Thursday Things: Fuel Cans & Fizz Edition
13 February 2025. Vol 7 No 7. By Dan McGirt. #288
Thursday Things is here! This week we gas up our car and bottle the bubbly.
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The old ways are best. Photo by Madelynn Woods on Unsplash
Gas can or gas can’t?
A little more than a decade ago my car was out of gas. I had neglected to fill up the tank and when I went to crank it up, nothing. Fortunately, I was at home. At the time I had on street parking and there was a gas station about a block away. Great! All I needed to do was go buy some gas and bring it to my car.
I did not, unfortunately, have a gas can, but I figured that would be no problem — surely, they sold gas cans in the little Tiger Mart at the station. Which they did. I paid about $10 for a plastic gas container, pumped in a couple of gallons and walked back to my car.
At this point, “hilarity” ensued. And by hilarity I mean utter frustration and rising outrage. It was getting dark by this point, but how hard could it be to put the spout in the gas tank opening and pour in the gasoline?
Performing this simple task turned out to be like running through the lawn sprinkler on a hot sunny day, except it was a dark evening and the sprinkler spewed gasoline instead of water.
It had been many years since I had been so absentminded as to run out of gas or to purchase a gas can. So I was not at all prepared for what ensued. Instead of a simple spout and a little tab you flip open to vent air into the can, thus facilitating the exit of the petrol, I was confronted with some kind of sadistic Rube Goldberg contraption that sent gasoline everywhere except where I wanted it to go.
Why? WHY? WHY?!?
It turns out the answer to my cry was simple: the EPA.
Why Did Gas Can Spouts Change - The Big Spill
If you grew up in the 80’s or 90’s you may have remembered that gas can spouts were simple, straw-like components that were a breeze to use and easy to store. The newer gas can lids, however, kind of resemble complex weapons and can be a bit difficult to figure out. Why did gas spouts change?
Gas can spouts changed in 2009 as a result of stricter EPA regulations. The new spouts are rigid plastic, are meant to eliminate evaporation, and cannot be easily opened by children.
Or adults for that matter.1
The gas cans many of us grew up watching our parents use were rugged straws with little caps on the end. They were extremely simple, and anyone could operate a gas can.
Which is exactly what you want in an emergency situation, like running out of gas on the side of the road.
In 2009, the EPA decided that gas cans needed to be less prone to the evaporation and spilling of gasoline, and the new gas can spouts we all know and might not love were born. The newer designs on gas cans do not permit gasoline to evaporate and are much harder for a child to access.
They also don’t permit you to get the gas out of the can without splashing it everywhere as you wrestle with the ^*&$(@! demon spout.
The primary goal of the EPA redesign was to reduce the leakage of gasoline fumes into the air.
Mission not accomplished. I guarantee there is more gasoline evaporating into the sky trying to pour gas out of these insane asylum cans than ever escaped from the old kind.
As the good people at EZ Pour put it:
This new design comes with three issues.
The gas cans are cumbersome. It’s as if three hands are needed to hold the release lever and support the heavy gas can.
Gas cans may come with spring-loaded nozzles that need to rest on the gas tank at just the right angle for gas to flow.
These gas cans don’t come with a vent, meaning, if poured too quickly, air trapped inside can make the gasoline splash out.
What can be done?
If you’re lucky enough to have an old time gas can, hold on to it. If not, maybe you can find one at a yard sale, flea market, on eBay, etc. Or maybe in Mexico.
There are also “utility jugs” that serve as perfectly good gas cans. Some people also purchase “water jugs” that amazingly resemble old time functional gas cans, except in blue. Are they approved for transporting gasoline? Probably not, according to the EPA. But who asked them?
You can also modify a new style gas can by drilling a venting hole (make sure the can is empty before you fire up the drill!) and/or modifying the spout. Or just buy an aftermarket replacement spout.
New Gas Cans Are Horrible: Venting about the lack of venting. And one solution.
One Man’s Quest for Gas Cans that Don’t Suck: More solutions to the problem.
How Government Wrecked the Gas Can: The origin story of the evil gas cans.
Adam: the hero we need.
Getting fizzy with it
I love fizzy water. And now there is more reason to love it!
Can Fizzy Water Help You Lose Weight?
Fizzy or carbonated water dates back to the late 1800s, when it became popular for various reasons. It developed a false reputation as a disease preventive, and people took it on ocean voyages to drink because it tasted better than stored water. Today, it has become popular among people interested in the possibility that it may help with weight loss.
According to a recent report, fizzy water has modest potential to promote slimming effects. Yet the researcher who authored the report noted that the benefits are so minimal that people should not rely on them alone.
I didn’t really register that last sentence. What I heard is drink fizzy water to lose weight!
In a report published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health on Jan. 20, researcher Akira Takahashi cited earlier research that found that fizzy water lowers blood glucose levels, produces a feeling of fullness, and accelerates digestion. Because these effects may potentially promote weight loss, the water has been heralded as a slimming aid. For this reason, Takahashi studied fizzy water more closely to confirm any claims about its purported weight-loss effects.
He suggested two reasons why fizzy water may result in weight loss.
“One argument is that the feeling of fullness that comes from drinking it can reduce food intake, which may lower overall calorie consumption,” he wrote to The Epoch Times in an email.
The other argument is that fizzy water helps burn calories, for chemistry reasons.
Another benefit is if you’re drinking unflavored, unsweetened fizzy water to get your carbonated kick, then you’re not consuming the empty calories of colas or energy drinks while you hydrate.
Fizzy water can also help with digestion. But also can cause burping and bloating because — well, it’s full of CO2.2
The bottom line is that carbonated can help you lose weight, but you’ve got to do all the other stuff too, like eat right and exercise and get enough sleep.
Get all the science details here: Can carbonated water support weight loss?
Smart of Mineragua to put free images on Unsplash where I get most of my images for ThTh. Photo by Mineragua Sparkling Water on Unsplash.
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To be fair, I also have difficulty with childproof pill bottles.
It’s a miracle the EPA hasn’t mandated some stupid gas can-style spout on bottles of San Pellegrino.🙄