Automatic petrol pump

votejohn

Ok, blonde question, but I overheard a woman at the garage today saying something about the petrol flow stopping and starting, and she said it wasnt how she was holding it cuz the nossle was on automatic.

Is there a way to have the nozzle fill up your tank without squeezing the handle the whole time?

high horse

A lot of pumps have a clip to hold the handle open so you don't have to squeeze the handle the whole time you're filling the tank. It will shut off when full.

votejohn

phew, not a stupid question so! Ive seen those clips, but couldnt figure how it works, didnt wanna look like a freak inspecting the nozzle!

Seth Brundle

I thought all of those clips were removed under EU law

Drummerboy08

Not in my local pertrol station. Its a right handy thing, saves you standin like a teapot beside your car for ages!

robtri

kbannon wrote: »

I thought all of those clips were removed under EU law

there is a few of them still around, a bit more so on the diesel pumps....

Bandara

Them clips are against regulations, and rightly so.

The amount of pumps that got ripped out of the ground as people forgot the pump was still in the car and drove away, and the number of times fuel is pumping out of the side of the vehicle while the idiot filling it is not paying attention is astounding.

they were a really stupid idea.

Bandara

robtri wrote: »

there is a few of them still around, a bit more so on the diesel pumps....

a lot of the truck guys have their own ones and use them (as filling 400 ltrs is gonna give you a sore hand!!)

alias no.9

They're a good idea where the forecourt is staffed, but a terrible idea on a self service forecourt, which is just about everywhere now.

2 Espressi

I miss 'em, trying to fill the tank in the van on a winter's morning is not fun!
I wonder would one of these work, through the holes in the pump handle?

JHMEG

They were gone before I got my first car (in the last century) so I never to to experience them!:(

Darsad

2 Espressi wrote: »

I miss 'em, trying to fill the tank in the van on a winter's morning is not fun!
I wonder would one of these work, through the holes in the pump handle?

Absolutely i do a lot of miles and carry one of the above all be it a straightened out one in my wallet use it every time i fill up and all pumps will accomodate

robtri

Hammertime wrote: »

Them clips are against regulations, and rightly so.

The amount of pumps that got ripped out of the ground as people forgot the pump was still in the car and drove away, and the number of times fuel is pumping out of the side of the vehicle while the idiot filling it is not paying attention is astounding.

they were a really stupid idea.

have to disagree, they where a great idea....

they have an automatic cut off, so how would fuel be pumping out the side of the car?????

have you got a figure on the amount of pumps ripped out of the ground due to these clips or is it just speculation??

jhegarty

Hammertime wrote: »

Them clips are against regulations, and rightly so.

The amount of pumps that got ripped out of the ground as people forgot the pump was still in the car and drove away, and the number of times fuel is pumping out of the side of the vehicle while the idiot filling it is not paying attention is astounding.

they were a really stupid idea.

Like this :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4eJcjwf4c8

mickdw

robtri wrote: »

have to disagree, they where a great idea....

they have an automatic cut off, so how would fuel be pumping out the side of the car?????

have you got a figure on the amount of pumps ripped out of the ground due to these clips or is it just speculation??

Well he does own A service station or 2 so he would have an idea. I dont think the auto cut off is fool proof either.

Danbo!

mickdw wrote: »

Well he does own A service station or 2 so he would have an idea. I dont think the auto cut off is fool proof either.

Nope, it isn't really. Sometimes theres an airlock and it will keep clicking off when not full.This is more annoying than anything else, you can stop this by removing the pump and putting it back in again (usually). But, if the pump is rotated the autostop doesn't work too well. So when you see someone stretch the pump over to the other side of the car, sometimes it results in the pump going in upside down, or rotated 90 degrees.

Most stations removed these clips, the odd time you'll find them still working

Bandara

robtri wrote: »

have to disagree, they where a great idea....

they have an automatic cut off, so how would fuel be pumping out the side of the car?????

have you got a figure on the amount of pumps ripped out of the ground due to these clips or is it just speculation??

A great idea is only as good as the people using it.

Of course I do not have a figure on the amount of pumps ripped up, its hardly published somewhere. I do however have direct experience of an idiot in an old merc who tore one of my pumps half out of the ground as he drove away with the nozzle still buried into the side of the car. The most serious aspect of it was the fact that the pump did not get ripped clear out of the ground, that meant it rocked back into its upright position after the force caused the nozzle to eventually come free. The pump sadly struck another customer who was filling on the opposite side on the head and thank God he was not badly injured.

The guy in the Merc ended up paying €16k to me for the damage caused.

I also know for a fact that the Texaco in Lucan on the N4 had several instances of destroyed pumps as did the big service station in palmerstown on the left as you approach town (not sure of the brand).

As regards auto shutoff, it is not exactly reliable, Saabs and Opels particulary seem susceptible to it not shutting off, maybe its something to do with the tank design and the way the nozzle goes in?


Your missing the basic point that these clips (if they worked) would be music to our ears, they make people fill up and buy lots of fuel!!! the fact that we all took them off their pumps shows that they are not a safe practice. Anything that makes me sell more fuel safely I'm going to have them on my sites. But in this case its just not safe.

Alun

They used to have them on pumps in Germany when I lived there, a country not exactly known for it's lax approach to safety matters. Has anyone been there recently, and do they still have them on the pumps there?