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A mistake that many drivers make when filling their gas tank is to overfill it. In other words when the gas pump nozzle clicks off automatically,do you keep pumping trying to add as much more gas as you can? Do you add more gas after the shutoff to round out the dollar amount of the total. In either case this habit is most likely costing you money and is bad for the environment. In most areas, gas station pumps are equipped with vapor recovery systems that draw gas vapors back into their tanks to prevent those vapors from getting into the air and thus contributing to air pollution. If you top off your gas tank it can result in your paying for fuel that is fed back into the gas station's tanks because that vapor recovery system is drawing gas back into the station system. The extra gas you are trying to pump into your tank may just be drawn into the vapor line and back into the station's tanks. That means that you will be paying for gas that is not going into your car but is going back into the gas station's storage tanks. Of course the effect of this is to raise your cost of gas. When you overfill your gas tank it is almost a certainty that gasoline will evaporate or will be spilled. If either of these or both of these occur it means buying gas that is not getting into your car. That has to hurt you in the wallet. There are more problems you may encounter when topping off your gas tank. Gas expands as it gets warmer. This is certainly a big factor in the summer or in warm weather climates. Gas from underground tanks will generally be cooler than the air. As it warms up in your gas tank it expands. As the gas expands it requires more room in your gas tank. If you top off your tank, then there is no extra room for the gas to expand. Where does the expanding gas go? It may find it's way into your vehicle's vapor collection system. That could easily foul this system causing it to malfunction. If this happens your vehicle will run poorly and have high gas emissions. The gasoline that expands and is lost is gasoline that you spent your money on. That means that again, you spent money for gas that you are not able to use. As a result your cost of gasoline is increased. But you are not through loosing money! If the expanding gas finds it's way into your vapor collection system it could easily foul that system. If that happens your car will operate very inefficiently. A less efficient car means less fuel efficiency which means you will use more gas which means it will cost you more money. The result is you are hit double in the wallet, once for the gas that is lost directly and second for the extra gas your car starts to burn because it is running inefficiently. Double ouch!! Gas vapors are a major factor in adding toxic pollutants such as benzene to the air. This contributes to bad ozone days. Gas vapors are bad for your health and harmful to breathe. When you top off your tank you will end up with vapors released into the air. When this happens you are breathing in toxic fumes. When you next fill your truck or car, when the pump automatically stops don't add any more fuel, your tank should be full enough. Don't top it off, don't overfill it. Not only will you be saving money but also helping your own health and helping the environment!
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Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page book of industry insider information on saving gas and money at the pump. Visit us to discover how you can increase fuel economy. Find out how to save gas. Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the Unique Articles Submission Service
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