THERE is nothing like a petrol price hike to increase the urban myths on how to save fuel. Check out these claims and asks the experts.
Myth 1 : Petrol expands in hot weather, so fill up in the cooler early morning Finding : False A spokesman for chevron, which operate a gas station, says there is no difference in the amount of petrol you get whether you refuel in the day or night. This is because there is not much temperature variation in the air or in the fuel being dispensed. Any vaporization that might occur would be a very small amount and the effect on the amount of petrol pumped would be negligible.
Myth 2 : When filling up. do not squeeze the trigger fully and pump in "fast" mode. Finding : True If you are pumping at a faster rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tanks becomes vapour, which is sucked back into the underground storage tank, giving you less fuel. This is a concern if the service stations are installed with vapour recovery stations which prevent petrol vapours from escaping to the air.
No matter the speed of the pumps, there is always vapour loss to the surroundings. However, the carbon canister in the fuel tank is able to capture some of the vapour during dispensing or normal operation, and it will be burnt off in the engine.
Myth 3 : Fill up when your tank is half-full. The larger space in a near-empty tank could lead to higher petrol fume loss. Finding : False Again, the carbon canister located in the fuel tank is able to capture some of this vapour.
Myth 4 : Overfilling your tank will result in the petrol flowing back into the pump. Finding : False The mechanism that allows petrol to flow back is call a return valve and they prevent harmful gas vapours from being released into the air. The are installed in some countries such as the United States.
