On Jul 12, 2004, at 11:16 PM, Randall wrote:
>
>>> There's a plastic ball in a kind of basket in most modern
>>> automobile filler necks, as a roll-over spill prevention device. (I
>>> suspect
>>> this is more to quiet the Sierra Club than out of concern for your
>>> safety.)
>>
>> No, it's there to kill people who have to replace in-tank fuel pumps.
>
> Ok, I'll bite, how is it dangerous to people who have to replace the
> in-tank
> pump ?
Fire. The anti-rollover devices make it difficult to safely remove
gasoline from a tank before removal. That leads to spills, or not
bothering to try. So there tends to be gasoline vapors floating
around. The guy in the next bay fires up a grinder, sends a spark at
the tank, and Whooosh! You've got a nice fire.
Talk to an insurance company that writes garage keeper's insurance, and
ask how many of their fire claims are for fires caused by this, and
you'll learn it's a substantial number.
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