faulty petrol pump ruined new boots

leespot

ThumbRemote wrote: »

Got to love the way OP makes no mention of having feet under the car, but one person mentions it in a reply and all of a sudden it's taken as fact.

Anyway, for the benefit of all those living in a world where Newtons laws of motion have no effect, in the real world liquid splashes, and liquid coming out of a hole is likely to have a horizontal velocity as well as vertical.

I wasn't referring to the OP having their feet under the car - merely how anyone could manage to fit their feet under the car when filling up. Never mind how, but why!?

Money-Saving-King

Zandoni wrote: »

This is ridiculous, if you think of the physics involved it's practically impossible to fill up a modern car without an auto cut off.

No it isn't.

Zandoni wrote: »

How do you possibly tell that you are nearing the top through such a small spout.

You can hear it!

shaun_from_Africa

Zandoni wrote: »

This is ridiculous, if you think of the physics involved it's practically impossible to fill up a modern car without an auto cut off. How do you possibly tell that you are nearing the top through such a small spout. I believe it's very unlikely that the filling nozzle was not in properly when the op was filling up, they just automatically drop into the right place.

So I say the auto cut off is a necessary part of the pump and not an additional safety feature.

Speaking as someone who is currently driving a modern car (6 month old Range Rover) and who has to refuel this car using pumps that are not fitted with working automatic cut off mechanisms (I'm living and working in the Caribbean), all I can say is that your comment above clearly shows that you have written about something that you have no first hand knowledge of.

Whilst it may not be as quick and easy to totally fill up a car using a pump without the automatic feature, it is certainly far from being "practically impossible"
As M-S-K rightly says, you can easily hear when the level is near to the top of the tank, and even without this sound, most people have a reasonable idea of how much fuel their tank holds and therefore lower the delivery rate when they estimate the tank is getting near to the top.

Even if you couldn't hear the fuel going in & and had no idea how much fuel the tank held, you should easily be able release the handle before an overflow was excessive.
The OP stated that the fuel ran down the side of their car and made no mention of it spurting out with any force, and for this to have gone on for long enough to have caused damage to footwear implies that a fair amount must have escaped before it was noticed, something that points to the fact that the flow rate must have been fairly low due to the handle only being depressed a minimal amount. (As when attempting to totally fill the tank)

SwanJon

unholyangel wrote: »

£10 off for wasted diesel. Not necessarily £10 worth of diesel wasted £10 of diesel on the forecourt would likely see that pump out of order and the OP's car dangerous to drive given how slippy it is.

Was a bit tongue in cheek, but it would explain how the boots got covered.

As this was not (all) for diesel not taken, has compensation been offered and accepted?

WTFH

ThumbRemote wrote: »

Got to love the way OP makes no mention of having feet under the car, but one person mentions it in a reply and all of a sudden it's taken as fact.

Anyway, for the benefit of all those living in a world where Newtons laws of motion have no effect, in the real world liquid splashes, and liquid coming out of a hole is likely to have a horizontal velocity as well as vertical.

Ah yes, Newton.
Most fuel tanks in cars are below the filler nozzle, so the pipe is going downwards.
When a diesel (remember, we're talking diesel here, not a thin liquid like water) tank is filled up and the pipe is full, the fuel will flow over the lip, into the area where the fuel filler is, and then down the side of the car. Also, remember that the velocity of fuel from a diesel pump is lower than that of petrol (ask Bernoulli if you don't know why).
There are only two scenarios where it will have a significant horizontal component to its direction are as follows:
1. If the pump is removed with the trigger still engaged.
2. When the fuel drips off the bottom of the car onto the ground.

Now, scenario 1 is unlikely given the OP's experience and scenario 2, well, again we're talking diesel here, the splash zone from a drip falling, lets say 15cm would be less than 5cm - given the viscosity of the fluid.
But one drop from a splash would not ruin a pair of shoes. It might put a mark on one of them.

So, either the shoes were under the car and several ml of fuel ran down the paintwork onto them, or the pump was removed with the trigger still engaged.

No assumptions necessary, just basic fluid dynamics.

adouglasmhor

WTFH wrote: »

Ah yes, Newton.
Most fuel tanks in cars are below the filler nozzle, so the pipe is going downwards.
When a diesel (remember, we're talking diesel here, not a thin liquid like water) tank is filled up and the pipe is full, the fuel will flow over the lip, into the area where the fuel filler is, and then down the side of the car. Also, remember that the velocity of fuel from a diesel pump is lower than that of petrol (ask Bernoulli if you don't know why).
There are only two scenarios where it will have a significant horizontal component to its direction are as follows:
1. If the pump is removed with the trigger still engaged.
2. When the fuel drips off the bottom of the car onto the ground.

Now, scenario 1 is unlikely given the OP's experience and scenario 2, well, again we're talking diesel here, the splash zone from a drip falling, lets say 15cm would be less than 5cm - given the viscosity of the fluid.
But one drop from a splash would not ruin a pair of shoes. It might put a mark on one of them.

So, either the shoes were under the car and several ml of fuel ran down the paintwork onto them, or the pump was removed with the trigger still engaged.

No assumptions necessary, just basic fluid dynamics.

Rarely but possibly you can get a sort of splashback from a small airlock in the fuel tank pipe and a sort of "belch" of diesel back at you at a bit of speed, I am not sure of the exact dynamics of it but I have seen it happen.

WTFH

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Rarely but possibly you can get a sort of splashback from a small airlock in the fuel tank pipe and a sort of "belch" of diesel back at you at a bit of speed, I am not sure of the exact dynamics of it but I have seen it happen.

I've never seen that before myself, thanks, I'll watch out for it in future.

kronenbourg

women shouldnt be allowed to use the pumps if they make a mess , its bad enough they are allowed to drive

mountainofdebt

kronenbourg wrote: »

women shouldnt be allowed to use the pumps if they make a mess , its bad enough they are allowed to drive

But how would my OH get to and from his nights out with the boys if I wasn't allowed to drive

peachyprice

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Rarely but possibly you can get a sort of splashback from a small airlock in the fuel tank pipe and a sort of "belch" of diesel back at you at a bit of speed, I am not sure of the exact dynamics of it but I have seen it happen.

Wouldn't that splodge over your thigh tough?