# gas station air hoses **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 31, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620 "2014-12-31T14:55:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/1 "2014-12-31T14:55:36Z")
Truly mundane, but am I the only person who can’t seem to find a gas station air hose that actually works? Around here, they all seem to be coin operated and while they will take your money and make an impressive noise, none of them seem to actually fill my tires. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/2 "2014-12-31T15:16:51Z")
that’s because they’re small compressors which are probably pieces of junk. The best bet is to find gas stations which still have a garage attached; they already need compressed air for the mechanics’ tools so typically they just run a hose outside for customers. The place I worked for back in high school still does this. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/3 "2014-12-31T15:19:19Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Around here, they all seem to be coin operated… I’m so old, I remember when air was free. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/4 "2014-12-31T15:34:16Z")
I remember free air too, with the little bell. Now, it’s always some combo vacume cleaner/air hose and you just know it’s not going to work. In fact, the other night it actually let more aire out of my tires while I was trying to top it off. It’s such a small thing, but I can’t seem to find a working air hose. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/5 "2014-12-31T15:35:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’m so old, I remember when air was free. I’m so old I remember when we filled our tires with rocks. Actually a lot of the filler attachments on those pumps are broken. They aren’t heavy duty to start with, they get thrown on the ground, rained on, and driven over, and nobody replaces them. The small pumps are sufficient to top off the pressure, but can be insufficient to reseat a completely deflated tire. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/6 "2014-12-31T16:45:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m so old I remember when we filled our tires with rocks. Whippersnapper! Our tires were solid; & we were lucky to have that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/7 "2014-12-31T16:50:55Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m so old I remember when we filled our tires with rocks. I remember when our tires _were_ rocks! (Seriously, my first skateboard had ceramic wheels.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/8 "2014-12-31T17:25:04Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I remember when our tires _were_ rocks! > > (Seriously, my first skateboard had ceramic wheels.) Yeah, mine too. I made it from a roller skate. My feet would go numb from the vibration running down a long hill. I couldn’t believe how the skateboard trend took off until I found out about the urethane wheels. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/9 "2014-12-31T17:35:15Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Yeah, mine too. I made it from a roller skate. My feet would go numb from the vibration running down a long hill. I couldn’t believe how the skateboard trend took off until I found out about the urethane wheels. We had these trees in San Diego that had little seed-things that were shaped like chocolate chips. (I wish I knew what they were.) These things would literally bring a clay-wheeled skateboard to a grinding halt. I’ll never forget the sound – or the two fat lips I suffered. They’d stop urethane wheels too, but it wasn’t as bad as with the clay wheels. I have a clay-wheel Hobie skateboard [similar to this one](http://www.flickr.com/photos/27430890@N08/4398355073). Destroyed knees, fat, and the lack of sidewalks here prevent me from using it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/10 "2014-12-31T17:54:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I have a clay-wheel Hobie skateboard [similar to this one](http://www.flickr.com/photos/27430890@N08/4398355073). Destroyed knees, fat, and the lack of sidewalks here prevent me from using it. Cool. I want to try long boarding despite a colleagues recent fractured clavicle, but I have the knee problem too. I might do it anyway, I’ve been acting too sane lately. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/11 "2014-12-31T18:10:39Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I remember free air too, with the little bell. > > Now, it’s always some combo vacume cleaner/air hose and you just know it’s not going to work. In fact, the other night it actually let more aire out of my tires while I was trying to top it off. It’s such a small thing, but I can’t seem to find a working air hose. Wow. One of my snow tires has a slow leak and I was just complaining about this exact thing a week or two ago. Trying to get a seal from the air hose to the valve is damned near impossible. I have since found one place with free air. The pump is a newfangled thing on which you set the pressure prior to pumping. Unfortunately, because it’s pumping and sensing it cycles between the two modes and takes forever to fill 10 pounds of pressure. But hey, it works. I also have one of those little pumps that plug into the cigarette lighter (now called power socket, or something). You might want to get one. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/12 "2014-12-31T19:13:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Cool. I want to try long boarding despite a colleagues recent fractured clavicle, but I have the knee problem too. I might do it anyway, I’ve been acting too sane lately. I have a Hobie long board too, but I haven’t ridden it in over a decade. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Trying to get a seal from the air hose to the valve is damned near impossible. Yes, penguins are more likely to follow you. Seals can be recalcitrant. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/13 "2014-12-31T19:47:30Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I also have one of those little pumps that plug into the cigarette lighter (now called power socket, or something). You might want to get one. [Those](http://www.amazon.com/Slime-40001-Motorcycle-Tire-Inflator/dp/B000ET9SB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420053860&sr=8-1&keywords=slime+pump) are handy for motorcyclists (who may have to repair/reinflate their tire by the side of the road), but they’re a pain in the ass to use, since you have to clip/unclip the hose from the tire valve whenever you want to check the pressure (which you’ll want to do at least a few times to avoid overinflation). If space/budget permits, best bet is an air compressor with a tank. You can even get a portable one, [like this one.](http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-gal-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-with-9-Piece-Accessory-Kit-and-25-ft-Coil-Hose-L13HPD/202868804) Plug it in somewhere, run it until the tank is full, then go to wherever your car is and fill the tires. The air chuck is just push-on/pop-off, making it easy to frequenty check tire pressure while inflating. No more screwing around with gas station air hoses that cost you money and may or may not work. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/14 "2014-12-31T22:16:59Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > [Those](http://www.amazon.com/Slime-40001-Motorcycle-Tire-Inflator/dp/B000ET9SB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420053860&sr=8-1&keywords=slime+pump) are handy for motorcyclists (who may have to repair/reinflate their tire by the side of the road), but they’re a pain in the ass to use, since you have to clip/unclip the hose from the tire valve whenever you want to check the pressure (which you’ll want to do at least a few times to avoid overinflation). > > If space/budget permits, best bet is an air compressor with a tank. You can even get a portable one, [like this one.](http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-gal-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-with-9-Piece-Accessory-Kit-and-25-ft-Coil-Hose-L13HPD/202868804) Plug it in somewhere, run it until the tank is full, then go to wherever your car is and fill the tires. The air chuck is just push-on/pop-off, making it easy to frequenty check tire pressure while inflating. No more screwing around with gas station air hoses that cost you money and may or may not work. Mine has an in-line pressure gauge. ETA: I think it goes up to 11 too. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/15 "2014-12-31T22:20:20Z")
Just put some air in one tire last night. The air hose at the place I usually go was broken, but the Chevron station near me had air - and free air too. Miracles do happen. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/16 "2014-12-31T22:24:06Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > the Chevron station near me had air - and free air too. Free air! Bucha Amurika-hatin’ socialists! ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/17 "2014-12-31T22:54:57Z")
I broke down and bought a cheap 3-gallon air compressor, hose, fitting kit, and tire pressure filler with gauge at Harbor Freight. It works well enough for my two cars plus the extra set of snow tires. I also fill up my kids cars every once in a while when they stop by. Also don’t forget to fill up the spare tire about every 6 months. Nothing like finding out that you actually have 2 flat tires when trying to change one! ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/18 "2014-12-31T22:59:34Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > that’s because they’re small compressors which are probably pieces of junk. The best bet is to find gas stations which still have a garage attached; they already need compressed air for the mechanics’ tools so typically they just run a hose outside for customers. The place I worked for back in high school still does this. Gotta watch out for some of those. I used one once that was set to a very high pressure for something they had been doing. My tire was seriously over inflated after 5 seconds, and I spent a while bleeding it. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/19 "2014-12-31T23:47:40Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Gotta watch out for some of those. I used one once that was set to a very high pressure for something they had been doing. My tire was seriously over inflated after 5 seconds, and I spent a while bleeding it. shop air is usually (_usually_) 100-120 psi. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620/20 "2015-01-01T00:56:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > We had these trees in San Diego that had little seed-things that were shaped like chocolate chips. (I wish I knew what they were.) … If they were almost the size of a Hershey’s Kiss they were/are eucalyptus seed pods. Ubiquitous in SoCal. Some breeds were smaller, but most were bigger than standard chocolate chips. And yeah, they were a PITA for roller skating, skate boarding, small remote control cars, etc. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-station-air-hoses/708620.md?page=2)