Man burned while siphoning gas with leaf blower

[maidaa]

Mythbusters did try the vacuum cleaner trick and could not get it to ignite...

 

[HumblePie]

Mythbusters did try the vacuum cleaner trick and could not get it to ignite...

As mentioned above, it depends on the type of motor and the disrepair of the motor. A malfunctioning motor can spark as well as a Brushed DC motor.

Also most leaf blowers, especially the electric ones, can be set from blow to suck. And no, I'm not making a spaceballs reference.

So the guy probably set up the leaf blower to suck and put a shroud around the end of it to cover the gas intake. Then turned it on to let it start sucking. It probably instantly ignited if there was a spark. More then likely since it was being sucked out, there was a nice mixture of both air and gas in quantity to cause an actual explosion of some sort instead of just starting a fire. Which explains the picture. A minor fire that started wouldn't have caused him those burns or destroyed the car if he reacted fast enough.

 

[brandonbull]

At least they ruled out sugar in the gas tank as a potential problem.

 

[Squisher]

Some leafblowers have an inlet to suck up leaves, but they usually have like a 2" - 2 1/2" inlet. This must have taken some time to reduce that down to a hose that would slip into the gas tank even if they used duct tape. Given the time this took you'd have thought that someone would think this isn't a very good idea.

 

[ShawnD1]

As mentioned above, it depends on the type of motor and the disrepair of the motor. A malfunctioning motor can spark as well as a Brushed DC motor.

I'm not sure how a motor without brushes could spark and still operate. In a brushed motor, the sparks are because the brushes complete the circuit. In something that isn't supposed to have brushes, sparking probably means it's shorted out and would trip the breaker or burn out. I'm just guessing; I've never seen a malfunctioning motor that still works.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Why am I not surprised this happened in Florida?

 

[hanoverphist]

You never want to laugh at someone else's misfortunate, but come on, you gotta think some things through.

back in HS a friend and i got a ride home with his dad. he had a nice riviera at the time, and it died when he picked us up. sounded like a dead battery. he popped the hood, took off the battery covers but couldnt see. so, he used his pipe lighter to look inside the battery. poof, there goes half his beard/ mustache as well as his eyebrows. we didnt let him forget that for years.

 

[BoomerD]

Some leafblowers have an inlet to suck up leaves, but they usually have like a 2" - 2 1/2" inlet. This must have taken some time to reduce that down to a hose that would slip into the gas tank even if they used duct tape. Given the time this took you'd have thought that someone would think this isn't a very good idea.

"Hey y'all...Watch this!"

In other news, personal injury lawyers all over the country started salivating at the potential for new business.

(presuming there isn't a specific warning along the lines of, "Do Not Use This Product to Siphon Gasoline or Other Flammable Liquids.")

 

[Modelworks]

Rule #1 for safe handling of gasoline, never use it or put it in a situation where it can become vapor. Gasoline + high speed air = dead.

 

[KK]

uh oh, who's going to wash your dishes and mow you grass now?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm not sure how a motor without brushes could spark and still operate. In a brushed motor, the sparks are because the brushes complete the circuit. In something that isn't supposed to have brushes, sparking probably means it's shorted out and would trip the breaker or burn out. I'm just guessing; I've never seen a malfunctioning motor that still works.

Friction. Especially in worn motors or motors that might have sand in it or something. The fan blades can maybe potentially create sparks too. Not just sparks, but impact. Gas can explode from a certain amount of impact/compression as well.

 

[McLovin]

Sucks to be that guy

 

[Rhoxed]

uh oh, who's going to wash your dishes and mow you grass now?

There were 2 guys trying to do this. The one named in the article got sent to the hospital. The one not mentioned in the article is the one that works for me.(he only got minor burns on his hands) Seems I'll have a leafy yard for a while.. oh - and it was a gas powered blower for anyone wondering.

 

[NetWareHead]

Did anyone think of Fire Marshall Bill from In Living Color when they saw this article? Hahahahahaha

 

[ShawnD1]

he popped the hood, took off the battery covers but couldnt see. so, he used his pipe lighter to look inside the battery. poof, there goes half his beard/ mustache as well as his eyebrows. we didnt let him forget that for years.

I'm guessing his eyes were not damaged, thankfully :thumbsup:

Batteries are freaky. One exploded near my dad when he was fairly young (no juries) and my brother was nearly blinded by an exploding battery (made a full recovery, still has 20/20 vision)

 

[Jeff7]

Siphoning gas with a leaf blower?


"What could possibly go wrong?"

</Bubsy>

 

[lxskllr]

Someone should have hipped him to the New Jersey credit card. They were used a lot in the 70s :^D

 

[maidaa]

"Test 1: Shop-Vac + Gas Can

They put a small amount of gas in a gas can so that it was mostly full
of fumes. They hooked it up to a shop-vac for five minutes to see if
they could get an explosion.

No explosion. It turns out that the shop-vac that they had chosen,
like most new shop-vacs, has a safety feature: the motor is isolated
from the tank and air running through the tank, so the motor can't
spark the fumes.

Test 2: Short-circuited shop-vac + Gas Can

By accident, they short-circuited their shop-vac parts, sending sparks
everywhere. Happy with this discovery, they decide to rig a worst-case
shop-vac: short-circuit and a hole drilled through to allow the spark
to reach the fumes. They also added more gas to the gas can.

No explosion.

Test 3: Creating a Jet-engine out of Vacuum Parts

Tory went to A&G Vacuum shop to pick up some more vacuums. A&G Vacuum
was the site of Adam's facial run-in with a vacuum motor (Adam decided
to stick his face near a motor, which pulled in and chopped up his
lip). The Vacuum Man showed Tory an older vacuum that was capable of
sparking fumes into a fire.

This proved that it's possible for a vacuum to catch on fire, but it
didn't turn into a jet engine. With this in mind, Tory was tasked with
replicating the results of the myth, i.e. creating a jet-engine out of
vacuum parts.

Tory's design:

* Vacuum motor sucks in air into a tube
* Fuel injector made from a propane ring from a propane stove
* Flame catcher made from a conical strainer
* Fans at back

Tory: "There are going to be a lot of engineers out there going, 'What
the hell is he doing?' and I'm asking myself that on a moment-by-
moment basis, 'What the hell am I doing?'"

Tory's vacuum-based jet-engine was hung up chamber with an ignitor.
First try: no ignition. Tory moved the ignitor to the end of the
engine. Second try: still no ignition. Tory then tried an open flame
at the end of the chamber: finally, ignition.

There was a tiny, tiny bit of thrust when the vacuum motor started,
but for the most part it just tossed flames around the chamber.

Jamie's explanation:

"The whole concept of a vacuum cleaner being a jet engine is all
wrong. It goes against the principles that make jet engines. Vacuum
cleaner create vacuums, that's low pressure. A jet engine works by
creating more pressure, which completes the compression, so it's just
not practical."

mythbusted"
(lifted)

 

[CRXican]

Gas door left open on female's car.

Immediately assume sugar in gas tank.

EXPLODE!

 

[CRXican]

Sucks to be that guy

sucks and blows

 

[alkemyst]

I know a lot of people who use leaf blowers to dry their cars, to get water out of the side view mirrors, and other nooks and crannies. It's more common then you think...

Gas one's usually coat the car with crap.

 

[CZroe]

http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/july/283240/Explosion-car-set-on-fire-as-men-siphon-gas


sad thing is.... I know the 2 guys that were trying to do this. One of them works for me as a dishwasher, also does my lawn maintenance.(hence the leaf blower) And yes... should of been Darwin award... they are both incredibly dumb.

Don't ever insult someone's intelligence while saying "should of" in the same sentence.

Oh, the

ing!

 

[alkemyst]

Don'r ever insult someone's intelligence while saying "should of" in the same sentence.

LOL@ someone thinking grammar is a sign of intelligence.

 

[zanejohnson]

guessing nobody here's ever siphoned gas... you have to BLOW into the tube first, to create the backpressure and then as long as what your filling stays below the gas outlet level, it will continually flow..

 

[HumblePie]

"Test 1: Shop-Vac + Gas Can

They put a small amount of gas in a gas can so that it was mostly full
of fumes. They hooked it up to a shop-vac for five minutes to see if
they could get an explosion.

No explosion. It turns out that the shop-vac that they had chosen,
like most new shop-vacs, has a safety feature: the motor is isolated
from the tank and air running through the tank, so the motor can't
spark the fumes.

Test 2: Short-circuited shop-vac + Gas Can

By accident, they short-circuited their shop-vac parts, sending sparks
everywhere. Happy with this discovery, they decide to rig a worst-case
shop-vac: short-circuit and a hole drilled through to allow the spark
to reach the fumes. They also added more gas to the gas can.

No explosion.

Test 3: Creating a Jet-engine out of Vacuum Parts

Tory went to A&G Vacuum shop to pick up some more vacuums. A&G Vacuum
was the site of Adam's facial run-in with a vacuum motor (Adam decided
to stick his face near a motor, which pulled in and chopped up his
lip). The Vacuum Man showed Tory an older vacuum that was capable of
sparking fumes into a fire.

This proved that it's possible for a vacuum to catch on fire, but it
didn't turn into a jet engine. With this in mind, Tory was tasked with
replicating the results of the myth, i.e. creating a jet-engine out of
vacuum parts.

Tory's design:

* Vacuum motor sucks in air into a tube
* Fuel injector made from a propane ring from a propane stove
* Flame catcher made from a conical strainer
* Fans at back

Tory: "There are going to be a lot of engineers out there going, 'What
the hell is he doing?' and I'm asking myself that on a moment-by-
moment basis, 'What the hell am I doing?'"

Tory's vacuum-based jet-engine was hung up chamber with an ignitor.
First try: no ignition. Tory moved the ignitor to the end of the
engine. Second try: still no ignition. Tory then tried an open flame
at the end of the chamber: finally, ignition.

There was a tiny, tiny bit of thrust when the vacuum motor started,
but for the most part it just tossed flames around the chamber.

Jamie's explanation:

"The whole concept of a vacuum cleaner being a jet engine is all
wrong. It goes against the principles that make jet engines. Vacuum
cleaner create vacuums, that's low pressure. A jet engine works by
creating more pressure, which completes the compression, so it's just
not practical."

mythbusted"
(lifted)

They were doing it wrong. They need to ask the guy from the article