Do You Make This Mistake at The Gas Pump?
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.
In many areas, a gas station's pumps have vapor recovery systems that recover gas vapors to keep those vapors from getting into the air. If you top off your gas tank it will result in you paying 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 overfill your gas tank it is almost a certainty that gasoline will evaporate or will be spilled. If either of these or both of these occur it means buying gas that is not getting into your car. That has to hurt you in the 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 gas that expands and is lost is gas that you have paid for. Again that means that you are paying for gas that you can't use. Your cost of gas is increased again. But that's not all that will happen. If the expanding gas fouls up the vapor collection system your car will operate less efficiently.
A car that runs inefficiently means that you will use more gasoline which means you will spend more money on gas. Thus you are hit doubly in the wallet, once for the gas that you loose directly and second for the extra fuel your car burns because it runs inefficiently. Ouch and double ouch!!
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.
When you next fill your truck or car, when the pump automatically stops don't add any more fuel, your tank should be full enough. Don't top it off, don't overfill it. Not only will you be saving money but also helping your own health and helping the environment!
Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider information on saving gas and money at the pump. Visit us to learn how you can increase fuel economy. Find out how to save gas.
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