Which side is the fuel tank filler on?
in [UK Drivers]
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From: Ret. on 26 May 2010 07:08 Scott M wrote: > Ret. wrote: > >> Your argument is undermined by the number of posters on this thread >> who do, like me, regularly fill up on the 'wrong side' without >> problem. > > Your assertion is that EVERYONE can do it which is patent nonsense. > I'm not saying it's impossible - I do it all the time - but it's not > always as straightforward as you make out. > > >> If >> you cannot squeeze between your car and the pump then you are not far >> enough forward. The rear of your car should be level with the 'end' >> of the pump. No problem at all then - either using your card in the >> machine, or getting the hose to reach. You just stand at the back of >> your car and in front of the pump. > > The back of me car is level with the pump - it's an estate so it has > to be. The card machine is further down the side of the car. To clear > the card machine I'd be another 2' further forward. > > With the car in the right place and the hose at *full* stretch I've > got a very tight space between card machine and side of car. If I was > another 2' forward the hose wouldn't reach. > > If it was a wind-y one; if it was one with a longer hose it'd be a > doddle, but as it is I can see exactly why people wouldn't do it and > various relatives, if they tried, wouldn't be able to do it. > > >> I cannot see how you can 'get it wrong' anyway. How difficult is it >> to know when the back of your car is level with the 'end' of the >> pump? If you cannot do that - how on earth do you ever park your car >> in a tight space? - or do you never try that in case you 'get it >> wrong'? > > <sigh> I can do it. I was talking about other people. Many struggle > with close manoevering and couldn't. And if you can be bothered to > engage a little understanding regarding hose lengths then you might > see that it's not just a question of being far enough forward; you've > got to be quite close to an island that disappears from view as you > get near it. Fair enough. I'll modify my claim to say that the overwhelming majority of even moderately competent motorists *should* have no difficulty in topping up on the 'wrong side' of their car at the overwhelming majority of filling stations. Is that better? -- Kev
From: Rob on 26 May 2010 08:02 Ret. wrote: || Scott M wrote: ||| Ret. wrote: ||| |||| Your argument is undermined by the number of posters on this thread |||| who do, like me, regularly fill up on the 'wrong side' without |||| problem. ||| ||| Your assertion is that EVERYONE can do it which is patent nonsense. ||| I'm not saying it's impossible - I do it all the time - but it's not ||| always as straightforward as you make out. ||| ||| |||| If |||| you cannot squeeze between your car and the pump then you are not |||| far enough forward. The rear of your car should be level with the |||| 'end' of the pump. No problem at all then - either using your card |||| in the machine, or getting the hose to reach. You just stand at |||| the back of your car and in front of the pump. ||| ||| The back of me car is level with the pump - it's an estate so it has ||| to be. The card machine is further down the side of the car. To ||| clear the card machine I'd be another 2' further forward. ||| ||| With the car in the right place and the hose at *full* stretch I've ||| got a very tight space between card machine and side of car. If I ||| was another 2' forward the hose wouldn't reach. ||| ||| If it was a wind-y one; if it was one with a longer hose it'd be a ||| doddle, but as it is I can see exactly why people wouldn't do it and ||| various relatives, if they tried, wouldn't be able to do it. ||| ||| |||| I cannot see how you can 'get it wrong' anyway. How difficult is it |||| to know when the back of your car is level with the 'end' of the |||| pump? If you cannot do that - how on earth do you ever park your |||| car in a tight space? - or do you never try that in case you 'get |||| it wrong'? ||| ||| <sigh> I can do it. I was talking about other people. Many struggle ||| with close manoevering and couldn't. And if you can be bothered to ||| engage a little understanding regarding hose lengths then you might ||| see that it's not just a question of being far enough forward; ||| you've got to be quite close to an island that disappears from view ||| as you get near it. || || Fair enough. I'll modify my claim to say that the overwhelming || majority of even moderately competent motorists *should* have no || difficulty in topping up on the 'wrong side' of their car at the || overwhelming majority of filling stations. || || Is that better? Yes but only slightly. The issue is not with the motorist but with the equipment. Unless you have data on the specs of the 'overwhelming majority' of filling station pumps and vehicle sizes, it might have been better if you had just agreed that most people should have no problem provided the hose is long enough. Which is common sense really. -- Rob
From: Albert T Cone on 26 May 2010 09:55 boltar2003(a)boltar.world wrote: > On Wed, 26 May 2010 09:28:13 +0100 > Albert T Cone <a.k.kirby(a)durham.ac.uk> wrote: >>> Huh? Surely the pump is earthed internally? >> Indeed, so when a car body which has been nicely charged up by hurtling >> through dry air is connected to it, it will act as a nice current sink. >> The ferrite rings just limit the rate at which the current can build >> up, so they reduce the chance of there being a spark. > > Hmm. I don't see how ferrite rings can do anything about static electricity > or current build up. Rings are normaly use for RF/EMI suppression. If you can > explain the science behind how they prevent static it I'd be interested to > read it but I'm not convinced. All sounds a bit crystals and whale song to me. They don't prevent 'static', they simply limit the rate at which the charge built up on the car body can discharge (i.e. the current). Actually they limit the rate at which the current flowing along the pipe can /change/, but for the sake of arm-waving we can regard that as the same thing. Another way to imagine it is that, given a low-resistance path to earth, the charge on the car will discharge to earth in a very short time, producing a short current pulse (with a high peak value, hence the putative spark risk), in which the bulk of the energy is contained in high frequency (RF) components. The effect of the rings is to increase the reactance of the conductor at high frequencies, thus preventing a short current pulse and reducing the peak current and the concomitant spark risk. No whales were forced to sing and no chakras were injured in the production of this message. Some crystals may have been induced to oscillate, but in a natural and harmonious manner.
From: boltar2003 on 26 May 2010 10:01 On Wed, 26 May 2010 14:55:58 +0100 Albert T Cone <a.k.kirby(a)durham.ac.uk> wrote: >Another way to imagine it is that, given a low-resistance path to earth, >the charge on the car will discharge to earth in a very short time, >producing a short current pulse (with a high peak value, hence the >putative spark risk), in which the bulk of the energy is contained in >high frequency (RF) components. The effect of the rings is to increase >the reactance of the conductor at high frequencies, thus preventing a >short current pulse and reducing the peak current and the concomitant >spark risk. Ah ok. They're just acting like inductors in other words. B2003
From: Albert T Cone on 26 May 2010 10:22
boltar2003(a)boltar.world wrote: > On Wed, 26 May 2010 14:55:58 +0100 > Albert T Cone <a.k.kirby(a)durham.ac.uk> wrote: >> Another way to imagine it is that, given a low-resistance path to earth, >> the charge on the car will discharge to earth in a very short time, >> producing a short current pulse (with a high peak value, hence the >> putative spark risk), in which the bulk of the energy is contained in >> high frequency (RF) components. The effect of the rings is to increase >> the reactance of the conductor at high frequencies, thus preventing a >> short current pulse and reducing the peak current and the concomitant >> spark risk. > > Ah ok. They're just acting like inductors in other words. Indeed. |