Unsafe safety features

Sometimes in the name of safety, designers can create unsafe conditions.

I was reminded of this again in dealing with one of my pet peeves, gas cans that are not easy to use. 

I've written about this issue before in "Misguided safety measures" and "Tired of pouring gas on your shoes?"

I thought that I had found a better solution with No-Spill gas cans from Denny's Lawn and Garden.  Instead of a stopper within the cap, they had a push-button to control the flow out the spout.

In general, the No-Spill cans work as advertised.  Apparently earlier models still dripped through the seal between the spout and the can.  I don't recall having that problem.

However, like all the "safety" cans, they can be very frustrating when filling them.

First, it is a real pain to get the spout off, especially in cold weather while wearing gloves.  The ratchet lock is very difficult to release and can take both thumbs to release.  Last weekend I used a tack puller to get enough leverage to push the lock in.

Second, once the can is full, it takes many efforts to get the spout back on.  It goes on crooked more easily than it goes on straight.  I find this disconcerting and curious.  The threads are rather coarse and one would think the spout should go on with the first attempt.

Frustrations like this lead to carelessness.  Carelessness can lead to improper use.  Improper use can lead to unsafe conditions, creating conditions that "safety" designs were supposed to eliminate.

I still haven't found a gas can design that is better than the 5-liter steel "Jerry can" I bought in Sweden over thirty years ago.  I only stopped using it because I couldn't replace the cork seal.  I still have it in a shed at our cabin.  I can't remember all the details of the design, but the spout was held on with a lever that locked on each side.  Pull up and you could take the spout off.  Push down and you locked the spout in place.

Misguided safety measures

I have more gas cans than I should have. I lose a vent cap or a disc seal and can't seem to find either for that particular can, and so I have to buy another gas can with yet a different vent cap or disc seal.

But the last one I bought is a @#$%&* nuisance. Both the vent cap and the spout ring have stops. To unloosen them one has to raise a plastic doohickey to get over a little wedge in the body of the can. These are bad enough in the summer when one can take off work gloves, but it is finger-numbering when its below 20° F.

I finally took a Leatherman saw to the tabs and got them out of the way. However, the designers overlooked one safety feature that is lacking in almost all gas cans. It takes a lot of effort to put the spout on just so to make sure the can doesn't leak as one pours gas into a tank.

I talked to Scott Cyr at Denny's Lawn and Garden about this. He said he had never found a can that wouldn't leak at the spout. I thought I had found a way to reduce the leaking. I keep the spout a quarter turn counterclockwise from where I want it as I tighten the cap. When I think I have it as tight as possible, I turn the cap again letting the spout turn also.

Today, as I poured gas into my lawn mower, I noticed that I had a puddle of gas on the driveway!

Safety engineers! Product designers! Before you fiddle around with making your gas cans difficult for kids to open, how about making sure that adults don't spill gas?