# The dangers of gas stations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139 "2023-02-01T03:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/42 "2023-02-01T22:47:24Z")
They brush like this: [![](https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Snow-Covered-Car-Ticket-1024x555.jpg) ](https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Snow-Covered-Car-Ticket-1024x555.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/43 "2023-02-02T00:16:17Z")
I see you’ve met my wife. That’s why I try to clear the car for her when I can. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/44 "2023-02-02T14:20:15Z")
I’ve posted this one here before (didn’t we just have this as a topic?). When you know what’s coming, it’s kind of mesmerizing. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/T6VKxmUPb3g/hqdefault.jpg "Gas Station Static Electricity Fire") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6VKxmUPb3g) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/45 "2023-02-02T14:29:18Z")
Watching that, I had a weird thought: would that have happened if the gas tank opening had been on the passenger side? ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/46 "2023-02-02T15:39:29Z")
I remember reading somewhere that these static fires happen far more frequently with young people than older people, because older people can’t jump up out of the car like that lady did but rather have to grab the door frame and haul themselves out, discharging the static. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/47 "2023-02-02T15:52:43Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > They’re legal in some states in the U.S., e.g. here in Ohio. This time of year, I will begin pumping, engage the latch, and then immediately get in the car to stay warm. I really had no idea that they weren’t more widespread. Nearly every pump I’ve used has one. I don’t get back in my car, but I do use the opportunity to put my hand in my pocket to keep it warm. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/48 "2023-02-02T16:19:04Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > With that said, in my nearly 40 years of pumping my own gas, I did have the auto-shutoff not shutoff once. Even with me standing right there, it made a mess. They had cat litter or something they threw down to clean it up. I’ve had that happen, too, as did apparently another poster in this thread. It’s one of those aggregate risk things. It’s unlikely to happen to an individual, but more likely to happen to a gas station. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/49 "2023-02-02T21:47:28Z")
I saw the shutoff fail once for someone else. It was a passenger-side tank and the driver had gotten back in the car. I was fueling next to her and heard the fuel running so flipped the lever to turn it off. Do the pumps with fuel selection buttons turn off if you press the button again? This one had a lever switch that the nozzle rest in when not in use. And how does that mechanism fail? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/50 "2023-02-02T21:56:25Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Do the pumps with fuel selection buttons turn off if you press the button again? This one had a lever switch that the nozzle rest in when not in use. I don’t think so, but I’ve never tried it, so I don’t know. Most pumps I’ve used had that lever. > [@Ruken](#): > > And how does that mechanism fail? The mechanism works by having an extra hole and tube at in the nozzle that as long as it is in air, it keeps the valve open, but as soon as it starts sucking up liquid, it slams it shut. I assume that general gunk and corrosion could cause the valve to become sticky. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/51 "2023-02-02T22:44:25Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I saw the shutoff fail once for someone else. It was a passenger-side tank and the driver had gotten back in the car. I was fueling next to her and heard the fuel running so flipped the lever to turn it off. > > Do the pumps with fuel selection buttons turn off if you press the button again? This one had a lever switch that the nozzle rest in when not in use. > > And how does that mechanism fail? If you’re talking about the paddle on the base unit that gets pushed when you put the dispenser nozzle back in its holster, that’s just an electrical switch. It will have been designed to fail safe, i.e. the most likely mode of failure will be that the system never dispenses fuel, rather than never shutting off. This is usually done by configuring the switch so that it opens a closed electrical circuit when you put the dispenser nozzle back (rather than closing an open circuit). If you’re talking about the auto-shutoff mechanism in the dispenser nozzle, then this video is for you: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fT2KhJ8W-Kg/maxresdefault.jpg "How petrol pumps know when to turn themselves off") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT2KhJ8W-Kg) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/52 "2023-02-02T22:51:10Z")
That’s the video I was looking for. I’d seen it before, but for some reason, was thinking it was by a different youtuber. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/53 "2023-02-02T23:09:07Z")
Not at our station. Phone use used to be discouraged, but it’s an urban legend. Phones don’t ignite gas fumes. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/54 "2023-02-03T06:53:31Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The largest warning sign on the pump warns against “Topping off” which is the primary cause of spills. Topping off is also a great way to overfill the tank and flood components like the car’s vapor recovery filter and trigger the Check Engine light. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/55 "2023-02-03T19:32:26Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > > > I guess you’ve never had to fill up in sub-zero weather. > > I have, many times. You just dress for it. You’re only out there for three to five minutes, tops, and if you can’t stand outside for that amount of time at below zero (or colder) temps, you just need to dress more warmly. Dressing for outside in sub-freezing temps & dressing for a ride in a climate-controlled environment are two totally different things, even discounting that I can get in the car in the garage so sometimes don’t even put my jacket on in the morning, My first job, way back in HS was that of a pump jockey (& yes, we _would_ check your oil) + decades of filling my own cars means I do know how to properly fill a tank w/o overflowing at all. More than once, I’ve filled my car, not spilled a drop, & gotten back into the car & noticed that my hand smelled of gasoline. I can only figure that some moron before me managed to get some on the handle as that is the _only_ thing I touched. Therefore, I don’t like to wear gloves when I pump gas. - Starting the pump & standing there with my hands in my pockets = not so bad - Standing there with my hand exposed to the elements while holding cold metal = not so good > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > For those of you who hop back in to your car while it’s filling up, what do you do when you have to brush snow off of the car? Surely that’s an equally cold venture and takes as long as filling up. How do you stay warm then? I figure most of us keep gloves in the car. The snow brush has a long handle; my hands don’t touch the snow. For scraping ice, I have a [mitt](https://www.google.com/search?q=ice+scraper+mitten&tbm=isch) that keeps my hand warm enough & out of the elements for the few minutes that takes. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/56 "2023-02-03T19:43:36Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > For those of you who hop back in to your car while it’s filling up, what do you do when you have to brush snow off of the car? Surely that’s an equally cold venture and takes as long as filling up. How do you stay warm then? I figure most of us keep gloves in the car. I don’t live in snow country now. But I did for 20 years. While I was brushing snow or scraping ice off the car I was cursing the weather and how my hands & feet & face & ears hurt every second of the ordeal. _That’s_ what I was doing. The idea I’d be outside in the frigid temps and miserable wind for 1 second longer than minimally necessary while scraping ice or brushing snow _or pumping gas_ is ludicrous. Since gas _can_ be pumped from inside the car once the pump is started, that’s exactly how gas _was/is/will be_ pumped. And yes, I was “dressed for it.” Which precautions only make it suck slightly less than being grossly underdressed. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/57 "2023-02-04T09:38:44Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > It’s one of those aggregate risk things. It’s unlikely to happen to an individual, but more likely to happen to a gas station. Yep. The gas station where I work has something like that happen 1-2 times a year (we also have people drive off with the pump handle still in their gas tank - I swear, some people leave their brains at home). ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/58 "2023-02-04T12:28:49Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Dressing for outside in sub-freezing temps & dressing for a ride in a climate-controlled environment are two totally different things, Yup. Most of my drives are at least 30 minutes or more. I’d rather not drive in a coat or gloves. Too constricting. I’m going to catch grief from this here on the SDMB, but I always warm up my car before leaving. Start it and let it idle for a bit. That’s also the best way to clear ice from windows. While it does use a very little bit of gas, there are no theft issues, we live pretty remote. I have a snow brush scraper of course, but at home, we have a push broom to take care of the snow on the car. That’s the most efficient way to deal with that. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/59 "2023-02-04T12:49:09Z")
I’m more worried about RV-ers refueling near me. While traveling, almost all are using their handy-dandy propane fridge, which has a continually burning flame near the bottom of that rectangular [vent](https://integrityrvparts.com/products/newmar-rv-11526-dometic-refrigerator-side-vent-white?gclid=Cj0KCQiAofieBhDXARIsAHTTldqBV5UJZ4GTd9V5PUgovN2g4s9I1ZEDL7QnLWEn-gN9gPs5ZrT-g2MaAjIKEALw_wcB) on the side. The fridge-vent (and flame) is often near another pump while they’re at a forward one filling up. I’m not too worried when there’s a stiff breeze, but it gives me the creeps in still air (when I can smell gasoline). I usually lower my truck’s tailgate ladder while filling, in order to ground it. My former truck held 90 gallons, but my new one only has a 50 gallon tank, so I’m more likely to hang around while it’s filling now. With the old one, I could do most anything inside the store and return to find it still filling (or stopped due to maxing out my credit card). The new one is more likely to finish and click off while I’m shopping, so I’ll probably stick around for anything other than a quick purchase. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/60 "2023-02-04T14:52:22Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > we also have people drive off with the pump handle still in their gas tank Reddit’s “idiots in cars” sub has an endless parade of cars driving around with handle sticking out of their car and the hose dragging behind. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/61 "2023-02-06T14:14:21Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Reddit’s “idiots in cars” sub has an endless parade of cars driving around with handle sticking out of their car and the hose dragging behind. I did this once when I was young at a fairly empty station. I had paid in cash, told the attendant the wrong pump, and decided to drive around to the one I had told him. Somewhere in there I had already put the pump handle in the car. I felt very foolish, but at least I didn’t drive down the road with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139.md?page=2)