Petrol can annoyance-the nanny state?

#1 don't top post

#2 it's dead easy to be called an officious knob, just tell someone they cannot do something that is perfectly reasonably and commonplace, then demonstrate a complete inability to quote chapter and verse the reasons why they may not, because you don't know them, you are just blindly following some petty rule that someone made up.

The fuel may be the same, but the pumps are often different, with a much higher flow rate. Probably a greater risk of spillage.

I've had ordinary diesel pumps timeout on me filling up the car when it's been near empty. Not an exccesively large tank either only 20 gallons (90l or so). Takes what feels like an age to fill, hand starts to get rather tired by the end. Why do they take away the two bars that latch the trigger?

Trucks have somewhat bigger tanks 100 gallons or more, at car delivery rates trucks would be taking 15mins to fillup...

Thanks for the warning, when I first got the Polo I found it tricky enough to fill with a normal pump never mind a faster one 8-) Greg

The irony. You mean just like your telling me not to top post, without giving me any real reason. As for the OFFICIOUS KNOBS you speak of i think you will find the majority are only doing as instructed by their bosses and following company policy. They themselves might well agree with you, but at the end of the day they dont want to be losing there jobs over it.

Mike M

miley snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

Leaving the name calling aside, does all this mean that when I have had to walk a couple of miles from the canal with two 25ltr remote outboard motor tanks with CE stamps etc that I could be turned away?

Why do they take away the two bars that latch

My Sisters ex- husband pulled into a garage in his artic many years ago put the nozzle into the tank and latched it, he then wondered off to clean his lights and windows. He completely forgot why he was there and attempted to drive off except for the sound of the pump being wrecked as he drove away.

Martin P

Well i wouldn't turn you away as long as they were designed to carry fuel and had sealable caps, but some people might.

Mike M

miley snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

When we had landrovers/rangerovers wth the v8 petrol engines it took ages to fill them night and morn on frosty windy days. Much better with the quicker filling diesels from the truck pump, and it was much less often!

HGV pumps are designed to deliver a maximum flow of about 100 litres per minute - whereas the "normal" size of forecourt fuel dispenser can provide a maximum of 60 litres per minute. In practice, the delivery rate is often much lower than this.

Try and deliver exactly two litres at full flow rate into the measuring vessel for calibration and testing purposes, and the fuel will definitely spray everywhere. (I used to work for the National Weights and Measures Laboratory, who are responsible for type approval of forecourt fuel dispensers).

Because said design does not have type approval for use in the UK.

The mounting holes for the bars are still in the handles, because the same nozzles are made for use throughout Europe, where the locking bars are type approved. When I used to test fuel dispensers for type approval at the National Weights and Measures Laboratory, I had to repeatedly dispense several hundred litres of fuel, in varying quantities. That's where I discovered that a suitable alternative for the locking bars can be made by using a 3/16" pop rivet of sufficient length. Simply pass the rivet through the holes, and you have a locking bar!

You should, of course, be prepared for the cashier to stop the pump when they realise that you are cleaning your windscreen while still dispensing fuel, and nobody's holding the nozzle!

Funny I thought the HGV pumps had 'em on but never having looked closely enough I'll take your word for it. Might have seen truckers wandering about whilst filling though...

I'll have to see what I have in my pop rivet collection. B-)

I'd still stand by the nozzle, I just hate the tired hand when filling up with, on average, 60+ litres of diesel at flow rates that feel like

It can be in winter. I think the seasonal anti-waxing formulation changes are less waxy for cars, trucks are expected to have heated filters and to be able to cope.

Profit ! Call the right people officious knobs loudly enough and they'll sue you for it.

Isn't that right John ?

Have you seen the 'mithbusters' episode when they try to make a petrol tank blow up by shooting at it like they always do in the movies?, they put hundreds of rounds into a tank and only succeeded in emptying it, then they tried incendiary rounds! and put dozens in but only managed to light the grass on the hill behind, finally they did it by backing off so far that the incendiary rounds were fully alight and of course by now the tank was empty save for some fumes and air. In summary, the chances of detonating an intact tank with a mobile phone are infinitesimal.

Greg