I have been driving for many years... I should have noticed the little secret on my dashboard that was staring me in the face the whole time. Have you ever rented or borrowed a car and when arriving at the gas station wondered on which side is the gas cap? If you look at your gas gauge, you will see a small icon of a gas pump. The handle of the gas pump will extend out on either the left or right side of the gas pump. If your tank is on the left, the handle will be on the left. If your tank is on the right, the handle will be on the right (see photos). It is that simple!
Now THAT, my friends, was a useful email!
In my car, there is an arrow beside the pump that points in the direction of the gas tank.
EDIT: it was reported in the comments that this is false. I read the Snopes.com article and it says that the icons are not consistent. Mine is.
Now THAT, my friends, was a useful email!
In my car, there is an arrow beside the pump that points in the direction of the gas tank.
EDIT: it was reported in the comments that this is false. I read the Snopes.com article and it says that the icons are not consistent. Mine is.
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Permit me a small rant, please. I try to be ecologically aware. I try to use products that are touted as money-saving as well as earth-saving. But these new "screwy" looking light bulbs are just the pits! Yesterday, the overhead bulb in my pantry burned out, and the only bulb I had to replace it was a 75 watt regular one. My overhead fixtures say not to use bulbs more than 60 watts, but I thought for just one day it would be ok. I put the 75W bulb in there and voila! "Let there be light!!" It was wonderful. So today I run to the grocery and while there, I buy a box of two of those new energy-saving bulbs ($9.99.) They are supposed to be 60 watts (using only 13 watts of power). Well, I can see why they are energy-saving - it's because they put out so little light!! If I wanted a night light, I'd buy a night light. I'd swear this one only puts out about 20 watts. With this one in the pantry, I'll never be able to see what I have! I think I'll have to put a regular bulb in the pantry and use the newer ones in places that don't require bright light. How do you handle it?
28 comments:
Well, I'll be! I never noticed that little gas tank, either. About the light bulbs, I have replaced all my lights with the energy savers and haven't really noticed much difference. Hmm.
I never knew that about the gas tank icons. Cool.
I hate dim lights, so am terrible about using green bulbs. (hiding head in shame)/
I won't use the 'green' ones give off crappy light and I try to avoid anything made in China. There's a video I posted a while back that explains my feelings on this better than I can. And I think I may just post it again.
Thanks for the lead to Helen and Margaret's blog. That's a find. By the way, I am using the new bulbs but haven't even noticed they don't put out as much light.
I also didn't know that about the gas tank on the dashboard. I'll check it out on my Honda Civic tomorrow.
Yesterday was a memorial for one of our original teachers (1938) who died at 91. Over the years I had often used a local florist to put flowers in Gin's room when she visited or came from MA for a special event. The florist outdid herself with the memorial and I have gorgeous fall flowers everywhere in my house that were left over. I thought of you because the flowers were almost as beautiful as you make.
First thing to do today will be to check out that gas pump icon in my car, lol!!!
I use those energy saving light bulbs for two lamps at home, which only look "cozy" but are not intended as strong illumination! I just tried last week to use a saving one with one of our main lamps in the living room, which uses 75W, I also thought, oK: 60W(13W) won't make a difference. Of course it does!!! They put out little light, you are very right!!
Well, having realized a few years ago that these bulbs give off a strange light---even if there are three of them all together---And I STILL Found it hard to read the magazines I like to read---I stopped using them.
Quite honestly my vision took first place over these bulbs! And since that time I have read some weird things about them and of course I cannot remember what it was, except I think it had something to do with disposing them and how there is something DANGEROUS to our Health, in them....
I'm going to wait on these until they get the kinks REALLY worked out! (lol)
I have one in a table lamp in the hall, also at the top of the stairs and when we are just relaxing in the evening I don't use the main lights - just these. Have you noticed they are dim at first but do get stronger when they have been on a while. One does one's best but one also has to think about safety , eye strain and general gloom and doom. I reckon in my home I am the best judge of what is suitable.
These lights are getting better all the time...so try this again in a year.
I've been replacing closet lights with the pack I bought. I figured those are so rarely used anyway and don't have to be strong, it doesn't really matter. Everything else, I use regular bulbs on... we are totally not "bat cave" people. When we bought this house, it was nearly 50 years old and did not have overhead lighting in the family room. We had a ceiling fan installed, so we can actually see to read or whatever. Best investment so far!
I cannot believe I got this far in life and did not know about the gas tank!You know I can't wait to go out and look at mine now. THe lighbulbs just take some getting used to. THe only place I really don't like them is in my bedroom ceiling light. IT's hard to see to get dressed in the moring. I leave it on while I shower because the lights seem to get brighter as the stay on.Kind of defeats the purpose, I know. But my electic blll went down considerably when we installed the new bulbs!
We use lots of the green lights--not where we read but everywhere else (especially for lights that say on long periods of time). As for the gas gauge--two vehicles ago, I figured out that the arrow pointed to the gas cap side after nearly 100,000 miles!
I don't like those bulbs either. They do tend to get a little bit brighter as they "warm" up but certainly not the cailber we are used to.
I did know about the gas gauge thingy and mine is an arrow as well.
According to Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/icon.asp the gas pump handle icon info is false.
Someone emailed me that info a while back.
Bear((( )))
I don't recall any gs icon. I'll check it out today. Doesn't matter because I keep thinking I'm still driving the old Honda, and inevitably pull up on the wrong side anyway.
I like the lower light of the new bulbs. But I get scared by the instructions of what to do if they break.
I had not heard of the gas pump icon but looks like I learned it only long enough for Bear to discredit it. Oh well. LOL
As far as the bulbs go, I don't care for the energy savers either.
I am replacing all of my bulbs with the energy savers as they burn out. I don't have a problem reading with them. I have one on one side of my bed and a regular one on the other. I have a Cal King bed so I sleep on one side one week and on the other the next week to give my mattress equal wear. I don't find any difference in reading ability on one side rather than the other. I think it's because the light looks different than you are used to that they seem dimmer.
I think it's mercury in them that makes disposing of them a problem. Somewhere I think I read that the manufacturers have solved that problem, but I could be wrong.
My son "informed" me of that little gas trick about a year ago - boy did I feel dumb (after driving for 40 years)!
My son also being an ecology freak, got me into the new bulbs, which I believe will be mandatory in a few years. I'm not happy with them, even if they save money. Like you, they may have the same wattage, but they take time to "get up to speed" and are still dimmer. One freaked me out, it's like neon lighting - but considered the "daylight" bulb. Grrrrrr.
30+ years of driving, and I never knew that about the gas tank icon. See, the Internet *is* educational!
I can't wait to inform my husband about the gas tank trick. He's always having me jump out of the rental car to where it is. Great tip!
Well I am proud to say i knew about the gas tank thingy. Our Subaru has a gas tank with an arrow pointing to the passenger side and it is on the right side of the dash gauge. As for the bulbs.....they just seem to take a bit longer to get bright here. I even got a spotlight type one for the can light over the sink.
I too never realized the icon!! LOL
I hate those bulbs! they are dimmer, they do take forever to "warm" up and the light is so odd - garish sometimes.
I think they will improve over time, hopefully someone is doing some market research.
I have the energy efficient bulbs all over the house - WP buys them - and they work just fine. He must have been aware that the wattage has to be higher than it is for regular bulbs because where we need bright light, it's very bright - like in the bathroom. The only one I notice taking a long time to warm up is the one on my night table and when it eventually reaches it's max, it works fine.
They save a tremendous lot of energy.
I remember when I got that e-mail. What a wonderful discovery. I went out and looked at my dash, and, sure enough, there it was. I especially appreciate it in rental cars which I don't use too often, but when I do, I'm always wondering where the gas cap is. Now I don't have to wonder any more.
I despise those bulbs. My son has them. When I first turn on the floor lamp to read the paper, I have to wait for it to warm up to give off enough light to read by. Maybe the folks who don't notice the difference aren't as old as I am and depend on bright light to be able to read.
Well, I furrow my brow and squint. Doesn't everybody?
I would have checked that gas tank info on Snopes as well - maybe. Actually, probably not - I only drive two different cars 99% of the time, and it seems to me that all newer cars have a little arrow indicating which side the filler is on.
As for those new "CFL" light bulbs - I totally agree with you. I use them in places where the lighting is not so critical, but if I need to see, I use the old ones. I also agree with one of your other comments; they do "warm up" and get a little brighter after they have been on fopr a little while.
you know, those new bulbs are supposed to be all good for the environment and all that, but not only do they cost WAY more but you also can't just drop them in the garbage when they go out. they didn't tell you that, did they? they have to be disposed of in some special manner.
I read that about the gas tanks a while ago but then found it to not be true on Rich's Equinox. Thus far it's been true on cars we rent. You know, those ones that have power nothing.
Well, candles are nice. Some of them smell good, too.
Now I have to run look at my gay gauge. lol
We use the energy saver bulbs in most of the lamps... we just have more lamps to add more light. I'm not sure if that is helping the energy-saving aspect, but you have to be able to read, for Pete's sake.
~S
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