Mobile phones V petrol stations.

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bjmh, Jan 22, 5:40am
There was a person ranting in the Herald about people using cell-phones while filling petrol.The old days of an electrical discharge would be pretty minute,what are your thoughts.

ceebee2, Jan 22, 6:04am
If the sign says DO NOT USE CELL PHONES WHILE FILLING. why do it. Signs are there for a reason.
Similar risk to using one in an commercial plane!

robotnik, Jan 22, 6:09am
Seems it is a myth according to Myth Busters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw6-PhvcS3M

kazbanz, Jan 22, 6:29am
My thought is simple-"MY sandpit my rules"

kevymtnz, Jan 22, 6:30am
they are wrong and have been a few times
the chances are to high so the idea is no

golfdiver, Jan 22, 6:53am
Well they busted it wide open. There is no risk, but if service stations want to ban cellphone use I guess that is their right.

smac, Jan 22, 7:07am
The point is the (phone&battery) manufacturers will not guarantee it could not happen, so the oil companies choose to err on the safe side. As above, their premises, their rules.

kimbo88, Jan 22, 7:07am
I'm happy to abide by it - it only has to be one very small electrical spark around the huge amounts of vapour that are around when filling a tank and all of a sudden we are believers. I've seen the Mythbusters programme, but I'm still happy to accept that there is a degree of risk, and it's only got to happen once to ruin the day for a lot of people.

bashfulbro, Jan 22, 8:19am
Surely, one can do without their precious cellphone, for a few minutes while they fuel the car , i know some women find it extremely difficult.

snoopy221, Jan 22, 8:46am
End of the day a phone call arriving to the phone in a weak signal area CAN ignite.
The results of a rural fatal fire in Taranaki where a ute ran out of fuel and the owner with a cell phone in their top pocket was pouring petrol from a container in to the fuel tank received a phone call.
Still is something that should be made public In My Opinion.
Therefore when filling lawnmowers, chainsaws etc. remove that cell from the area.

snoopy221, Jan 22, 8:49am

pauldw, Jan 22, 9:06am
There's nothing in this article that supports your previous post.

rsr72, Jan 22, 9:52am
And no cellphone ever caused a jet to crash either.

pauldw, Jan 22, 10:02am
A more valid argument is that phones are a distraction while you should be concentrating on filling the car.

brapbrap8, Jan 22, 11:11am
I have seen a phone set a petrol station on fire once, but it was at least a decade ago and it was an old flip phone with external battery and flashing LEDs and things.
Not sure that a modern phone would have much chance of starting a fire, they are generally very well sealed now.

timmo1, Jan 22, 11:24am
It always struck me as a bit odd. a ~5v phone isn't a big risk. especially when you are pulling up in 12/24v machine with a hot exhaust full of flammable liquids and charged with static electricity.

sr2, Jan 22, 11:31am
+1, I'm with Mythbusters on this one.

elect70, Jan 22, 1:57pm
Possibly in hot weather ,but I have worked on a station refit inc new pumps &a guy was smoking while working on the pumps , mind you it was a cold day .

sw20, Jan 22, 3:21pm
More chance of your merino undies sparking.

bumfacingdown, Jan 22, 3:21pm
Your hot zorst is not usually right beside your filler tho

henderson_guy, Jan 22, 3:45pm
To all the doom bringers out there. how many of you turn off your cellphones before driving onto a forecourt? If there's ever going to be a likelyhood of a spark, it's when the signal is first being received. remember with the old phones how the radio or TV used to go funny just before you got a text or a call?
Besides which, the guy was using a hands free anyway!

mrfxit, Jan 27, 8:59am
Mmmmm, will be interesting to find out the cause of this fire at a petrol station
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11392267&ref=NZH_Tw

esky-tastic, Jan 27, 9:49am
And all sorts of electrical goings on in and on the vehicle like ignition, blinkers, starter motor, alternator etc which are all capable of giving off sparks.

And on other nearby vehicles arriving and leaving.

martin11, Jan 27, 9:54am
The twin engined aircraft crash on approach into chch was caused partially by the distraction of the pilot being on the cell phone during the approach .

pauldw, Jan 27, 10:11am
There are other reports that it wasn't accidental.