Gas Station
Pixabay

If you have a car or other vehicle, you probably visit gas stations frequently. In fact, these ubiquitous convenience stations are a consistent part of life for drivers all across the country. As familiar as they are, however, there’s a lot to them that most people don’t know anything about.

The Science Affecting Locations

Even the placement of gas stations is thoroughly researched. Some of the factors owners consider before building a station are the type of traffic and the kind of people in the neighborhood. In most cases, new construction sites are chosen at four-way intersections where there’s a spot on the right, just after the stop sign or light. It turns out that drivers are pretty picky about where they want to gas up.

The Underground Story

An awful lot of gas station construction is hidden underground. The average station may have up to five tanks underground. There may be submerged pumps, alarm systems, and automatic leak detectors. For the safety of all involved, there are usually tank gauge monitoring systems, sacrificial anodes to prevent corrosion, and several probes for ensuring that everything is as it should be.

Safety While Pumping

Although there are many precautions built into gas stations, there are still some circumstances that can cause trouble at the pump. You may have been warned not to turn your smartphone on while gassing up. This warning is geared toward the importance of focusing on the task at hand. However, certain types of clothing can cause a buildup of static electricity that could cause sparks. Other things to avoid include getting back into your car and smoking. Finally, it’s best not to use a flashlight around the pumps.

Gas Stations and Your Health

If you’ve always thought gas stations were home to dirt and grime, you’d be right. The dirtiest spot of all? The gas pumps. There are more types of bacteria on the handles and buttons of those pumps than there are on ATMs. The best way to avoid another cold is to wash your hands thoroughly when you’ve reached your destination.

Gas Stations have a theory behind their locations

Gas stations have a lot to do when they are set up. The locations that you set them up will be dependent upon a huge range of factors. Some of the most important factors would include the number and type of people living in the area, the traffic and the size of the area that is not covered by a considerably nearby location. Even the signal locations can have a big effect on where the gas station has been set up. The four way intersections can be a little difficult areas and specifically needed to set up on the right side of the road.

There are a lot of things that can cause a fire at the gas station

We all know that turning on a mobile phone at the gas station can ignite a fire at a gas station. There are a few other things that can cause a fire. Wearing a few kinds of fabrics can be one of the reasons. Fabrics made of the synthetic material can also be one of the major causes of fire. Using flashlights near the gas pumps can be yet another invitation to bring in the fire.

Do you have questions about gas stations? What kinds of crazy scenarios have you seen while pumping gas?