Vegas fueling rules (1 Viewer)

[Gregg Pickens]

I understand most but not this one:

"Vehicle Fueling in the Pits
When fuel is dispensed into a vehicle in the pits, the two shall be connected with a bonding wire regardless of the material that the container is made of."

Exactly what part of a plastic fuel jug and plastic funnel is being grounded?

 

[.]

It's to prevent a static discharge spark. As someone who has firsthand experience with getting a nasty shock by plastic sheets (I used to run thermoforming machines at Amana Refrigeration that made the cabinet liners) I can sort of understand why they're requiring this.

 

[Bob K.]

That's new to me, I've been racing there for over 8 years. Static electricity is a problem in the desert, but all you have to do is hold the fuel jug in one hand and touch the car with the other. I've never had a spark yet. Never heard of that rule either.

 

[Gregg Pickens]

Then shouldn't the person holding the fuel jug be grounded to the car?

 

[70AARCuda]

Then shouldn't the person holding the fuel jug be grounded to the car?

yeah...while adding gas to my car(s) at LVMS my feet are always on the ground...

 

[Huge]

That's new to me, I've been racing there for over 8 years. Static electricity is a problem in the desert, but all you have to do is hold the fuel jug in one hand and touch the car with the other. I've never had a spark yet. Never heard of that rule either.

We had to do it at Vegas-2 last year.

 

[none]

The car being fuled in fact any car, the car is not gounded because of the rubber tires. Touching the car will not ground the car because the person has most likely has rubber shoes on, anyhow to have a perfect ground you would have to be bare footed then touch the car, and thats not a 100% positive.
The best way to do it would be to drive a screw driver in the ground, then
connect a small wire (14 gauge will do it) with alligator clips on it, one end to the screw driver and the other clip to any metal under the car.

 

[Bross Hawg]

The car being fuled in fact any car, the car is not gounded because of the rubber tires. Touching the car will not ground the car because the person has most likely has rubber shoes on, anyhow to have a perfect ground you would have to be bare footed then touch the car, and thats not a 100% positive.
The best way to do it would be to drive a screw driver in the ground, then
connect a small wire (14 gauge will do it) with alligator clips on it, one end to the screw driver and the other clip to any metal under the car.

Wrong...haven't you ever been shocked reaching for your door handle getting out of your personal car? I get shocked all the time. My car has 4 tires on the ground also...We used to shock each other all the time at my grandparents house with shag carpet with all of us wearing rubber soled tennis shoes. Also, you can drive 2 eight foot ground rods straight into the ground and still not have a good, let alone perfect, ground. It depends on the make up of the soil. Just sayin...

 

[Bross Hawg]

Also, at least with the pro cars, most are fueled with the car on the jacks, with the tires off the ground so the jacks are grounded.

 

[none]

Mr. Bross
You have to have a good ground to have a EMF discharge, static or
what ever. Jack stands are not that good of a ground.
Bottom line my friend is the Ohm meter or a megger,your grandmothers house had to be grounded to get a discharge of static from the carpet as you would be the potential.
Stay grounded my friend.

 

[FC138fan]

Two insulated objects can trigger a spark.. all you need is an unequal charge between the two objects

For example, a car on 4 rubber tires with a positive charge, and a guy wearing rubber boots with a negative (or less... or more.... positive charge), There would be a spark between the guy and the car to equalize the charges, with no actual flow of electrons to the ground.

When you jump a car, you connect the positive to the positive end of the battery, and the negative to the frame. I think you guys are right about the tires insulating the car, but Im not 100% on this. I do not know where the flow of electrons goes when you ground to the frame, I assume it just gets absorbed into the chassis... but there isn't enough voltage difference to jump the couple inches across the rim to the ground... and as mentioned by Bross, the ground isn't necessarily ground... it depends. Only lightning has enough voltage to make that jump.

 

[Bross Hawg]

Two insulated objects can trigger a spark.. all you need is an unequal charge between the two objects

For example, a car on 4 rubber tires with a positive charge, and a guy wearing rubber boots with a negative (or less... or more.... positive charge), There would be a spark between the guy and the car to equalize the charges, with no actual flow of electrons to the ground.

When you jump a car, you connect the positive to the positive end of the battery, and the negative to the frame. I think you guys are right about the tires insulating the car, but Im not 100% on this. I do not know where the flow of electrons goes when you ground to the frame, I assume it just gets absorbed into the chassis... but there isn't enough voltage difference to jump the couple inches across the rim to the ground... and as mentioned by Bross, the ground isn't necessarily ground... it depends. Only lightning has enough voltage to make that jump.

Thank you...this is proved by cloud to cloud lightning also. The 2 clouds are not "grounded" and yet the spark jumps between the 2. If you care to do some reading, here is a link.
How Do I Work Safely with Flammable and Combustible Liquids? (Static Electricity) : OSH Answers
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Static_electricity

 

[Bross Hawg]

Nick, the only thing I disagree with you about in your post in regards to this subject is the comment about jump starting a car. That is a DC system and is not at all like a AC circuit like our bodies use or static electricity. But then again, static electricity is its own monster.