at the other person and said wow, I've seen numeros videos of fires starting in such a way....and those who know me will tell you my memory is scarey at times, and I'm fairly certain I'm intelligent enough to know what I saw and what was said.
I'm a little confused as to why your memory is fact, but mine might be wrong, but whatever.....

I know what I saw and I owe no one an apology, I'm guessing that even if I found the video, you would claim it was edited... so feel free to blast me once again, I'm done with this, I left the boards for a reason, and this shows me that it was a good decision at that time,

I'll tell you one last time.

The myth was CELL PHONES CAUSING FIRES AT GAS STATIONS. They busted that myth.
The myth WAS NOT re-entering your car causing fires. They specifically said that re-entering your car CAN cause a fire and that those fires could incorrectly be blamed on cell phone use.

Once again. Cell phones. Busted. NOT re-entering the car.

I'm sorry if you don't like it, but you are, in fact, incorrect in your statement and you've been laboring under false pretenses about Mythbusters. Don't get angry at me or anyone else for correcting your error, it's not my fault that you misunderstood the episode and what was being tested. I even found a transcript of the show here. They were not able to make gasoline vapors explode with a static charge but they do clearly state that it can happen.

People who re-enter the car during refueling face the biggest risk.
They're typically younger people, because older people will go like this to get out of their car. And when they do that, they discharge. So, they just simply pop out of the car. Not touch anything, not shut the door, not ground themselves, not touch this. They'll take one, two steps. They're wearing neoprene shoes so they're not discharging. They're not dissipating on the concrete. They touch a piece of metal here, the vapors are coming out of the tank, the air is coming in from outside. So that's two parts of the fire triangle, and the third part is the source of ignition, which is the spark. The problem comes is when they overreact. They go, "oh, my goodness," and they leave a stream of gasoline. They already have a fire -- it gets underneath the car, or they can get it on themselves.

I would bet that the person who died near you did exactly that - removed the gas nozzle. If they had seen Mythbusters, they might have known to not do it. You're vilifying the show when it actually could have saved his life.

 

[MICKEY88]

I'll tell you one last time.

The myth was CELL PHONES CAUSING FIRES AT GAS STATIONS. They busted that myth.
The myth WAS NOT re-entering your car causing fires. They specifically said that re-entering your car CAN cause a fire and that those fires could incorrectly be blamed on cell phone use.

Once again. Cell phones. Busted. NOT re-entering the car.

I'm sorry if you don't like it, but you are, in fact, incorrect in your statement and you've been laboring under false pretenses about Mythbusters. Don't get angry at me or anyone else for correcting your error, it's not my fault that you misunderstood the episode and what was being tested. I even found a transcript of the show here. They were not able to make gasoline vapors explode with a static charge but they do clearly state that it can happen.



I would bet that the person who died near you did exactly that - removed the gas nozzle. If they had seen Mythbusters, they might have known to not do it. You're vilifying the show when it actually could have saved his life.

I didn't misunderstand anything, you found the transcript to A show, the show you keep referencing......and again,, the show I saw involved rubbing different materials together trying to build static, to get a spark to ignite gas fumes.
it did not involve a cell phone..
.....
LOl, I know what I saw, I 'm not angry, but there is a difference between debating, and what you have done,

 

[Groucho]

In this episode, they built a rig that would attempt to create a static charge with panties and fur and used that to attempt to detonate the gas after the cell phone failed. They were not able to generate a good enough spark, probably because they're usually not working in a dry environment like you find in colder, snowier areas in the winter.

That rig and their failure to ignite vapors with it is probably what you remember. They did eventually create a stronger spark and detonated the vapors that way. They never, even claimed that you cannot start a fire with a spark nor that it was safe to get in and out of your car.