A mistake that many drivers make when filling their gas tank is to overfill it.
In other words when the gas pump nozzle clicks off automatically do you keep pumping trying to add as much more gas as you can? Do you add more gas after the shutoff to round out the dollar amount of the total. In either case this habit is most likely costing you money and is bad for the environment.
In most areas, gas station pumps are equipped with vapor recovery systems that draw gas vapors back into their tanks to prevent those vapors from getting into the air and thus contributing to air pollution. If you top off your gas tank it can result in your paying for fuel that is fed back into the gas station's tanks because that vapor recovery system is drawing gas back into the station 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 problems you may encounter when topping off your gas tank. Gas expands as it gets warmer. This is certainly a big factor in the summer or in warm weather climates. Gas from underground tanks will generally be cooler than the air. As it warms up in your gas tank it expands. As the gas expands it requires more room in your gas tank.
If you top off your tank, then there is no extra room for the gas to expand.
Where does the expanding gas go? It may find it's way into your vehicle's vapor collection system. That could easily foul this system causing it to malfunction.
If this happens your vehicle will run poorly and have high gas emissions.
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 less efficient car means less fuel efficiency which means you will use more gas which means it will cost you more money. The result is you are hit double in the wallet, once for the gas that is lost directly and second for the extra gas your car starts to burn because it is running inefficiently. Double ouch!!
Gasoline vapors are a source of toxic air pollutants such as benzene and contribute to bad ozone days. Gasoline vapors are harmful to breathe. When you overfill your tank you will inevitably get some vapors released into the air.
When this happens not only are you breathing in toxic fumes but you are also contributing to the air pollution problem.
The next time you fill your car or truck, when the pump automatically stops your tank should be full enough. Do not top it off. Not only will you be saving yourself money, you will you be protecting your own health and you will also be 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 (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to learn how you can get gas mileage go to http://www.beatthegaspump.com/ .
» left by Heather (1 year 124 days ago.)
We had a depate at work today regarding gas mileage can you help us come to an answer???? ..........is it/is it not more gas effiecient to fill your tank in 1 session rather than putting 10-20 in daily and why? Respond to this comment
» left by Scott Siegel(340) (1 year 124 days ago.)
Heather,
It more effiecient to fill your tank in 1 session rather than stopping daily. Starting and stoping uses more gas. If you are adding an extras stop for gas every day you are burning more gas.
When you stop for gas, you have to slow down and turn into the gas station, then you have to slowly cruise into the station and find a pump. Sometimes you have to wait for a pump which really burns gas. You have to turn your car off. When you are ready to leave you have to turn it back on again and slowly move away from them pump. Then you have to stop to wait until you can get back into traffic.
The more your car is moving slowly the more gas you are burning. The more your car is stopped and idlling the more gas you are using.
With all the extra starting and stopping and idling and turning the car on again you will use more gas if you fill up frequently rather than fill up once.
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