ORIGINAL: rjm1982
You are using an electrical item in the presence of FUEL...
The pump acted as it should have...an isolated (completely sealed) electric motor will burn up quick, easily in the time it takes to fill a tank...
There are plenty of examples of sealed electric motors that are safe to use in the presence of flamable liquids. Made correctly, they would not burn up in the time it takes to fill the tank.
The problem he described has nothing to do with the pump malfunctioning, it had to do with the line comming off of the pump (can be caused by many things, not on tight, blocked vent in fuel tank causing pressure buildup, deteriation of the line from prolonged fuel exposure, among others)
Its like a hair-drying in a bathtub...they have to put that little stciker on there because people are dumb and want to sue over crap like that....
No, it's not at all "like a hair drier in a bathtub". Hair driers are not made to operate in a bathtub. Fuel pumps are (supposed to be) made to operate near fuel. And who said anything about a suit? I wish you guys would get over this suit thing and listen to what's being said. The company should know there's a problem with the product. This isn't about someone trying to make a quick buck over a defective product, it's about reporting and being compensated for a defect.
The only sure fire way to create a fireproof (electric) pump is to isolate the motor away from the pump through gears or linkages...would be heavy, expencive, and would not be practical...
I think you're overstating the difficulty of solving this problem.
And yo call it a dangerous product.....DUH....its EXPLOSIVE/COMBUSTABLE FUEL....by its intended purpose, it is a dangerous product...
Now, If...and its a slight If....the pump had broken internally and allowed fuel to get to the motor itself, then MAYBE there would be cause to ask for ANY damages...but the thing is, im sure they make tons and tons of his particular pump, and im sure that very few have had any problems, therefore there is no neglect on the part of the manufacturer/importer, and there is no call for damages...if a pump were to break internally and catch fire...if its such an isolated incident, it would be chocked up to mishandling by the user more than the manufacturer...
It makes no sense for the person who experienced this loss to just say "oh well, fuel is dangerous" and accept the loss. Fuel pumps should NOT catch on fire. When this kind of problem happens with a car, defect leading to fire, the manufacturers issue safety recalls.
To madmanmikie, ignore what these people are saying. Contrary to what they say, nobody should have to fear that a fuel pump is going to lead to a fire. If you haven't thrown the pump away already, take some pics of it and the stuff you lost and then send the remains of the pump to the importer (Hangar 9, Hobbico, etc) with a polite letter describing what happened, and what you lost. Include an itemized list of the loss and what they cost and ask them to compensate you for your loss and to investigate the safety of their product. Send a copy of the letter to the author of the MA Safety Comes First column, Dave Gee at Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409, so others can be warned of this problem.