Sean Breheny wrote:
> Let's say I go to fill up. First, I slide my credit card and select
> the type of gas I want. Then I remove the nozzle and place it into the
> filler tube in the car. Next I squeeze the handle and the pump starts
> pumping fuel.
>
> When the tank fills and the nozzle detects gas next to the small holes
> on the outside of the nozzle, it closes the valve at the nozzle and
> the gas stops flowing. I could "top it off" by continuing to cycle the
> handle through open and closed.
>
> Now, I put the nozzle back into the holder on the pump and complete
> the transaction. At this point, the entire tube from the pump to the
> nozzle is still full of gas, right?
>
> Now if I remove the nozzle from the holder again, without swiping my
> card again, and then squeeze the handle, how come I don't get the
> contents of the tube spilling out? Sure, the pump will not deliver
> more gas into the tube, but I would think that the gas inside the tube
> could still come out.

It may be that even with a wide open valve that air can't get back up into
the hose to displace the gas.  There must be some elasticity in the hose and
you probably would get a little extra gas.

In any case, it would be fraud to try to take more gas from the pump after
you indicated you were done by placing the nozzle back into the holder.  If
you could get a meaningful amount of gas this way and there were enough
dirtbags that did this, there would be measures to prevent it.

This is all rather different from what Tomas was talking about.  Can someone
from Ireland comment of whether the system really is different over there,
or did Tomas just get confused in the excitement of thinking he was getting
something for nothing?


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