It may be terse and to the point…but, it is quite accurate.
Gasoline is extremely volatile even at low ambient temperatures, and it is only exacerbated by current summertime conditions.
It has a very high energy of combustion.
it takes very little energy for it to be ignited once it has been volatilized.
These three facts make it extremely dangerous to use gasoline as a solvent. Spreading out a very thin layer (or worse yet, spraying it with a mister of some kind) on a hot metal surface will only accelerate the rate of volatilization, creating a explosive atmosphere surrounding YOU. One very small spark, and poof you are engulfed in an explosion leaving you with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over a significant portion of your body, and potentially blind, deaf or (honestly for you…better yet compared to dying several days later due to infections and other complications from the severe burns) dead.
Yes, gasoline is a good solvent in a technical sense…but, it makes a very poor one from a safety perspective.
The above properties make it ideal for use in an internal combustion engine.
now, yours was, in fact, an intelligent and reasonable reply to the question. a “why do we use gasoline in internal combustion engines” was not, and it certainly was not "terse’ and “to the point”; it was meaningless without some supporting verbiage.
that said, i’ll maintain that gasoline, used as a degreaser for bike parts, is hardly a threat for a spontaneous combustion and resulting disaster of injury.
Gasoline does have carcinogenic properties that can be distributed through inhalation and physical contact on your skin. It can be argued as an effective degreaser but it’s nasty. I recently ordered a gallon of Simple Green on Amazon for $20.
that said, i’ll maintain that gasoline, used as a degreaser for bike parts, is hardly a threat for a spontaneous combustion and resulting disaster of injury.
My father was a doctor for 40 years, and worked “on-call” in the ER once a month for the entirety of that career. During that time he saw more than a couple of burn victims who did exactly that. He has shared many of those stories with me over the years. Not all of them survived.
Many ugly things can happen when the air around you catches on fire. Maybe the initial fireball doesn’t do any harm…but, what if the canister of gasoline you are using somehow spills, and ignites at your feet…or you spill it on yourself do to the force of the explosion or simply from being scared shitless? Now what? Its quite normal to inhale rapidly when startled. What if you inhale that fireball of burning atmosphere…what happens to your esophagus and lungs?
Just because you haven’t thought of everything that can go wrong…doesn’t mean that it can’t. Talk to a first responder or two…about gasoline related injuries and deaths. No matter what, it is very unpleasant.
that said, i’ll maintain that gasoline, used as a degreaser for bike parts, is hardly a threat for a spontaneous combustion and resulting disaster of injury.
My father was a doctor for 40 years, and worked “on-call” in the ER once a month for the entirety of that career. During that time he saw more than a couple of burn victims who did exactly that. He has shared many of those stories with me over the years. Not all of them survived.
Many ugly things can happen when the air around you catches on fire. Maybe the initial fireball doesn’t do any harm…but, what if the canister of gasoline you are using somehow spills, and ignites at your feet…or you spill it on yourself do to the force of the explosion or simply from being scared shitless? Now what? Its quite normal to inhale rapidly when startled. What if you inhale that fireball of burning atmosphere…what happens to your esophagus and lungs? ** this example has nothing at all to do with the topic of using gasoline as a degreaser. there are a hell of a lot of hazardous materials out there which if mishandled can be dangerous. dumping a canister of gas which might ignite had nothing to do with the efficacy of it as a degreaser. **
Just because you haven’t thought of everything that can go wrong…doesn’t mean that it can’t. Talk to a first responder or two…about gasoline related injuries and deaths. No matter what, it is very unpleasant.
**not disputing any of this… but, you (and others) still seem to be equating a fireball disaster with the very small amounts of gasoline needed to clean some bicycle drivetrain parts !!! it’s clearly obvious that mishandling even small amounts of gas can result in injury, but let’s keep it on the realistic side considering the context within which we are discussing its use. **
You try to help people out with reasons why something may not be in their best interests. Pretty convincing anecdotes were offered up. Long story short, gas is nasty $hit.
This has to be the dumbest post I have ever read on here. Gasoline to clean the drivetrain…hell no! Seriously! Just the smell alone would be disgusting. This is idiotic!
that said, i’ll maintain that gasoline, used as a degreaser for bike parts, is hardly a threat for a spontaneous combustion and resulting disaster of injury.
My father was a doctor for 40 years, and worked “on-call” in the ER once a month for the entirety of that career. During that time he saw more than a couple of burn victims who did exactly that. He has shared many of those stories with me over the years. Not all of them survived.
Many ugly things can happen when the air around you catches on fire. Maybe the initial fireball doesn’t do any harm…but, what if the canister of gasoline you are using somehow spills, and ignites at your feet…or you spill it on yourself do to the force of the explosion or simply from being scared shitless? Now what? Its quite normal to inhale rapidly when startled. What if you inhale that fireball of burning atmosphere…what happens to your esophagus and lungs? ** this example has nothing at all to do with the topic of using gasoline as a degreaser. there are a hell of a lot of hazardous materials out there which if mishandled can be dangerous. dumping a canister of gas which might ignite had nothing to do with the efficacy of it as a degreaser. **
Just because you haven’t thought of everything that can go wrong…doesn’t mean that it can’t. Talk to a first responder or two…about gasoline related injuries and deaths. No matter what, it is very unpleasant.
**not disputing any of this… but, you (and others) still seem to be equating a fireball disaster with the very small amounts of gasoline needed to clean some bicycle drivetrain parts !!! it’s clearly obvious that mishandling even small amounts of gas can result in injury, but let’s keep it on the realistic side considering the context within which we are discussing its use. **
Good Lord. You really are just a rabbit on the highway of life waiting for a semi to flatten you.
I’ve been using gasoline for years without issue. I keep a Gatorade bottle ~1/2 full that I use for cleaning the chain and a plastic coffee can ~1/6 full for that I use for cleaning the cassette. (This cleaning is with the parts removed from the bike obviously.) I keep both of these containers in my garage next to my lawnmower gas cans. I do the cleaning outside, as well.
Folks, gasoline goes to vapor at -110 degrees Fahrenheit, making it VERY unstable for application other than our internal combustion engines. That’s why there are warnings aplenty about it’s use outside those applications. I use the simple green and my LBS mechanic even told me to use it “neat” and not diluted with water for the best results.
**EMERGENCY OVERVIEW: ** Product Description: This product is a compressed, liquefied gas with no color or odor. Health Hazards: Fumes may cause eye and respiratory irritation. May be harmful or fatal if swallowed. May cause lung damage. Overexposure may cause CNS depression. Breathing high concentrations can cause irregular heartbeats which may be fatal. Flammability Hazards: Extremely Flammable Liquid and Vapors Reactivity Hazards: This product is not reactive. Environmental Hazards: Release of the product is expected to cause adverse effects to the aquatic environment. Emergency Recommendations: Emergency responders must have personal protective equipment and fire protection appropriate for the situation to which they are responding.
Also:
Risk Phrases:
R12: Extremely flammable
R45: May cause cancer
R46: May cause heritable genetic damage
R65: harmful: may cause lung damage if swallowed
Have a read.
A guy I used to work with in college at a job told me when they were kids they caught a frog and injected it with gasoline. Then they say gas and blood come out of its eyes. Turns out it pretty much ate away at its insides. Scary stuff.
