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Alternative use for vacuum cleaner? |
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After several nights of tossing and turning, I have decided, in an unprecedented move, to make public a little incident that occurred one quiet Sunday morning in my garage. In so doing, I make myself in-illegible for nomination for a Darwin award. This cunning move also removes any newsworthiness of the incident, making myself even more untouchable.
In helping a friend fit a new carburettor to his Mini, the task involved checking on the fuel level in the tank before starting the car for the first time. Upon removing the fuel cap, we found substantial corrosion had occurred on the inside surfaces of the cap which caused a large amount of particles to drop onto the surface of the neck of the fuel tank spout.
We pondered on how to proceed for a moment or two. If we used a rag to attempt to 'mop' up the particles, debris would fall into the tank causing numerous problems, some of which could cause the car to stop late at night on a deserted road. Possibly even resulting in death. The solution suddenly came to me and without further hesitation I walked over to where the vacuum cleaner was stored.
I adjusted the variable-suck knob to the maximum and fired the baby up, so to speak. The vacuum hose approached and then entered the ring of the spout, and I watched the guilty particles get swallowed up into the vacuum hose. I love it when a plan comes together.
I was a little taken aback (I s*** myself) however, at what happened next. An explosion emitted from the vacuum machine. "Oh bother" I thought (once I had landed), "what happened here then?". The plastic vents on the vacuum machine cover where all melted, black ex-sealant from the vacuum innards where sprayed against all that was within a 2 metre radius. And my knees where shaking.
Science lesson for anyone who has not yet worked out what transpired: the errant vacuum machine sucked fuel vapour through the pipe and into ……. the …….. hot ……… fan next to the hot electric motor. The heat was enough to ignite the vapour and cause an explosion. Isn't physics wonderful?
My Darwin indemnity is thus completed.
Mr X **Editor's note: all names were removed to protect the innocent  |
Mini Memories