Fuel can in hot car

[larkim]

Yesterday I took my fuel can

to the garage to fill it up so that the lawn mower could be refilled. But as I was putting the fuel in the c ar first, it occurred to me that I would be leaving my car in full daylight for the remainder of the day, and that it does get quite hot in there.

So I left it until the end of the day before filling up the fuel can, to av oid leaving the full fuel can in the car in the full glare of the sun.

Was I right to be cautious, or was I being overly paranoid?

The car doesn't have a covered boot, so whilst I could put the can in as sh ady as possible a spot in the car, I couldn't really prevent the can from b eing exposed to the greenhouse that is my car on a working summer day.

Matt

[The Natural Philosopher]

I would day you were right.

Petrol vapour is explosive.

Minimise chances of it occurring and don't rely on no ignition sources being available.

Few petrol cans are pressure tight and hot vapour does escape,

[Tim Watts]

In the "old days" everyone kept a 1-2 gallon can of petrol in the car.

If it's shaded and upright it will be fine.

[Chris Hogg]

No you are not being paranoid. Many years ago I had a Datsun hatchback, no boot as such, and I always kept a gallon of petrol in a purpose-made low-profile metal petrol can behind the back seat. On arriving home late one afternoon, when the car had been parked in the hot sun all day, I noticed that the petrol can was actually bulging, so I thought I'd just release the pressure before putting the car in the garage. But the pressure was so high that as I loosened the cap it blew right off, and the can went off like a foam fire extinguisher. A jet of petrol foam, about two inches wide, shot out of the can like a fountain and went about six feet into the air, and continued for several seconds before the can finally emptied. The petrol was obviously well above it's boiling point and instantly boiled as the cap was released. I was absolutely drenched in petrol. I count myself very lucky that there wasn't a spark caused by static or whatever when the can popped like that, because at best I would have been very badly burnt, and at worst died from burns. It's an experience I shan't ever forget!

Never, ever, keep a can of petrol exposed in a hot car! I'm not sure I'd even keep a can in a closed car boot.

[larkim]

hat the lawn mower could be refilled. But as I was putting the fuel in th e car first, it occurred to me that I would be leaving my car in full dayli ght for the remainder of the day, and that it does get quite hot in there.

avoid leaving the full fuel can in the car in the full glare of the sun.

shady as possible a spot in the car, I couldn't really prevent the can fro m being exposed to the greenhouse that is my car on a working summer day.

Wow, terrifying Chris!

I'm glad I'm not just being all "'elf and safety gorn maad"!!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd say 'never open anything that is so obviously under pressure unless you know what to expect' Let it cool down first.

[damduck-egg]

Go back to the real Old days then the can was often stored on the running board,

In some estates and hatch backs shading could be difficult. An answer could be a fuel can of less than normal size,you can get smaller ones for motorcycle use. And place that in one of those plastic insulated picnic boxes or large cool bags with some of those pre frozen gel packs or if there is enough room just a plastic milk container filled with water and stuck in the deep freeze for a while will do the same job for some hours.

Whether that is a practical solution may depend on how thirsty the OP's mowers is. That's igonoring any protests from another half about using the household inventory of domestic equipment for a use they don't appove of.

G.Harman

[Chris Hogg]

Well, yes, but it was the end of a hot day, I was tired, and the brain cell wasn't functioning too well I guess!

[Brian Gaff]

Yes and petrol don't arf pong. Was there not a case of a person burning himself when static ignited petrol fumes a year or so back? Brian

[fred]

In article , Chris Hogg writes

And your hindsight goggles were in the other coat ;-)

A useful warning, thanks for sharing.

[newshound]

I've never seen anything remotely like that, the BP of petrol is about

95 C. Certainly "legal" plastic containers of petrol go quite bulgy in a hot car. I don't routinely carry spare fuel in cars any more but I sometimes have a full container in a car for a few hours.

[Jethro_uk]

A few years ago, an ex-employee of my Dads who'd gone into motor repairs for himself was killed when overalls he'd been working in, and got splashed with petrol (apparently working underneath a car, and some fuel leaked doing something) caught fire when he got home. He "survived" for

10 days with >80% burns. Was very upsetting for us all.

[larkim]

that the lawn mower could be refilled. But as I was putting the fuel in the car first, it occurred to me that I would be leaving my car in full day light for the remainder of the day, and that it does get quite hot in there .

to avoid leaving the full fuel can in the car in the full glare of the sun.

as shady as possible a spot in the car, I couldn't really prevent the can f rom being exposed to the greenhouse that is my car on a working summer day.

That BP would be at atmospheric pressure though. Significantly different i n a container in which the pressure had risen.

[larkim]

so that the lawn mower could be refilled. But as I was putting the fuel i n the car first, it occurred to me that I would be leaving my car in full d aylight for the remainder of the day, and that it does get quite hot in the re.

, to avoid leaving the full fuel can in the car in the full glare of the su n.

n as shady as possible a spot in the car, I couldn't really prevent the can from being exposed to the greenhouse that is my car on a working summer da y.

in a container in which the pressure had risen.

Let's forget posted that shall we...

[Tim Watts]

Yes, the BP would be *higher* not lower.

[Tim Watts]

[stuart noble]

I've seen the top blow off a metal can when it was loosened a turn or two. Scary to say the least

[Tim Streater]

How'd that work for guys like this, then:

[Tim Streater]

Can some of you buggers snip the ever expanding GG shit please. It's dead boring having to scroll through pages of blank lines just to see a one-liner.

[Adrian]

Legal plastic containers of petrol go quite bulgy in my (once-)black- painted corrugated tin shed...