By Russ and Tiña De Maris
[Editor: See below for more information about this incident.]
Add this to your “Sadder, but wiser RVer” file. An unnamed RVer pulled into a North Atlantic fuel station in Grand-Falls Windsor, Newfoundland, last Tuesday. His RV’s black tank needing to be emptied, he pulled up to the RV dump station, opened the lid, hooked up, and “bombs away!” Another service station customer noticed the earnest dumper, and mentioned it to the station attendant.
Here’s the problem: It appears the station didn’t have a dump station for RVers. Rather, the RVer had actually pulled the lid up on the regular gas fuel dump, set up for fuel delivery drivers to drop a load of GASOLINE, not black water.
The attendant immediately cut off the regular fuel pumps, and posted signs indicating that while diesel and a small amount of Supreme would be available, regular was out of stock. There would be that necessary delay for a pump truck to come and pump out the contaminated fuel and refill with clean gas.
This writing team recalls an incident on a downtown Idaho street some years ago. Pulling up to the city-provided dump station, the “nameless” dumper hooked up the sewer hose to their black water dump port, located underneath the floor. Having failed to check the security of the fitting, that same nameless one pulled the black water tank lever – and was instantly doused with some unspeakably foul liquid. We won’t go into that same individual having to strip down in public, while the other partner liberally hosed the unfortunate one down with a hose.
Had an embarrassing incident with your holding tanks? We’d love to hear about it for a future article. Drop us a line at Russ atsign rvtravel.com .
UPDATE July 19: For those of you who are claiming we are posting fake news, here’s a copy of the message the Grand Falls-Windsor North Atlantic gas station posted on their FB page after the incident on July 14:
“We had an unfortunate incident at our Lincoln Road location this morning. An RV driver mistook one of our fuel tank for a dumping station and dumped his black water in the tank. Thankfully an alert customer noticed what was happening and advised our staff. We immediately shut down our regular gas as a result. Unfortunately we are currently unable to serve regular gas, however we do have diesel. We are also trying to maintain a supply of supreme gas but due to the small size of that tank, supply will be limited. The good news is that on Tuesday morning crews will be on site to empty and clean the tank and we hope to have new gas in the tank by the end of day tomorrow. Thank you to all our customers for your support and we really appreciate your patience as we work to rectify this situation.”
Here’s their update on July 15:
**************UPDATE**************
“Letting our customers know that crews have completed their work as of 1PM on July 15th and we are now serving regular gas again. All gasoline in the tank was removed, the tank was thoroughly cleaned and new gas was put in the tank. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you soon!”
Here’s a link to their FB page if you still don’t believe us: https://www.facebook.com/Grand-Falls-Windsor-North-Atlantic-653875481389598/
##RVT957b
Another example of the old phrase, “You can’t fix STUPID!”
Please, someone enter this in the Guiness book of world records, for the most expensive RV dump ever.
Hard to believe there are people that stupid out there. This is not a boo-boo or entertaining or education it`s raw stupidity with money. Wonder why there are so many Law suits? This guy is the reason, no doubt wants to blame the station for having gas fill area that looked like an RV dump station.
It’s not hard to believe there are that many STUPID people out there! It used to be a occasional thing, “NOW ITS THE NORM”!
This goes to my theory of colleges spending the freshman year removing common sense so they can install college education in its place. Similar to military boot camp spending the first 4 weeks removing all that civilian junk and replacing it with a military mind. Lol
No comment on the first part except more RV education needed there. On the second story…That is one of the reasons I always pull the grey tank first to let a little out to check for leaks. Easier to clean up than a black tank blow out.
And we wonder why the public talks abiut us behind our backs
I thought that here in the states, you needed a special spanner wrench to unscrew the cap on the fuel dump.
Actually, NO.
The cAp has snap lock handles, similar to the cam locks on fuel hose fittings, fuel,tankers etc.
No tools are needed to remove the tank fill caps.
Spent many a year servicing Gulf and Arco tankers in Chicago.
Did the RVr have to pay the costs for pumping and cleaning?
Rob
I dont know but it was in Newfoundland.
Probably like the evening news we’d be better consider this entertained than informed.
Alvin, please see my reply to Ken, below. Or look at the post again. It’s been updated. —Diane at RVtravel.com
I’ve never seen a fuel dump locked
During the gas crisis in the 70’s it was not unusual to hear of someone parking over a tank and pumping it into barrels in a van.
Yep
Research Almarc Manufacturing in Chicago, actulally Bensenville Illinois.
He got his start in the petroleum industry by parking a six wheel tanker over fuel fills in stations that had received fuel. Pumped it out and sold it back the next day.
Name?
Alvin Reuben
Demise?
Sold the bank of Delaware that he had 100,000 gallons of ethylene glycol for manufacturing of automotive antifreeze, by dropping 3 inch pvc pipes, capped on the bottom, into the tank farm fill openings.
Simply filled the pipes with virgin glycol, and when tank levels were checked with a stick, 5hey showed full, when in fact , dead empty….one of his drivers ratted this out to the bank, and Almarc Manufacturing became a Chicago embarrassment.
Had the misfortune of being a class 8 truck mechanic for Almarc back then….
Rob
Every fuel fill connector in a gas station that I’ve seen is locked. Otherwise someone could pull up and drop a hose down and pump free gas. I don’t believe this story.
agesilaus, please see my reply to Ken, below. Or look at the post again. It’s been updated. —Diane at RVtravel.com
If you read the story, it was in Newfoundland. Who knows what they have there?
My compositing toilet idea is looking better and better!
No, this is a fake story.
J.P.M., please see my reply to Ken, below. Or look at the post again. It’s been updated. —Diane at RVtravel.com
My question would be. Alzheimer or Nubie???
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gfw-north-atlantic-gas-1.5648721
Sorry. I cannot believe this story. Fake News
Hey, Ken. Here’s a copy of the message the Grand Falls-Windsor North Atlantic gas station posted on their FB page after the incident on July 14:
“We had an unfortunate incident at our Lincoln Road location this morning. An RV driver mistook one of our fuel tank for a dumping station and dumped his black water in the tank. Thankfully an alert customer noticed what was happening and advised our staff. We immediately shut down our regular gas as a result. Unfortunately we are currently unable to serve regular gas, however we do have diesel. We are also trying to maintain a supply of supreme gas but due to the small size of that tank, supply will be limited. The good news is that on Tuesday morning crews will be on site to empty and clean the tank and we hope to have new gas in the tank by the end of day tomorrow. Thank you to all our customers for your support and we really appreciate your patience as we work to rectify this situation.”
Here’s their update on July 15:
**************UPDATE**************
“Letting our customers know that crews have completed their work as of 1PM on July 15th and we are now serving regular gas again. All gasoline in the tank was removed, the tank was thoroughly cleaned and new gas was put in the tank. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you soon!”
Here’s a link to their FB page if you still don’t believe us: https://www.facebook.com/Grand-Falls-Windsor-North-Atlantic-653875481389598/
—Diane at RVtravel.com
So the guy didn’t notice there wasn’t a water supply line available to wash down the area ?
There is something stinky with this story.
Kurt, please see my reply to Ken, above. Or look at the post again. It’s been updated. —Diane at RVtravel.com
What about the fuel tank itself? Was pumping out the bad fuel enough, or was it still “contaminated?” How would you know you weren’t still getting fouled fuel once “new” fuel was delivered?
There should be a water separator between the underground tanks and the pump that would catch any non-fuel liquid. It’s called a Gas-collator (stacks the fuel and water in separate layers).
The story was updated this morning (go back to the article) with the gas station’s post from their FB page, which explains what happened and how they fixed it. —Diane at RVtravel.com
Also in Twin Falls Idaho once the owner of a chain of gas stations delivered a load of gas to one of his stations when the regular drive was unavailable. He opened the sewer lid and dumped a tanker load of gas down the sewer.
Not only are they among us in greater numbers but they vote and reproduce
and they reproduce much more frequently than the rest of us. Sad.
Not only that, they drive too!
Not called for. Not so bright folks where all hats.
I saw this sign on a recent trip upstate NY:
“We all know that you can’t fix stupid.
But now we know you can quarantine it.”
Well, he is a newfie …
Nope. The guy in question was “from away”.
Far, Far Away
For those who Listened to Paul Harvey on the Radio: “And now, the Rest of the Story”???
So what happened to the CLOWN who dumped his waste in the FUEL TANK? Was he required to pay to have the Fuel Tank pumped out?? That was contaminated Fuel and could never be used again in vehicles or any other Gasoline powered device. Very costly venture!
Would be nice to here all the facts here and “The Rest of the Story”!
Wouldn’t the fuel holding tank be locked??
Locked? Not likely, altho likely will be in the future!!
Amazing how someone so STOOPID can function, bet they can’t even tell front from back of their pants.
No, just lift the lid, however there are two lids! The one above ground and a watertight cap below ground so water and snow (and sewage) cannot get into the fuel tanks! 🤷♂️
Yes sir, and that cap / lid, has cam locks only and no wrench is needed to remove it.
When working for. Almarc, I had the displeasure of taking the pumper trailer out to,his company Stations that had been contaminated with “Barge Bottoms”
Of water saturated Methanol that he had his drivers introduce into the tanks to create his own version of Gasahol “ and already being saturated with water, it all sank to,the bottom of the tanks, and was then introduced into unsuspecting motorists, whose cars never made more than several hundred feet away from the station.
Unbelievable what the criminal mind can come up with rather than just plain honest days work…
Rob
Notfunny, please see my reply to Ken, above, for a little more to the story. Or look at the post again. It’s been updated, but we don’t know what happened to the RVer. —Diane at RVtravel.com