Petrol Station Con?

Iceweasel

I wouldn't try experimenting with petrol at home - whether in a BBQ or not.

Diesel now - that's different.

Fill a bucket of diesel and then try throwing lighted matches into it.

You'll get bored after a while.

Most pumps that are dedicated to trucks do have a working latch.

Your hand can go numb gripping the trigger, waiting to pump in over £500 worth.

The truck pumps are usually a bigger diameter so they don't fit most car fuel filler necks, and they pump faster - so they would create a different hazard if you were to use it to fill a car - and a new meaning to 'splash yer boots.'

benje302

I never fill up to the exact pound.

If I want to put around £30 in I make sure i put £30.03 and if £20 then I pop £20.02 in. That way it is easier to see on my bank statement

Cornucopia

flosswoss21 wrote: »

The automatic fill capability was removed for safety issues - people could get into a car or build up static discharge withour grounding themselves and this could result in ignition of the fuel vapour at the mouth of the tank. By removing the capability of doing so it ensures that you are kept grounded and potential remains the same between yourself and the hose, making it safer.

Not relevant to diesel, though.

I've been driving diesel cars for the past 10 years or so. Happy using my device to defeat this nanny-state nonsense.

mattyprice4004

This has to be an April fools thread, surely.
If I need to I can always land on or 1p under a round number - you should be angry at yourself for being ham fisted.

Hadrian

springate wrote: »

Do you think that all pumps at petrol stations should have a button to select an amount of fuel in multiples of £5.00 up to £20.00? The times Ive been into a station and and no how much I try I end up paying that extra couple of pence because of the sensitivity of the pump! I know they have this in Spain so why not in the UK?

It's because the petrol price is so expensive that a penny or so is almost impossible to guage. When I started driving (hears groans!) I could fill my Mini completely for 1£. Yes I know a £ then was worth more etc etc. BUT - by govt figures it's only 7x's. That's £7 for 5 1/2 GALLONS! I could and frequently did guage a £'s worth by the pump and still try to, but it's hard tho'. For info - a Ford 1172cc side valve car would do 28/30mpg, if you were lucky and 65mph downhill. I can't be bothered to work all that out but one thing is clear, it's a d*mn sight more expensive now than when I started.

AdrianC

Just to forestall any more trips down memory lane...

http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/Petrol_Prices_1896_todate_gallons.pdf

[Deleted User]

Doesn't matter what the pump stops on as I almost always pay with debit card anyway.

If I'm filling up at Morrisons/Shell then I'm more concerned about getting it to a full litre so I can collect the points.

ben_m_g

Strider590 wrote: »

Have you ever tried to light petrol? It's actually not as easy as hollywood might have you think. Without air, fuel and compression you'd find it quite hard to ignite petrol using an electrical spark.

This for example http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/feb/27/smoking.film

Now I tried 3 days ago to ignite some super unleaded petrol, which i'd poured into my BBQ **, using a BBQ lighter (like a long cigarette lighter) I could not ignite the petrol pooled in the bottom of the BBQ, the only way I could get it to ignite was by soaking kitchen paper in petrol and lighting that. This creates a wicking effect similar to oil burner or paraffin candle.

**It had been removed from a carburettor into an old jar and was not clean enough to put back into the tank.

Big difference between 'liquid' petrol and 'gas' petrol.
Once vaporised it is a completely different story.

Flour is the same, sitting on the shelf, not a problem. Once airborne - explosive.

Strider590

ben_m_g wrote: »

Big difference between 'liquid' petrol and 'gas' petrol.
Once vaporised it is a completely different story.

Flour is the same, sitting on the shelf, not a problem. Once airborne - explosive.

Try coffee whitener, that's stuff they use in the movies, massive explosions that leave behind what looks like globs of marshmallow everywhere :cool:

Cornucopia

The Mythbusters did an explosion using coffee whitener. Huge fireball and then, as you say, marshmallowy clumps everywhere.

This post is dedicated to the ex-Mythbusters: Kari, Grant and Tory.

I wonder if they'll end up presenting Top Gear?