Found it. Since the gas goes through the same hose as the other blends, if you’re buying gas you need to get at least 4 gallons so the previous gas flushes out what was left in the hose from the previous sale, and fills enough of the container that the blend is primarily what you selected.
If you buy E15 and fill your tanks, then the next guy buys E10 and only gets 1 gallon, they might end up with a higher ethanol mix than intended, and if they use that on a small motor, like a chainsaw, it could ruin the seals.
(US) I’ve been to gas stations in big cities, small towns, little collections of buildings that have no official name but they have a dollar general and a gas station, etc…
I’ve seen several kinds.
Single hose to dispense 87-93 (“normal”) gasoline, and one for diesel
One hose for normal gas, one for diesel, and one for high-ethanol
One for all gasoline types and one for diesel
One super fancy stainless-steel-clad gas station that looked like something from retrofuturism had 5 hoses, one each for 87,90,93, e15, diesel, and the farthest end pump had a line for kerosine.
Every fuel has its own hose and “pistol”. Each “pump” has two or three or four hoses.
While those do exist in the States too, a single hose and “pistol” is used for all grades of gasoline and the operator presses a button to select their grade of fuel. The only time there is a guaranteed separate is between desil and gasoline:
The button leads to some interesting minor social problems. The expectation is that the use uses their hand or fingers to press the button, but the buttons are usually disgustingly dirty, so that lead many to using the tip of the “pistol” to smack the grade of gasoline which may put a drop or two of gasoline on the button. So those that come next and use their hands end up smelling like gasoline.
No longer interacting with public gas pumps is one minor joy of driving an EV.
i’m gonna be real with you buddy i have never seen a “disgustingly dirty” fuel button so I think the people in your area just grody. no offense to present company.
You never hit up a Shell station? Majority of them and independents I’ve been to have buttons that are worn through on the octane text for low grade. High octane is usually next most worn
Here’s a pretty typical american pump: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-shell-station-gas-pump-135764267.html
You can select diesel with the green button, which comes out of the green handled hose on the left, but any other option for regular gas (87/89/93 in that picture) comes out of the right hose.
In America drastically different fuels like E85 and Diesel are dispensed with different hoses as mixing those with normal gasoline or vice versa in the wrong system could cause damage. But when it comes to different grades of just gasoline it’s all the same hose. E10 or E15 are pretty much standard in many parts of the Country of Corn (USA) so they are the primary form of gasoline available for normal cars.
I’m in Australia and it’s on the pumps—like little manufacturer stamps that don’t seem to be aftermarket labels. Most people wouldn’t notice it and those that do wouldn’t understand what it means.
It’s generally a tiny label like “Minimum 5L” or something, near the nozzle, or on/below the meters.
Probably nothing. I guess it’s possible if you kept switching back and forth between pumping a gallon of premium and a gallon of regular on different pumps to try to steal a few dollars of higher grade, they can use it to give you a ticket, but I’m pretty sure they won’t really care if you were just topping off a tank of gas with 3 gallons before a road trip.
Found it. Since the gas goes through the same hose as the other blends, if you’re buying gas you need to get at least 4 gallons so the previous gas flushes out what was left in the hose from the previous sale, and fills enough of the container that the blend is primarily what you selected.
If you buy E15 and fill your tanks, then the next guy buys E10 and only gets 1 gallon, they might end up with a higher ethanol mix than intended, and if they use that on a small motor, like a chainsaw, it could ruin the seals.
I’m in Europe and I have never in my life seen a gas station that dispenses every fuel through just one hose.
Every fuel has its own hose and “pistol”. Each “pump” has two or three or four hoses.
In America, if a corner exists a company will cut it.
In the US only diesel gets its own pump, at least in my experience
(US) I’ve been to gas stations in big cities, small towns, little collections of buildings that have no official name but they have a dollar general and a gas station, etc…
I’ve seen several kinds.
Single hose to dispense 87-93 (“normal”) gasoline, and one for diesel
One hose for normal gas, one for diesel, and one for high-ethanol
One for all gasoline types and one for diesel
One super fancy stainless-steel-clad gas station that looked like something from retrofuturism had 5 hoses, one each for 87,90,93, e15, diesel, and the farthest end pump had a line for kerosine.
Never seen a combined gas and diesel hose though.
While those do exist in the States too, a single hose and “pistol” is used for all grades of gasoline and the operator presses a button to select their grade of fuel. The only time there is a guaranteed separate is between desil and gasoline:
The button leads to some interesting minor social problems. The expectation is that the use uses their hand or fingers to press the button, but the buttons are usually disgustingly dirty, so that lead many to using the tip of the “pistol” to smack the grade of gasoline which may put a drop or two of gasoline on the button. So those that come next and use their hands end up smelling like gasoline.
No longer interacting with public gas pumps is one minor joy of driving an EV.
i’m gonna be real with you buddy i have never seen a “disgustingly dirty” fuel button so I think the people in your area just grody. no offense to present company.
You never hit up a Shell station? Majority of them and independents I’ve been to have buttons that are worn through on the octane text for low grade. High octane is usually next most worn
I am a refined gentleman who only goes to turkey hill and wawa.
Here’s a pretty typical american pump: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-shell-station-gas-pump-135764267.html You can select diesel with the green button, which comes out of the green handled hose on the left, but any other option for regular gas (87/89/93 in that picture) comes out of the right hose.
In America drastically different fuels like E85 and Diesel are dispensed with different hoses as mixing those with normal gasoline or vice versa in the wrong system could cause damage. But when it comes to different grades of just gasoline it’s all the same hose. E10 or E15 are pretty much standard in many parts of the Country of Corn (USA) so they are the primary form of gasoline available for normal cars.
its a thing often in America, there’s just 1 hose and you press a button to select what blend you want.
I’m in Australia and it’s on the pumps—like little manufacturer stamps that don’t seem to be aftermarket labels. Most people wouldn’t notice it and those that do wouldn’t understand what it means.
It’s generally a tiny label like “Minimum 5L” or something, near the nozzle, or on/below the meters.
Not in the us
Frequently in the US.
I’m not from the US so my biggest surprise here is that you don’t get separate hoses for each grade.
Thanks for the explanation! I wonder what they would do if they caught someone dispensing only 3 gallons.
Federal law states the punishment is a bare bottom spanking.
😳
FTFY
Probably nothing. I guess it’s possible if you kept switching back and forth between pumping a gallon of premium and a gallon of regular on different pumps to try to steal a few dollars of higher grade, they can use it to give you a ticket, but I’m pretty sure they won’t really care if you were just topping off a tank of gas with 3 gallons before a road trip.
straight to federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison