Catching Siphoners?

[LollerBrader]

Twice in the last month, we've lost half a tank to late-night siphoning. It's always gone on around here, but we'd been ignored until now.

I'm considering a wireless module linked to our home alarm system, but would also like to explore standard vehicle-based alarms: Ideally, something that wouldn't be audible to the culprits, but would alert me inside my house that someone was messing with my vehicle.

Can anyone suggest any alarms/technologies/installers that would be appropriate for this.

Other suggestions welcome as well.

[arian_ma]

People are siphoning gas out of your car????

What area? This city is going downhill FAST.

[Kloubek]

Where in the NE do you live?

[Zhariak]

I was in Banff once... Parked at the upper level of a parkade outdoors....

Mofo's siphoned 80 litres of premium out of my tank! haha Left the bikes on the bike rack on the back though, lmao

[spacerz]

OP: You can get a locking gas cap. (im not talking about the door, the actual cap)!

[thepyrofish]

They're likely just kids, and if you catch them and beat the shit out of them their parents will call the cops and you're getting charged.

Just spend $20 on a locking gas cap and call it a day. It's a crime of opportunity, if your car isn't easy they'll move on.

[LollerBrader]

Originally posted by spacerz
OP: You can get a locking gas cap. (im not talking about the door, the actual cap)!

That's a darned good idea. It may disqualify punitive satisfaction, but will definitely save effort and $$$.


Thank you.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

A lot of those locking caps cause evap leaks out of the tank, thus trigger an engine light.

I'd still do it, but it should would be nice if you could get a switch to trigger an air horn when the door is opened.

[badatusrnames]

Wow, never heard of anyone having that happen to them.

But, as mentioned:

http://www.drivingcomfort.com/images/originals/stant_cap_1.jpg

[94boosted]

Originally posted by AE92_TreunoSC

I'd still do it, but it should would be nice if you could get a switch to trigger an air horn when the door is opened.

This ^

Would be far more entertaining having some punks running as fast as they can away from your house with shit stained pants :rofl:

[turbotrip]

LOL what part of the city has this "always gone on in"?

im guessing bowness or dover?

[S4maniac]

FWIW Locking caps won't stop anyone. They'll drilling into the tank if they really want your gas. Happened twice in our yard.

[sr20s14zenki]

Funny story about that, and mind you it could be urban legend, uncle told me it was his friend. Anyways, buddy had converted a bus to a camper, and it had two tanks. He kept the first tank for gasoline, but the second one, he turned into the shit tank. Well, im sure you can see where this is going....they came out one morning to a hose hanging out of the shit tank, and a trail of puke leading into the woods. Regardless if its urban legend, still funny as fuck. Oh, and thats my only contribution to this thread, useless, i know.


:D

[nismodrifter]

I blame TPB for glorifying this criminal act:

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j3oSDg6w5BQ

[kbye]

Originally posted by sr20s14zenki
Funny story about that, and mind you it could be urban legend, uncle told me it was his friend. Anyways, buddy had converted a bus to a camper, and it had two tanks. He kept the first tank for gasoline, but the second one, he turned into the shit tank. Well, im sure you can see where this is going....they came out one morning to a hose hanging out of the shit tank, and a trail of puke leading into the woods. Regardless if its urban legend, still funny as fuck. Oh, and thats my only contribution to this thread, useless, i know.
:D

i remember that story from an episode of freaky stories on ytv.

[wintonyk]

Originally posted by kbye


i remember that story from an episode of freaky stories on ytv.

lol i remember that story too haha

[know1edge]

:rofl:
3rd, though I was too young to understand it the 1st time I saw it

[Masked Bandit]

That was a nice spin move in the second video.

[manny18]

Originally posted by S4maniac
FWIW Locking caps won't stop anyone. They'll drilling into the tank if they really want your gas. Happened twice in our yard.

This is true. But if there's other vehicles around. Chances are that they'll skip the one with the locking cap and go for one without it.

[Tracer2008]

Originally posted by S4maniac
FWIW Locking caps won't stop anyone. They'll drilling into the tank if they really want your gas. Happened twice in our yard.
Seriously? What a pain, find it hard to believe... Maybe they just don't have pumps It would take awhile to wait for it to drain/drill thru...

[ReflexFX]

Originally posted by S4maniac
FWIW Locking caps won't stop anyone. They'll drilling into the tank if they really want your gas. Happened twice in our yard.

You must have some pretty fucking valuable gasoline.

[Tracer2008]

Originally posted by nismodrifter
I blame TPB for glorifying this criminal act:

RXtePW4v8zs

j3oSDg6w5BQ
And I'd blame the folks that let their kids watch it Parental controls work wonders...

[Tracer2008]

Originally posted by ReflexFX


You must have some pretty fucking valuable gasoline.
Hey all fuel is cheap when its free... And its not hard to pay off the cap, easy to make 20Ls...

[Unknown303]

My Jeep came with a locking cap. I figure they'll walk to the next vehicle that doesn't have one rather than spending time trying to drill into my tank.

[4lti]

Originally posted by S4maniac
FWIW Locking caps won't stop anyone. They'll drilling into the tank if they really want your gas. Happened twice in our yard.

Somebody drilled into your locked gas cap and stole your gas?
No one herd this drilling going on?
This sounds insane, unless you're talking about a huge gas tank where the stealing would be worth it.
But on a passenger car... I dunno.

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by S4maniac
FWIW Locking caps won't stop anyone. They'll drilling into the tank if they really want your gas. Happened twice in our yard.

Locking your car won't prevent anyone from stealing it either.

They'll bring a crane and a flatbed if they really want your car.

Your house? They'll take it too, locked or not:

http://compassion-house.org/images/Monti%20House%20moving.jpg

I think you missed the point.

[sr20s14zenki]

Haha if people are drilling the locks out, why not remove a step and drill a hole in the bottom of the gas tank :D '

thats what i would do if i were a scumbag...i would atleast be a smart scumbag.

[J-D]

Originally posted by sr20s14zenki
Haha if people are drilling the locks out, why not remove a step and drill a hole in the bottom of the gas tank :D '

thats what i would do if i were a scumbag...i would atleast be a smart scumbag.

Powertools and gasoline?

Sounds smart.

[sr20s14zenki]

Originally posted by J-D


Powertools and gasoline?

Sounds smart.

How do you think they drain the gas when it goes to pick n pull? Fine, a hole punch, not a drill, although i HIGHLY doubt the gas would ignite, you need vapour for that. You can flick a cigarette into a lake of gas and it wont ignite. Mythbusters proved that regular ammunition will not ignite a gas tank being shot thru it. You can weld a gas tank while its full and 99% of the time it wont blow up. So...why would a drill not work?

[Maxt]

I use to work at a place where the gas would go missing on a regular basis.. We suspected a few people, but couldnt tell if it was an inside job or not do to the poor security of where the vehicles and gas was kept.
It got to be pretty regular, I filled vehicles and power equipment up, and filled jerry cans on a Friday, come in Monday,and everything is dry... I told my boss, he said figure out a way to catch them somehow.
So I filled everything up, except I took 2 large Jerry cans and put about 2 litres of gas in each, then filled the remaining volume with water. I left the Jerry cans off to the side but still in a semi secured area. Like clockwork, Monday morning, everything is dry..
Low and behold a coworker fails to show up for work, and suddenly resigns, and his buddy that use to hang around reports car problems to other staff...
Just don't be to blatent with the placement.

[Alak]

We had a gas thief at my work. Used that canadian tire easy pump thing to drain the tanks. Everyone had suspicions on who it was, since our workplace was a little remote, and specific. One day, one of the drivers was walking to his car at like 3 in the morning to get something from his car during his shift, and low and behold the gas thief red handed. Instead of doing the smart thing and trying to run, the thief tried to play it up all friendly or some such, I guess. Unfortunately for him, our driver had been a body builder for about 20 years.

They literally had to take the guy away in an ambulance. Never saw him or heard from him again.


Another time, an employee desperate for gas shows up at our equipment gas pump in the middle of the plant. Drives up his car, puts the nozzle in his ol 440 New Yorker and starts fillin' her up. He got to about 30 litres before he realized that half of the pump was diesel, and the gas was on the otherside....

[adidas]

Another cheap solution, Fill up ur gas tank with only 10L at a time. Unfortunately it might be a waste of time going to the pump every day or 2 but at least then u know that they aint stealing much from u and will eventually realize and move on.

[J-hop]

.

[revelations]

Originally posted by sr20s14zenki
You can flick a cigarette into a lake of gas and it wont ignite. Mythbusters proved that regular ammunition will not ignite a gas tank being shot thru it. You can weld a gas tank while its full and 99% of the time it wont blow up. So...why would a drill not work?

I would like to see a video of a lit cigarette being tossed into a pool of 87 octane gasoline on the ground, and not have it light up.

True, the vapours are far more combustible and dangerous, but that doesent mean liguid gasoline is not highly flammable.

I need not bother posting links of people at gas stations igniting their vehicles on fire due to static discharge.

[sr20s14zenki]

Originally posted by revelations


I would like to see a video of a lit cigarette being tossed into a pool of 87 octane gasoline on the ground, and not have it light up.

True, the vapours are far more combustible and dangerous, but that doesent mean liguid gasoline is not highly flammable.

I need not bother posting links of people at gas stations igniting their vehicles on fire due to static discharge.

Static=spark
cigarette=burning ambers, thats why i assume anyways.

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im not saying that video cant be fake, and that its for sure gas, but I MYSELF have done it and never had it ignite.


http://mythbustersresults.com/special7

go to the bottom, it says ignition from a cigarette is highly improbable.

also, please refer to the last comment made by K.C. Fire Investigator


:dunno:

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by revelations


I would like to see a video of a lit cigarette being tossed into a pool of 87 octane gasoline on the ground, and not have it light up.

True, the vapours are far more combustible and dangerous, but that doesent mean liguid gasoline is not highly flammable.

I need not bother posting links of people at gas stations igniting their vehicles on fire due to static discharge.

The issue is that you need the proper air-fuel mixture, no different than a car. That condition doesn't always exist when you've got a bunch of gasoline sitting in one place.

[revelations]

^ the youtube video is a fake, read the originators comments.


I dont have the video of the actual Mythbusters experiment, but if they did it the same way as this guy, ie. gas in a short, tall glass, then I can see it being less likely to ignite.

Thats why I specifically stated a POOL OF GASOLINE ON THE GROUND in my post as changing conditions changes the nature of the experiment significantly.

Furthermore, the ambient temperature will significantly affect the amount of gasoline vapour present above the liquid. So, if the test was done on a cold day for eg. chances are less the gasoline will ignite.

My point is the liquid form of gasoline needs a far higher temperature to ignite than the vapours - once the vapour ignites, the gasoline will generally follow suit given the conditions I mentioned.

[sr20s14zenki]

Originally posted by revelations
^ the youtube video is a fake, read the originators comments.


I dont have the video of the actual Mythbusters experiment, but if they did it the same way as this guy, ie. gas in a short, tall glass, then I can see it being less likely to ignite.

Thats why I specifically stated a POOL OF GASOLINE ON THE GROUND in my post as changing conditions changes the nature of the experiment significantly.

Furthermore, the ambient temperature will significantly affect the amount of gasoline vapour present above the liquid. So, if the test was done on a cold day, chances are less that the gasoline will ignite.

look man...go do it if you dont believe me. We did it 3 times on a bunch of gas we spilled from a car during a swap on his driveway....3 different smokes...no fire....30 degrees out side, middle of summer.

:thumbsup:

[revelations]

Originally posted by sr20s14zenki


look man...go do it if you dont believe me. We did it 3 times on a bunch of gas we spilled from a car during a swap on his driveway....3 different smokes...no fire....30 degrees out side, middle of summer.

:thumbsup:

If you say so....I'll take your word for it.

I grew up as a bit of a pyro, playing with a coke can of gasoline as a kid (in our backyard) and i dont remember having any problems igniting it :rofl:

(dangerous, yes.... but learned many things, eg. what happens when you try to douse a chemical fire with water)

[sr20s14zenki]

Originally posted by revelations


If you say so....I'll take your word for it.

I grew up as a bit of a pyro, playing with a coke can of gasoline as a kid (in our backyard) and i dont remember having any problems igniting it :rofl:

(dangerous, yes.... but learned many things, eg. what happens when you try to douse a chemical fire with water)

Was that with a cigarette? and were you holding the cigarette to it or to the vapours? PPl were saying you could light it if you took a drag while it was by the fumes, causing it to get hotter, and exceed the auto ignition threshold.

I dunno, all i can say is ive done it, and it didnt work, and if you google all over the internet, and mythbusters, they say it wont work, and im talking about throwing a cigarette into a puddle of gas, not holding it there (=

interesting science discussion here for sure :D

I have seen, and heard of others, welding on a gas tank. The experts say as long as its full, it wont ignite, but who the fuck wants to take that chance ;)

[spikerS]

ummm, gas tanks have baffles in them to stop the gas from sloshing all over the place and your gas needle bouncing all over because the float is all over the place.

if that is true, they are not going to get much unless you have a full tank.

[texasnick]

I've accidentally thrown a lit cigarette into a pool of diesel once, and it just put the cigarette out.

Not sure if I would try it with gas though......all it has to do is light up the vapor above the pool and it WILL ignite the rest of the gas.

[Toma]

Contact switch on gas door.

Simple wiring and a solenoid activating both an air horn and a can of bear spray.

[tictactoe2004]

Originally posted by Toma
Contact switch on gas door.

Simple wiring and a solenoid activating both an air horn and a can of bear spray.

Till you forget to deactivate it when you're at the gas station...

[Toma]

Originally posted by tictactoe2004


Till you forget to deactivate it when you're at the gas station...
LOL...if the owner is that stupid, they deserve it lol

[S4maniac]

Originally posted by 4lti


Somebody drilled into your locked gas cap and stole your gas?
No one herd this drilling going on?
This sounds insane, unless you're talking about a huge gas tank where the stealing would be worth it.
But on a passenger car... I dunno.

It's a fenced enclosure with 4 full size commercial vans. Over 100 litres per vehicle. Yes remote enough that no one heard the drilling. They hit twice this summer.

And they didn't drill the cap, they drilled right into the top of the stem area. They're not too worried about spillage ...

[kylejw]

An aftermarket alarm with a spare input, and a friend whose decent with electrical work should be all you need. Could do a pressure switch on the door (not cap, probably don't want to mess with the cap on an OBD-II vehicle). Once the door is opened it would trigger the alarm and closing the door wouldn't stop it. Just be sure to fuse the positive close to wherever you tap into.

[pf0sh0]

Originally posted by Toma
Contact switch on gas door.

Simple wiring and a solenoid activating both an air horn and a can of bear spray.

That would fucking suck so bad

[kylejw]

^ Hell scratch what I just said, if you have a factory alarm that's triggered by the trunk opening, just throw a pressure switch in line with the trunk pin, opening the fuel door will then trigger the alarm the same as the trunk. Would work with the hood too, but that's some long wires.