A Costly Mistake at The Gas Pump You Can Avoid!
By: Scott Siegel

The costly mistake many drivers make when filling their car with gas is to overfill it by topping it off. When the gas pump nozzle clicks off, do you stop or do you keep pumping? Are you trying to add more gas your tank after the shutoff trying to stuff as much in as possible? Are you pumping more gas after the shutoff to round your total cost to the nearest full dollar amount? If either of these scenarios are true, or if any other reason causes you to top off your tank you have developed a bad habit that is costing you money and is contributing to air pollution.

Most gas stations are equipped with pumps that have vapor recovery systems to recover gas vapors keeping those vapors from getting into the air. If you top off your tank it will cause you to pay for gas that is drawn back into the gas station's vapor recovery system.

The extra gas you are trying to pump into your tank may just be drawn into the vapor line and back into the station's tanks. That means that you will be paying for gas that is not going into your car but is going back into the gas station's storage tanks. Of course the effect of this is to raise your cost of gas.

When you top off your tank there is a good chance that gas will evaporate or will be spilled on the ground. Both of these things will cost you money for gas that is not getting into your tank. That is it bad for your wallet.

There are more bad things that can happen when topping off your gas tank. Gasoline expands as it gets warmer. This is certainly important in the summer or in climates with warm weather. Gas in the station's underground tanks will be cooler than the air. As the gas in your tank warms up it expands. As the gasoline expands it needs more room.

If you overfill your car, there is no room for the fuel to expand. As the gas expands it has to go somewhere. It could easily find it's way into the vapor collection system of your own car. This may foul the vapor system causing it to malfunction.

The fuel that expands is lost gasoline that you have paid for. You paid for gas that you are not able to use. The result: your cost of gasoline goes up. But that is not the end of your increased costs! If the expanding fuel ends up in your car's vapor collection system it will negatively affect the system. If that occurs your vehicle will become much less efficient.

A vehicle that runs inefficiently burns more fuel which translates into spending more money on gas. That is a double hit in the wallet, once for the fuel that is lost directly and second for the additional gas your vehicle uses because it is running inefficiently.

Gas vapors are a major factor in adding toxic pollutants such as benzene to the air. This contributes to bad ozone days. Gas vapors are bad for your health and harmful to breathe. When you top off your tank you will end up with vapors released into the air. When this happens you are breathing in toxic fumes.

The next time you stop to fill your vehicle, when the pump stops don't try to add any more gas, your tank should be quite full. Don't overfill it! Don't top it off! You will save yourself fuel and money but you will also contribute to preserving your good health and preserving the environment!


Copied from another site I'm on, seemed to fit the bill right now with the gas prices as high as they are.

 

Very true. I always stop when it clicks off.

 

great info. thx!

 

never knew that damn, learn something new everyday right

 

Wow, interesting information I've never topped off though in fear that it would overflow and land all over me feet !

 

ugh.... they fill it up for us in oregon...

 

yeah I see a lot of people topping their tanks off! And when they spill they just leave...with fuel on the gas station floor.

AND also as important often overlooked by many:

Don't use your celphone (leave in in the car) while filling up and do not go back inside your car while waiting to finish because either one might generate enough static electricity to ignite the gas vapors...it's written on the pumps too (in small fonts tho )

I've seen to many internet videos out there of people's gas tank blowing up!

 

i don't even wait for the click. i always do 10 gallons.

 

oregon needs to get over this outdated rule of not being able to pump our own gas. stupid @ss attendents never listen when i tell them not to top it off. then they can't even close the cap correctly.

 

the cellphone thing is 100% myth and has been proven to be so. Even mythbusters placed a cell in a pressurized box with a perfect air fuel ratio and could not cause an explosion. It actually took a fairly large spark generator. I dont use my cell when I am pumping for the simple fact that I dont need a phone glued to my ear 24 hours a day I also dont talk on one while driving (should be banned nationwide IMO) so I dont get out of the car with my phone in my hand to start with

Overfilling can also cause issues with the evap system on your car though.

 

better safe than sorry I'd say

 

I think Jersey has this as well? I thought it was hilarious the first time I heard of it. I met a girl who literally had never pumped her own gas It creates all sorts of cool jokes about your state as well... "you guys cant even pump gas up there!"

 

cell phone myth was busted by the Mythbusters!

 

another money saving tip is to use the lowest speed when pumpin gas. it has somethin to do with the air and pressure but it'll save u money.

 

or filling up in the morning or at night when its cool and if the gas truck is putting in more gas into the gas station tanks u should probably go find another gas station since all the dirt, grime, etc. with mix with the gas being pumped in and will go into ur gas tank and eventually ur engine

 

my problem isn't overfilling its using the wrong gas, premium instead of regular. not doing that also saves you a whole bunch of money

 

ive seen a guy tip the whole hose with both his hands for his head trying to get more gas out of it before.thanks for info

 

^^ lol me too it was this indian taxi

 

Tell them not to top it off...........they know damn well it does that and they are just scraping a bit of money out of your pocket.......plus when they get it all over your paint you need to have them give you a car wash.........gas trashes the paint over time.

 

Yep...I loved it in Arizona. Slide the card in then out, hit 87 and fill it up. Didn't have to wait for some moron to come to my car and then hear the clank of the gas cap hitting the side of the car . It sucks.