How Stupid Is This?

[Arc Angel]

Here's a ridiculous email I got this morning. For your comments please...

Do not pump full tank of petrol

Many of us are not aware that the petrol kiosk pump has a return pipe-line (in Pink ). When the petrol tank (in the car) reaches full level, there is a mechanism to trigger off the pump latch and at the same time a return-valve is opened (at the top of the pump station) to allow excess petrol to flow back into the sump. But the return petrol has already pass through the meter, meaning you are donating the petrol back to SHELL/CALTEX/ MOBIL/ PETRONAS

[Ripper]

Here's a ridiculous email I got this morning. For your comments please...

hmm never seen a pump apart but i doubt this is true... at least not in the stations i pump

when the tank reaches full, the pump is automatically cut off and you can clearly hear a clicking sorta noise when this happens. then the pump attendant manually pumps while observing the "top-up" level and stop when it's full topped up... so i don't see how the meter can still run in this sorta scenario...

And in my case... i keep a keen eye out to check the whole process

[Sha7]

Here's a ridiculous email I got this morning. For your comments please...

I got the same mail. This is not how it works. Fuel may going back to the tank or not (since I can't see inside). But i'm sure that meter is not running once after it triggers off.

Another myth is that thinking you are the owner for the fuel that is in the tube of the pump because that fuel already passed through the meter. Which is totally wrong.

[Arc Angel]

I got the same mail. This is not how it works. Fuel may going back to the tank or not (since I can't see inside). But i'm sure that meter is not running once after it triggers off.

Another myth is that thinking you are the owner for the fuel that is in the tube of the pump because that fuel already passed through the meter. Which is totally wrong.

thats true. I guess you start pumping with fuel already in the tube in that case, so it evens out anyway.

[Ripper]

thats true. I guess you start pumping with fuel already in the tube in that case, so it evens out anyway.

don't know hoe true this is but i've heard that station buggers get the fuel in the hose out after hours... once collected from 3-4 pumps apparently it amounts to a few litres...which is not bad for a small moped or summin to run for about a week :)

[Mean Green z28]

Most fuel pumps have a vapor evacuation system (to suck up the fuel vapor that's expelled when the tank is being filled with fuel in liquid form) and that's what they're reffering to in that email. This system is needed by law to recover the fuel vapors 'cos the vapors contribute to ground level ozone.

The only time you have this working against you is when you try to manually fill up your tank "after" the automatic shutoff has done its job. At this point, you're gonna try to effecively get as much fuel in your tank so you're gonna slow down the pump/etc., that's where the vapor evac system, may pull some of the fuel you're pumping back into the tanks of the gas station. Ofcourse, the damn pump keeps shutting off when it detects this, but some people really keep trying ... lol. For me, I just stop when the auto shutoff does it for me. Getting a few drops more in the tank doesn't make much of a difference in how far I go (maybe the fuel station gets a couple cents more in buisness though) and it's not like that last bit is free, I'm still paying for the damn thing! Also, you can assume that most auto shut off systems shut off at the same spot, so you know for a fact that the next time you pump, you're at the same exact spot and calculating fuel economy will be easier. Ofcourse it's only a couple drops, but why go through all that trouble?