I must say that not all gas stations have signs with a crossed-out phone - mainly at gas stations belonging to very large networks. And this already makes one think about their relevance - if some “automotive catering” enterprises do not bother with warnings, then this is not necessary and the problem is not too expressive?
But despite the fact that 99.9 out of a hundred people either do not notice these signs at all, or completely ignore their calls, on various Internet forums, the topic of the danger or safety of a mobile phone at a gas station is raised by inquisitive minds relatively regularly. The main popular hypotheses of the origin of the strange ban are as follows:
- the mobile phone can affect the electronic equipment that controls the pump, and you will not be filled with fuel or the equipment will completely shut down and stop working;
- a mobile phone is capable of igniting gasoline vapors “with its radio frequency radiation” and a fire will occur;
- a mobile phone in a thunderstorm attracts lightning, and if it strikes you at a gas station, it will explode everything to smithereens and in half, as in "The Adventures of Italians in Russia."
Perhaps there are more enchanting theories, but we will limit ourselves to these three, with the permission of the readers.
"Glitches and omissions"
“It’s a clear myth – after all, mobile phones of dozens of customers work daily next to electronic scales and cash registers in stores, and their metrological filling does not turn off and does not fail when talking on a mobile phone,” comments Viktor Gordov, director of Tatsuno Rus, the Russian branch of the Japanese manufacturer of fuel dispensers Tatsuno Corporation speakers. “Older cordless telephones were very serious interference generators and could really affect electronic equipment - someone even heard of cases of freezing control systems at a gas station and blocking speakers. However, today modern fuel dispensers are not affected by mobile communication devices - their electronics are manufactured according to special regulations and are also tested in a special way. Therefore, we did not and do not apply any warning signs regarding mobile communications on our speakers.
“Our fuel dispensers are tested for electromagnetic compatibility in special accredited laboratories,” confirms Vitaly Lysikov, Deputy Chief Engineer of Topaz-Service, a Russian company that manufactures fuel dispensers. – We check the prototype of each electronic product for the degree of security using special stands for the formation of electromagnetic interference. When designing electronic devices, a number of measures are taken to protect against electromagnetic fields from the outside by shielding sensitive elements, filtering signals, limiting high-voltage surges, grounding the housing and signal cable shields. Therefore, they are not afraid of electromagnetic interference from the phone.
"Ignition from radio waves"
Unlike ordinary citizens, it is obvious to any radio communications engineer that the operation of a low-power radio transmitter, such as, for example, a mobile phone or walkie-talkie, regardless of the frequency range used, does not generate any “sparks” of any kind in a gas station. genus, species or grade, nor heating any bodies and objects to the ignition temperature of gasoline or its vapors. At all. From the word "absolutely". Or completely from the word "generally"!
Yes, powerful radio transmitters (an example of which in everyday life is the magnetron of a microwave oven) are capable of causing a thermal effect and eddy currents in metal objects with their radiation, generating electrical discharges - sparks. But this happens inside the oven, in a tiny enclosed space designed specifically to enhance this effect, and with a power input of a couple of kilowatts. In order to cause sparks and fire in metal objects in an open area, you need a barn-sized radio transmitter ... Experts, of course, confirm this:
“By and large, the phone is a source of electromagnetic radiation, and electromagnetic radiation is still capable of generating currents in conductive circuits and metal objects. Accordingly, the induced electric current can cause an electric spark, which can ignite fuel vapors, - says Alexey Nagornykh, commercial director of AltaiSpetsIzdeliya, a company that produces block and mobile filling stations. – However, in order for this to happen, it is necessary that too many incredible conditions coincide: the transmitter power must be significantly higher than that of a telephone, a certain electrical circuit must “accept” the radiated energy, in which a spark can form, and around this spark a fuel vapor must have a certain concentration for ignition ... "
So while the phone is often linked to gas station fires, it's not the cause. Here in this video, for example, it can be seen that, although a person is actively chatting on the phone, ignition occurs precisely at the moment the hand touches the fuel dispenser gun:
It is obvious that the fuel vapors coming out of the tank were ignited by a spark of static electricity that accumulates on synthetic clothing, but we see that "the ignition occurred during the ringing of the mobile phone!". And this video shows a much more likely cause of a fire at a gas station “from a mobile phone”:
"Mobile attracts lightning"
Why can't journalists and British scientists be reproached with outright lies when they claim that almost all people struck by lightning recently had a mobile phone with them? Yes, because everyone now has a mobile phone - regardless of whether lightning strikes it or not ... And the "urban legend" about the danger of "attraction" by the phone to lightning in a thunderstorm and the subsequent ignition of a gas station from it has no scientific basis.
“The danger of a telephone attracting lightning in a thunderstorm to a person at a pump is a myth,” Aleksey Nagornykh is convinced. – Electrical breakdown during a lightning discharge occurs along the shortest distance from the negatively charged channel from the cloud to the positively charged surface of the earth or any object located on its surface. Therefore, lightning strikes tall objects: poles, trees, buildings, lightning rods, etc. So being at a gas station with a cell phone, you will not "attract" lightning - it will be attracted to lightning rods or some structures on the roof of the canopy, which are much higher than the person with the phone. Even if the gas station stands alone in an open space, it is the presence of a towering conductive object that will become “attractive” for lightning, and not the mobile phone itself in your hand ... "
So is the phone at the gas station safe or not?!
It would seem that after all of the above, after debunking all the stupid myths, this question is ridiculous to ask. Wait a minute!
The phone is still capable of becoming a source of fire in a number of exceptional cases - just not necessarily at a gas station, and this is not due to radio waves, lightning or electromagnetic interference! This, figuratively speaking, is not at all connected with the fact that he is a PHONE.
“According to the documents that regulate the operation of gas stations, 3 meters around each fuel dispenser and 8 meters around fuel storage tanks are considered explosive zones,” continues Vitaly Lysikov. – The fact is that air saturated with gasoline vapors is always forced out of the car tank when it is filled with fuel and enters the surrounding space. This is not an emergency, this is normal, and this happens almost always, in the normal operation of the column. Modern gas stations can be equipped with a system to capture these vapors from the gas tank and return to the tanks, but not all gas station owners install it, since such a system is proposed not to increase fire safety, but for environmental reasons.
Yes, in a number of regulatory documents that regulate the operation of a gas station, there is no direct prohibition or permission to use cell phones directly on the territory of gas stations. But according to paragraph 743 of section XVI "Gas stations and filling stations" of the "Fire Safety Rules in the Russian Federation", it is forbidden to use ANY equipment that is not certified in terms of explosion protection in explosive zones of gas stations. It doesn't matter if it's a phone, a children's toy with a battery, a flashlight, an electric drill or a coffee maker!
And since mass mobile phones belong to the class of electrical equipment that does not have explosion protection, then the rules prohibit their use at gas stations. And the sign with the crossed-out telephone is hung precisely because the driver of the car, with a high degree of probability, has no other electrical equipment other than the telephone!
Explosion-proof phone - what is it?
For non-specialists, the term "explosion-proof equipment" is confusing and nebulous. It is even more unclear - can the phone be "explosion-proof"? We explain!
You probably drilled with an electric drill, which means you saw through the ventilation slots of its case how the motor collector sparks! This is a classic example of non-explosion-proof equipment. If you try to drill a hole with such a drill somewhere in a mine where methane accumulations are everywhere, gloomy guys in helmets with flashlights on their foreheads (explosion-proof, by the way!) will clearly explain to you how wrong you are ...
In other words, ANY electrical and electronic equipment operating in places where the formation of explosive gases and vapors is possible must be explosion-proof. At enterprises and facilities of the chemical, mining, oil and gas industries, in fuel and paint warehouses, in electroplating and battery shops, in paint booths, etc. Wiring, switches and lamps, machines, tools and devices, as well as communication equipment - radio stations and mobile phones - must be explosion-proof - this is required by safety standards.
The design of explosion-proof instruments and devices in principle excludes any spark or heat capable of igniting combustible gases or vapors. The housings of the devices are protected from their penetration, the batteries, and most importantly, their contacts, are closed with sealed covers, etc. This principle has been observed in hazardous industries for many, many years.
And some time ago, explosion-proof cell phones appeared. For example, models of brands Sonim, RugGear and some others. They cost crazy money and the demand for them is negligible. However, just such a phone can be officially, legally and 146% safe to use for calls in the immediate vicinity of a stream of pouring gasoline and in a cloud of its vapors ... The manufacturer guarantees that the spark will never leave the gadget's case, combustible vapors will not get inside the mobile phone, and the battery will not ignite spontaneously, as sometimes happens even with iPhones ...
“The main source of fire and explosion hazard of electrical appliances is their local overheating and sparking,” explains Alexey Nagornykh. – Since a cell phone usually does not overheat enough to cause a fire, the danger is the possibility of an electrical discharge. Therefore, explosion-proof phones differ from non-explosion-proof ones primarily in their intrinsic safety: they have a sealed case, and the entire electronic filling of the phone is reliably isolated from the external environment, plus the cases of such phones are made of antistatic, non-sparking plastics: they do not spark when touched and do not “cut a spark” even when falling on a metal surface.
Results
I must say that when the site, represented by the author of the article, began to prepare this material, the topic seemed much simpler, shorter and lighter, and resulted in a very large-scale and, possibly, load-bearing study ... But what is the result? And it turns out that we have completely confused the reader. It seems that the popular myths have been debunked, however, according to explosion protection standards, any mobile phone, except for rare special ones, is still capable of suddenly catching fire in your hands and igniting fuel vapors at the pump ... How to be? There are, of course, two options here.
The first, absolutely safe, but inconvenient for those who need to be in touch at any moment, is to leave the phone inside the car. In this case, of course, you do not need to turn it off or put it into airplane mode.
And the second option is to have the phone with you, in your pocket or bag, even while filling gasoline. And calmly answer an urgent call if you suddenly receive an incoming call. Personally, I choose the latter option, believing that the risk of igniting the battery or "sparks out of the cell phone case" is probably negligible, and this danger can be neglected.
Experienced drivers know which gas stations offer the best quality gasoline. Each “ace of Russian tracks” accumulated invaluable experience not for self-interest, but for benefit. Because I experienced it myself: deviation from standards, the presence of impurities (to be honest: although gasoline is not sour cream, it is also diluted with water, fuel with a lower octane number) are fraught with big troubles.
Clogged filters, candles went out
If you approach the issue without due attention, the machine slowly but surely, and sometimes instantly, reacts to a violation of the rules of "nutrition". Clogged filters, injector malfunctions, candle soot - far from a complete list of troubles awaiting us after we poured God knows what into the fuel tank, although we were assured that it was good gasoline.
What you need to know in order to avoid the troubles associated with visiting the “wrong” gas station? To begin with, let's analyze the factors affecting the quality of the fuel: (measure starting, working and end fractions, measure of the content of alkalis, acids, organic compounds, etc.
Although there is an opinion that the fuel at branded filling stations is not always better than that sold by little-known points, many drivers, when asked about the “best gasoline”, at which gas stations they sell it, answer that they like Shell, Rosneft, and some others. expanded stations.
When You Don't Need Lemonade
How to find out about the progress of fuel quality control? Law-abiding owners of each gas station put special certificates on public display. I want to believe: in fact, everything is as it is written. Unfortunately, practice shows that the data of an official certificate are not always reliable. It is impossible to demand the same utility from gasoline 80 and 95 - the fractional indicators are different.
Before we talk about which gas stations sell the highest quality gasoline, let's evaluate a different, consumer rating. The most popular is the 95th, the least popular is the 76th. And what? It seems that some gas station employees have learned the advice of Dale Carnegie "if fate gave you a lemon, make lemonade out of it" in their own selfish way. Using the so-called additives for diesel fuel (improvers), they make anything from the 76th “lemon”, up to the 95th “brandy”.
A huge number of cars across the country are powered by this dubious mixture. Particularly harmful to the car are improvers that were originally added to the raw materials from which gasoline is produced. However, not all “jambs” are stacked on the conscience of fuel dealers. So, it falls if it was stored for too long. At the same time, the content of resins increases (due to an increase in the concentration of fuel hydrocarbons).
Question to a friend
How not to miss the choice of gas stations? There are many ways. First of all, ask those whose opinion you consider objective and honest (friends, work colleagues, relatives). Although opinions may differ in this narrow circle, you can catch the vector of actions and draw conclusions. The most high-quality and proven brands in Russia in 2016 are: Lukoil, Gazpromneft, Shell, TNK. But maybe this applies only to the center?
There is an opinion that when traveling around the country, one may encounter the fact that the gas station, which has a high reputation among the capital's consumers, sells fuel that does not meet the declared quality. What to do in this case? Interview local residents among motorists where they prefer to be served. Or watch the "behavior" of cars with local numbers. Which station has the most of them - there really is.
Another subtlety: watch out for excessive use of the bright words "luxury", "premium" in the fuel price list at the station. Remember that everyone knows how to splurge in our advertising time. Look for a bit of modesty: a brand name without any "luxury". This is how a product is presented where there is no need to prove that it is of high quality and proven.
Gasoline passport
Which gas stations offer the best quality gasoline? The responses of the people sometimes slightly (and sometimes drastically) change the places of accents. For example, Shell is in the top three. It is believed that the product is environmentally friendly (corresponds to the Euro-4 standard), GOST standards are observed in the production. The fuel system is not contaminated. But you can also hear that Shell (as well as TNK) in a number of cases sells fuel stored at not the most classy oil depots (the owners of the storage facilities turn off the partners, to put it mildly, not that).
So attention, attention and more attention. Look at the gas station, find a gasoline passport there. If the fuel has been improved, it has a separate document. Read whether this process was carried out in accordance with GOST or on the basis of technical specifications. Assess the environmental safety, find the name of the refinery manufacturer.
Passport of gasoline may be expired (valid for 10 days). At the end of this time, the initial indicators decrease, the quality of the fuel decreases. Do not take risks, do not buy fuel at gas stations before you familiarize yourself with passport data. If there is no document in sight, this is already a signal of dishonesty of the seller.
Do not chase, driver, for cheapness!
Almost every second driver at least once thought about where to buy not too expensive gasoline. An understandable desire. But standing at a gas station with goods “at a reasonable price”, think about it: GOST is unlikely to be so cheap, and one made according to TU will certainly not be very useful for your car. The quality of conditions is initially less stringent.
Of course, there is strength in knowing which gas stations offer the highest quality gasoline. But always remember that in large cities there is less falsified and low-quality fuel, far from them it is better to keep your ears on top. In addition, gas is better on weekdays than on weekends and holidays.
Check the quality. Look at the appearance of a flammable liquid, evaluate the color scheme. There are poisonous shades - do not take risks, do not fill the gas tank, even if the price is tempting.
About color. Connoisseurs say that A-72 is pink, A-76 is yellow, 93 is orange-red, 95 resembles gastric juice (yellow-green) in color. Although there are those who find that sometimes it looks like Duchess lemonade, and doubt the quality.
What smells?
There is a touch check. This is done like this: gasoline is dripped onto the hand (the back side is more sensitive). Dry skin? You have made a good choice. Are there greasy marks? Stop! Diesel fuel was added to the fuel, which lowered the quality. A very unpleasant smell is also a signal of fuel trouble. Experienced car owners and attentive beginners are wary when they catch the smell of burnt rubber, chemistry.
These tips help identify low quality fuels but are not ideal testing methods. There are also chemical tests that can be done at home. Pour the test substance into a glass beaker and observe. Soot deposits formed on the bottom? This indicates that the fuel was enriched with carbon or benzene.
If you take a sheet of paper and put a drop of gasoline on it, the real one will evaporate without a trace, while the low-quality one will leave behind a greasy and dirty mark. If you set fire to a drop - a clean one will burn without a trace, more precisely, a white circle will remain. The presence of brown and yellow indicates an excess of resin content. Particularly vigilant drivers resort to the study of the fuel consumed by their favorite car in special laboratories.
We continue testing
Didn't make it to the lab? Continue your personal experiments: see how a drop of gasoline behaves on glass? "Experimental" spread in diameter up to 5 mm? This means that the concentration of resins in it is 9-10 milligrams per 100 milliliters (the norm for high-quality fuel is 7-15 mg).
Spread up to 30 millimeters? The resin content is exceeded and reaches approximately 19 to 21 milligrams per hundred milliliters. A permanent excess of this indicator by half reduces the motor resource by 20%.
On the amount of water in the test gasoline. Add potassium permanganate crystals to the vessel with fuel. If the composition becomes typically purple, there is an excess of H2O in it. Crystals do not dissolve in high-quality fuel. Watery gasoline will make the spark plugs unusable and contaminate the fuel equipment.
Beautiful word "ariometer"
Cantly? It is worth it to learn to recognize the highest quality gasoline in Russia, at which gas stations it is most likely to be found. Many people like to use a household gasoline meter (ariometer). Of course, you should not rely completely on the reliability of the data obtained with its help. But if you need to separate the "grains from the chaff" and determine gasoline and diesel fuel, then the ariometer is what you need. Once you've identified fuel problems, take the time to have your vehicle professionally diagnosed.
In the event of a breakdown and repair of transport due to poor-quality injections, having laboratory reports on low-quality fuel in hand, you can contact Rospotrebnadzor (engaged in consumer protection) with an application for reimbursement of costs for bringing the machine into working condition.
TOP 10
Looking for where there is the highest quality at which gas stations, some motorists did reviews while driving through the expanses of Russia. The experiment showed that eight samples for sulfur content met the requirements of class 4 (a pair of which approached the fifth), two showed the third class (we are talking about the sulfur content). So it's not all sad. If you are not refueling from a fuel truck, do not chase cheapness, you have every chance to refuel with a decent 95, no matter where the wanderlust takes you.
Praise brands "Gazpromneft", "Kirishsky gasoline" (tests give a steady positive result). The first of these has two factories - in Moscow and Yaroslavl, both guarantee the quality of products.
More about those that are ranked among the "ten brave": these are the well-known companies TNK, Rosneft, Shell. Familiar to many "TNK-BP", "Neste". Gas stations of these brands are based on domestic fuel (with the exception of 98th gasoline). But be careful: in the wrong place or "at the wrong time" you may encounter the fact of a discrepancy between the desired and the actual - there are complaints about the quality from consumers.
German and Russian quality
There is a small company "Statoil" and a large, well-known, but not too beloved by consumers, "PTK". The list of average quality is completed by Tatneft (there is no own tank farm) and Bashneft (there is a tank farm). They shared 10th place among themselves. With regard to global assessments, there is an International Center for Monitoring Fuel Quality. It is believed that the highest quality gasoline in the world is sold in Germany. Japan is in second position, six countries are in third, including Austria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden.
What is it, the highest quality at which gas station is found? The question is rather rhetorical. Some are sure that it is necessary to adhere to the principle of "one filling station - one manufacturer." Others believe that you can contact different stations, as long as they are branded. Still others say that even at a small gas station you can stock up on high-quality fuel, and fly at a luxury one. These are just some of the opinions!
I think the wisest of them is this: do not look for a clear answer to the question of which gas stations have the best quality gasoline. Get to the heart of the matter. And you will always find what you are looking for, driving around the endless Russian expanses.
As a decent man, I love cars, and I don’t live in peace, I decided to check the quality of gasoline at gas stations in Moscow. Rosneft, Lukoil, Gazprom, BP and others tremble!
Car shops sell various test strips to check the quality of gasoline. But, it is clear that they cannot give complete data on the composition of gasoline and determine its compliance with all standards. Did this test not too long ago. macos . The experiment seemed interesting to me, but I decided to act for sure and went to a real testing laboratory for fuels and lubricants.
The first surprise was the search for a laboratory that can test gasoline. It turned out that there are not many such people in Moscow. I googled only two (Shell and Neftmagistral) suitable laboratories to which a private person can take gasoline for analysis without problems. Other laboratories either analyze oils, or are not close, or the analysis is unreasonably expensive, or cooperation with individuals is problematic. By the way, maybe someone knows why such laboratories do not like private individuals?
The choice fell on the Oil pipeline. In fact, I chose them because of the price (it turned out to be not the cheapest pleasure), and they are located quite close to Moscow (Vnukovo).
Having traveled along the Moscow Ring Road from Yaroslavka to Kievskoye Highway, I stopped at the following gas stations: Rosneft, Lukoil, BP, Neftmagistral, Gazpromneft. I poured gasoline into plastic canisters specially designed for gasoline. For testing, standard 95th gasoline was taken.
I post checks for gasoline for comparison - (price per liter / rubles): Neftmagistral - 33.20, Gazpromneft - 34.05, Rosneft - 34.10, Lukoil - 34.52, BP - 34.59. I could not resist on BP, I bought mineral water-). The main question is what is the difference and does cheaper gasoline differ from expensive gasoline, is it more useful to feed cars, and is there any difference in general than to feed?
To make everything as independent as possible, I gave gasoline samples anonymously - under numbers. Although, looking ahead, I’ll say that after the analysis, we got into a conversation with a person who works there and, looking at the composition, he himself compared and named the brands of three probes. At that moment, I felt real respect for a person who knows the market so well and knows the compositions and differences of gasoline of different brands.
The laboratory is equipped with the latest technology. I wouldn't call it big, but the equipment is amazing. The following fuel parameters were analyzed: octane number, fractional composition, content of sulfur and aromatic compounds. Like it or not, these gasoline test strips cannot be detected in any way. And good gasoline is not only excellent running and accelerating characteristics of a car, but also a guarantee of its smooth operation and serviceability. I think that those who are under warranty and call in for MOT have heard sighs from the masters many times about dirty candles and bad gasoline.
Let's take a closer look at a few devices. Below UIT-85M. The device was made in Russia at the Savelovsky Machine-Building Plant. This unit determines the octane number. The device simulates the operation of the engine using only one cylinder, then the installation compares the standard with the gasoline received for research.
With an octane number, all brands turned out to be in order. Everything is within the normal range.
We test further. The sulfur content of gasoline helps determine the spectrometer. Active sulfur compounds contained in gasoline cause severe corrosion of the fuel system and transport containers. Inactive sulfur compounds do not lead to corrosion, but the gases formed during their combustion cause rapid abrasive wear of engine parts, reduce power and worsen the environmental situation.
And this device for determining the chemical composition. In a few seconds, it gives a detailed analysis of the composition.
An apparatus that determines the fractional composition of gasoline.
Apparatus for determining the density of an oil product
Apparatus for determining the pressure of saturated vapors
Equipment for the analysis of diesel fuel differs significantly. But I didn’t have diesel fuel with me, so I couldn’t see exactly how the device works, but I managed to capture it:
Apparatus for determining actual resins
But the most important thing is the final results, it was for them that I came to the laboratory. In fact, the results were unexpected. I was sure that at least half of the grades would turn out to be unusable, but ... almost all gasoline turned out to be within the standards, the only thing was that Lukoil "let down".
Lukoil AI-95 gasoline does not comply with GOST R 51866-2002 in terms of a number of fractional composition indicators. The first discrepancy: the end of boiling (this indicator should not be higher than 210C, for Lukoil it is 215.7C). Consequences: increased fuel consumption and carbon formation in the combustion chamber of the engine cylinder. The second discrepancy: by the share of aromatic hydrocarbons. Consequences: soot on candles during the passage of the next MOT. All this can be seen in the test report. That is, this gasoline will not only increase fuel consumption, but also significantly increase engine wear.
The indicators of the fractional composition and the compliance of these parameters with the norm are one of the main ones, since they can be used to determine the engine warm-up rate, its throttle response, starting qualities, and the uniformity of the engine at idle. To decipher all the indicators, you can use this "dictionary".
By the way, Gazprom stood out in terms of sulfur content, but according to this indicator, everything is within the normal range for all brands.
Lukoil and Gazprom turned out to have the lowest octane ratings (the higher the octane number, the better the gasoline resists detonation) - 95.4, BP has a little higher - 95.5, but still not the maximum, although I repeat that everything in within the normal range, but without much effort.
Other protocols can be found here
Oil pipeline:
Rosneft:
In general, I am surprised, I still expected more violations-) Perhaps the fact is that gasoline was taken in Moscow, we apparently undergo constant checks. It would be interesting if someone living in the region would take the baton and conduct similar analyses.
Question to the studio, is it worth overpaying for a brand, if in the end the quality is the same for everyone, and some expensive brands also cheat a little? Have you personally come across low-quality gasoline? Tried to somehow prove the manufacturer of his guilt? Have you contacted such laboratories? And, in fact, what are you guided by when choosing a gas station, because, as it turned out, a high price is not always a guarantee of quality ...
Previously, this was not the case: a motorist, getting out of a car, put a gun into the neck himself and went to pay for gasoline at the cash desk. Later, nice young people appeared at gas stations, ready to do this simple job for him. And also - wipe the windows or pump up the wheel.
Today, tankers (one or more) are on duty at almost any gas station (for sure, at large network ones). Many do not understand why they are needed. And really, why?
In fact, the gas station attendant is not there to please you. And not because the director of the gas station needs somewhere to attach his offspring, an idiot. It turns out that his appearance at the gas station is connected with ... security. Most motorists cannot correctly and safely perform the procedure for installing a fuel dispenser nozzle (FDC) in the fuel tank neck on a car. The danger is stored in the fingertips conducting static electricity during the ride. You may not know, but you “gain electricity” all the time: when rubbing your back against the synthetic upholstery of chairs, against plastic elements (for example, about the steering wheel), etc. Electrified clothing is a serious hazard. During refueling, touching metal surfaces may spark. In this case, gasoline vapors from the tank are displaced by the incoming fuel and form an explosive cloud around the neck. It's close to the fire here. Or maybe an explosion.
That is why special people appeared at gas stations - refuellers who help motorists with refueling cars. They wear special clothes and think only about safety. What if it still "takes off"? Well, then the car owner will have a chance to sue the operator for the damage caused to him and his car.
Actually, not everyone can entrust a stranger with the sacrament of pouring gasoline into the tank of their car. Conclusion: you yourself must observe safety measures when performing this procedure. First, when driving to the gas station, avoid synthetic clothing and silk products. When rubbing, excuse me, the sirloin on the chair, you accumulate an electric charge on the body. Well, if you "reset the static" in the supermarket (through the cart). How about at a gas station?
Secondly, when refueling a car, it is better not to touch the filling gun with your hands at all. Before you open the gas tank cap, stroke your car. This is not a ritual, but an attempt to remove static electricity from the body. Just do it with your bare hands, not with a glove. Carry out the same procedure for the fuel dispenser (it must be grounded) - remove the accumulated charge. While refueling is in progress, do not sit in the driver's seat - stay outside the car. Before removing the gun from the tank, just in case, touch the column again.
And here are some more tips about refueling a car at a gas station. Objects electrify faster in sunny and dry weather. Thus, there is less chance of gaining a static charge - in winter during rain or snow. For the same reason, it is not recommended to collect fuel in a plastic canister. For storage and transportation of fuel, only iron containers should be used.
The instructions also advise against using cell phones in the process of refueling a car and turn off the engine to avoid generating electromagnetic fields that can cause static charges on the car body. By the way, turning off the engine when refueling a car is required by law (clause 451 of the "Rules for the fire regime in the Russian Federation").
Why at gas stations they stopped filling up gasoline to a full tank and do gas stations have the right to leave a credit card as a "hostage"? Correspondents of the site tried to understand the situation
Moscow. September 15th. site - Most recently, this formula worked easily and simply at any gas station in Moscow and the Moscow region. You say "Full please" and hold out cash or a credit card. And that's it, it's done. The money is withdrawn, gasoline is filled and you can go further without thinking about anything. Some time ago the system started to fail. At gas stations, handwritten and printed announcements on A4 sheets began to appear “We don’t fill up to full!”, And cashiers began to ask for cash even if you were going to pay for refueling with a credit card.
Dialogue at Rosneft gas station No. 74, Novorizhskaya highway, August 2010, late at night, smog:
- To the full, please.
- We don't fill up to full capacity anymore.
- Why?
- Order of management. What is the amount you want to refuel?
- Thousand.
- Are you sure that a thousand will fit?
- Mmm ... Yes (at this moment you start frantically calculating: it seems that a full tank is about one and a half thousand, there seemed to be more than a quarter left, yes, a thousand will fit).
- (in response to the extended credit card) Do you definitely have money?
- If your credit card doesn't work, can you deposit a thousand in cash?
- Yes, probably (you start to remember if you have cash. The queue behind you sighs wearily - summer residents are rushing to Moscow).
- I'm running. But are you sure that you have money on the card?
Correspondents of the site subsequently encountered similar situations more than once or twice. At the filling stations of LUKOIL and Rosneft in Moscow and the Moscow region, we were repeatedly denied refueling up to a full tank, and they also demanded to guarantee a cash amount in case of payment by credit card. It almost reached the point of absurdity. At the LUKOIL gas station at the entrance to the Domodedovo airport, they were urged to make sure that there was cash in the wallet. Only after a convincing wave of a thousand-ruble bill, gasoline began to flow. We encountered a similar situation at the Rosneft gas station at the exit from Shosseynaya Street to Volgogradsky Prospekt in Moscow. At the same gas station in Novaya Riga, the cashier explained that if the credit card "failed" and we didn't have cash, we would have to leave the card and checks as collateral. And go for the required amount. She pulled out a stack of four or five credit cards from somewhere under the cash register and showed us: “You see, this happens all the time with us” (note that, from the point of view of the law, refuellers do not have the right to seize your credit card).
The mysterious "order of the company" not to fill up to full and to accept credit cards only with a cash guarantee hung in the air, but nowhere did it take on material features. The refuellers consoled us, went to meet us, once they even refueled as usual - to the full and by credit card. However, it would be desirable to explain what is happening at Moscow gas stations. Initially, we followed the path of an ordinary citizen - we called the Rosneft hotline and asked about the essence of the notorious order. However, the operator girl could not help us, however, she noticed that they did not have the right to seize a credit card as collateral at gas stations. An exhaustive explanation has already been provided by the companies themselves. As it turned out, yes, we live by the new rules. Unless, as usual, no one told us about it.
As the press service of LUKOIL-Tsentrnefteprodukt explained to Interfax, according to the settlement system currently in place at the company's filling stations, the operator has no right to dispense fuel without prepayment. The scheme, when the client first refuels and then pays with a card, is called "post-payment". Due to frequent cases when customers left without paying for the received fuel, the post-payment system at LUKOIL filling stations was cancelled. There were also problems when, after refueling the car, it turned out that there were not enough funds on the card to pay for fuel or technical difficulties arose, for example, the lack of communication with the bank.
The company pointed out that if the client certainly wants to fill a full tank on the card, and not a specific number of liters, then there is only one option. So, the buyer tells the operator "full tank" and gives the card, the operator writes off the funds from the card, which should be enough to refuel the car, for example, 3 thousand rubles, and turns on the fuel dispenser. After the car owner has been filled with a full tank, the operator fully returns the debited amount to the card, the same 3 thousand rubles, and debits the funds from the card again, but for the specific number of liters that the fuel dispenser meter showed. Thus, the buyer must receive three checks: the first - to write off 3 thousand rubles, the second - to return these funds and the third - to write off the exact amount by the number of liters received. At the same time, the initially debited funds (3 thousand rubles) will be returned to the owner on the card, in accordance with the terms of the buyer's agreement with the card issuing bank, and this can take up to 45 days. It turns out that when refueling to a full tank on the card, not only the service time increases, but also a certain amount is "frozen" on the buyer's card account. It is the complexity of the described procedure that determines the attitude of operators to "refueling on the card to a full tank." "The issue is very relevant, and now we are considering the possibility of returning to the post-payment system at some gas stations," LUKOIL-Tsentrnefteprodukt said. Representatives of LUKOIL also added that the company does not have any documents on the basis of which a client can be denied refueling a car if cash is not presented with the intention to pay with a bank card.
The press service of Rosneft confirmed that they are faced with similar situations (lack of funds on buyers' cards or technical problems with communication during card processing). As a result, there may be situations where the operator will have to reimburse funds for the sale of fuel from his own pocket. The company added that if the client refuses to present the amount expected to be debited from the card in cash, he is unlikely to receive a denial of service, most likely, he will be offered to authorize the card for a certain amount using the method described above - in three steps. At the same time, Rosneft noted that in the event that cards are seized as collateral, before the amount for the sold fuel is reimbursed in cash, it is necessary to report such an incident by calling the hotline.
