West Columbia, SC (WLTX) - There is a post on Facebook warning drivers not to fill their gas tanks all the way up or it may explode because of the hot weather. We researched this claim to find out if it is true.
The source of the picture is from Pakistan State Oil. The post we saw had over 500,000 shares. It warns, "Due to an increase in the temperature in the coming days, please don't fill petrol (gasoline) to the maximum limit."
The viral post continues, "It may cause explosion in the fuel tank. Please fill the tank about half and allow space for air."
It warns, "Don't just read the message and stop. Let others and your family members who drive also know about it so that they can avoid this mistake."
We showed it to Bill Mooneyhan. He said, "Somebody is trying to get people stirred up."
Mooneyhan is the owner of Mooneyhan's Auto Service in West Columbia. He has decades of experience dealing with vehicles and gasoline. He said the post is not something we need to worry about.
He said, "No, it takes 500 degrees for gasoline to explode, and not very often will we see 500 degrees for an explosion."
According to Mooneyhan, you can have some issues at the pump filling up with the evaporative emission control system, but you do not need to worry about explosions.
He said, "Realistically, over filling your gas can cause problems, but not explosions. Once it clicks (the nozzle) that is when you should stop."
On their Facebook page, Pakistan State Oil made a retraction about their original post. They claim they made a mistake.
News 19 can verify that the post is false and you do not have to worry about explosions if you fill your gas tank all the way up.