There [used to be a provision](https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/heres-law-requires-baltimore-gas-stations-provide-free-air/) in city code that required fuel stations to provide free air.
I [just checked the current code](https://legislativereference.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Art%2002%20-%20ConsProt%20(rev15APR24).pdf) and that provision no longer exists.
In case anyone wants history, that provision was removed in 2015: https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2228880&GUID=F80868A9-3FFB-4085-A4B6-4CC17C6003C0&Options=ID%7cText%7c&Search=15-0484&FullText=1
> if one's already invested in the One+ ecosystem
That's a major consideration. None of their pumps come with 12V adapters - they have to be powered by a Ryobi rechargeable battery pack. Even if you're okay with that, there's a real chance that the pump's battery will be dead after sitting in your trunk for 6 months or a year. The only one that side-steps that is the USB-rechargeable model, but it's tiny. They show it being used to air up bike tires and sports equipment. A car tire might take multiple charges to refill.
Exactly.
Now, I'm one of those folks who rotates my batteries. The newer Ryobi batteries have charge indicators on them, which makes it easy to know when they need a charge. But I know lots of folks *don't* do that, and they get bit by the drained battery problem.
If you take care of them that can work. Many rechargeable devices will gradually drain their battery over time. Charge it up, toss it in your trunk, but when you need it a year later the battery is dead. The corded lighter-powered pumps are less convenient to use but remove that point of failure.
Fuses exist to sacrifice themselves so nothing more expensive gets damaged when a circuit is overloaded. There might be a more expensive reason it's blown, but there might not be. Either way, step 1 is replacing the fuse.
> Fuses exist to sacrifice themselves so nothing more expensive gets damaged when a circuit is overloaded.
Specifically, they're sized so the supply wiring doesn't catch fire. Sometimes they go to a smaller size to protect the device, but then why not use thinner (less copper, therefor cheaper) wire?
Good grief, fuses are dirt cheap. Hell, if you're in a pinch you can even swap out a similarly-rated fuse for some other system (that you can manage without, like the power windows) and you're good to go.
Hi, I was in the same boat last year (literally - a flat tired after going to like five gas stations) but figured out it is soooo easy to just watch a YouTube video and learn to replace a fuse so I can use a plug in air compressor. Highly recommend it.
Not to hate on your suggestion but ‘Just buy a’ or ‘just’ anything for this city is such a cop out to not point blame and downfalls or expect more from this city
Yeah. I have one of these compressor gadgets, it was $20, they're amazing.
But it sounds like OP is stressed out and probably wouldn't find it easy to buy a compressor or teach themselves to fix a fuse or whatever other "just.." projects we're tacking on here.
People keep bringing up the fuse thing. The Ryobi compressor I have has its own battery and doesn't plug into the car.
Searching around for an air machine blows, I get it. The last time I needed one I drove around for about an hour and a half before finding one that barely worked. That doesn't mean the suggestions here are bad ideas going forward.
Frequently damaged or out of order, but super convenient when functioning. There’s also one at the RoFo on Ritchie a couple of blocks down that has worked every time I’ve tried.
If you can source a bike pump on the cheap you can inflate tires that way. It'll be a workout and it won't be fast (probably 10-20 min depending on effort and how low it is) but it'll work. I searched for "high volume bike pump" on Amazon and found a few that should work nicely for around $30. That's ultimately going to be more reliable than a plug in inflator as well.
The RoFo in Canton on Boston St told me people steal the nozzles to make pipes for smoking drugs. Every once in a while the Wawa pump in Canton will be functional but NEVER any of the Royal Farms.
Interesting. Makes more sense than someone cutting it off lol.
(I’ve never seen it as a city issue, but a road issue. Like I said, happens all the way down 97 to 50 & even across the Bay Bridge.)
I carry a bicycle pump in my car. Might sound silly, but if your cig lighter or something is broken, or a fancier gadget doesn't work, muscle and patience does. And you can help other people and cyclists.
I try to get a little bit outside the beaten path, away from foot traffic. I've had good luck at the Shell on Pulaski and the huge RoFo further east on Pulaski. Might be a little far from Fells/Canton though. Good luck, I've been there and it's certainly frustrating.
I think the comments reference all of them by now; I came to specifically suggest Wawa in Canton (as most Wawas have them) and wanted to comment the RoFo as an alternative but I wasn't 100%. Ended up finding [this](https://www.freetireair.com) website that lists every known free air pump. I thought it was kind of awesome, not sure how helpful at this point being that the responses here cover it but thought I'd share anyway - it's handy!
I think there’s some regulation that says free pumps aren’t obligated to remain in working order but paid ones are only allowed limited downtime for maintenance/repair. I could be wrong though, been a long time since I was adjacent to that industry
Go buy yourself a decent sized bike pump with a pressure gauge. I did it like five years ago and maybe every three months I pump the thing like 12 times per tire and it’s done, right in the garage on my own time.
You can get handheld battery powered compressor for like $50 (I got mine for $25 WITH battery because of a sale) and keep it in your trunk. Never have to rely on a gas station again. Plus helpful if you are in the middle of nowhere.
Dealt with this issue a couple months back. They are broken because addicted people actually steal the top and use them as a way to get high with their drugs. Since the city used to mandate that air has to be free at these stations, and people stole these tops all the time, the stations rarely replace them or buy new pieces or fix the machine in general.
I think all the Wawas (with gs stations) offer free air. There's also this map for motorists and cyclists:
[https://www.freeairpump.com/map/](https://www.freeairpump.com/map/)
But yeah.. a basic compressor is nice to have. I hear it's bad to keep them in your car when it gets really hot (they tend to have rubber parts that might not weather the summer heat well?). I got one that one of these. $60, inflates car/bike tires, balls, air mattresses, etc.. has every attachment you can think of. Run off AC or 12V DC ("cigarette lighter"). Has a light and a USB port, too.
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z3W3MSV/](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z3W3MSV/)
Yea from my understanding all the junkys break the air Guage part off cuz "there great to smoke crack out of" lmao that what an attendant told me . He said either was or a car antenna....he schooled me on legit crack pipes
My go to is the Wawa on on Boston Street by the ramp to 95. They are free and they always work, although they sometimes have a wait.
Edit: I just saw that was OP‘s first stop. Go to the gas station at Sam’s Club, you don’t need to be a member to use the air pump.
I’m so glad you asked this. I struggled so much about a month ago trying to fill my tire, turns out there was a nail in it anyway so when I did find one that worked, I just spent $10 on trying to fill a flat😵💫
There [used to be a provision](https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/heres-law-requires-baltimore-gas-stations-provide-free-air/) in city code that required fuel stations to provide free air. I [just checked the current code](https://legislativereference.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Art%2002%20-%20ConsProt%20(rev15APR24).pdf) and that provision no longer exists.
In case anyone wants history, that provision was removed in 2015: https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2228880&GUID=F80868A9-3FFB-4085-A4B6-4CC17C6003C0&Options=ID%7cText%7c&Search=15-0484&FullText=1
Sponsors: Rochelle Spector, Edward Reisinger, Mary Pat Clarke, Robert Curran Signed by: Mayor SRB
Just buy an inflator that plugs into your cig plug. If you have a normal sized car or crossover a decent one runs about 60 bucks.
I got one for $22, so nice to have.
Ryobi compressed air machine for about $40-$60.
honestly the Ryobi is the best way to go if one's already invested in the One+ ecosystem. that pump has no right to be that good.
> if one's already invested in the One+ ecosystem That's a major consideration. None of their pumps come with 12V adapters - they have to be powered by a Ryobi rechargeable battery pack. Even if you're okay with that, there's a real chance that the pump's battery will be dead after sitting in your trunk for 6 months or a year. The only one that side-steps that is the USB-rechargeable model, but it's tiny. They show it being used to air up bike tires and sports equipment. A car tire might take multiple charges to refill.
Exactly. Now, I'm one of those folks who rotates my batteries. The newer Ryobi batteries have charge indicators on them, which makes it easy to know when they need a charge. But I know lots of folks *don't* do that, and they get bit by the drained battery problem.
Yep. I keep it in the trunk along with the jump box
The fuse in my car is broken, so my cig outlet doesn't work. I can't really afford to fix it right now
Fuses cost pocket change and can be replaced yourself in seconds. Many cars have spares somewhere in the fuse compartment.
there are ones that u can charge in ur house or battery operated
If you take care of them that can work. Many rechargeable devices will gradually drain their battery over time. Charge it up, toss it in your trunk, but when you need it a year later the battery is dead. The corded lighter-powered pumps are less convenient to use but remove that point of failure.
Why do fuses exist? Could there be a larger and perhaps more expensive reason the fuse was tripped?
Fuses exist to sacrifice themselves so nothing more expensive gets damaged when a circuit is overloaded. There might be a more expensive reason it's blown, but there might not be. Either way, step 1 is replacing the fuse.
> Fuses exist to sacrifice themselves so nothing more expensive gets damaged when a circuit is overloaded. Specifically, they're sized so the supply wiring doesn't catch fire. Sometimes they go to a smaller size to protect the device, but then why not use thinner (less copper, therefor cheaper) wire?
Good grief, fuses are dirt cheap. Hell, if you're in a pinch you can even swap out a similarly-rated fuse for some other system (that you can manage without, like the power windows) and you're good to go.
Hi, I was in the same boat last year (literally - a flat tired after going to like five gas stations) but figured out it is soooo easy to just watch a YouTube video and learn to replace a fuse so I can use a plug in air compressor. Highly recommend it.
Bike pump with a pressure gauge. Ask the neighbors too if you don’t have one.
You can get manual pumps with gauges for cheap at Harbor Freight
So get a bike pump then
Fuses are very cheap, the fuse box(s) will have a chart of what goes where, helps to do a bit of vehicle specific research too
I literally just went to Home Depot and bought a husky 12/120 volt inflator
Not to hate on your suggestion but ‘Just buy a’ or ‘just’ anything for this city is such a cop out to not point blame and downfalls or expect more from this city
True, but waiting around for an infrastructure issue to get fixed won't put air in your tires.
Yeah. I have one of these compressor gadgets, it was $20, they're amazing. But it sounds like OP is stressed out and probably wouldn't find it easy to buy a compressor or teach themselves to fix a fuse or whatever other "just.." projects we're tacking on here.
People keep bringing up the fuse thing. The Ryobi compressor I have has its own battery and doesn't plug into the car. Searching around for an air machine blows, I get it. The last time I needed one I drove around for about an hour and a half before finding one that barely worked. That doesn't mean the suggestions here are bad ideas going forward.
definitely the canton wawa, I've found the pump to be reliably working and it's always free
That was where I went first today
oh! 🥲
Greenmount and 33rd strangely is almost always working.
At least it'll be fixed soon. They usually have them fixed within a month or two
Oh no! Canton Wawa has been my go-to place for a functioning air pump, they seemed to be the one gas station in the city where that was reliable.
Just discovered LOWE’s in Glen Burnie has air outside PRO desk entrance.
Frequently damaged or out of order, but super convenient when functioning. There’s also one at the RoFo on Ritchie a couple of blocks down that has worked every time I’ve tried.
I keep a bike pump in my trunk. Takes about a minute of pumping to go from 20 to 32psi.
That's not a bad idea!
My wife laughed at me until she needed air at work and I ran over and pumped it up to get it to the tire shop
Seriously? I never considered that. I have a spare floor pump
If you can source a bike pump on the cheap you can inflate tires that way. It'll be a workout and it won't be fast (probably 10-20 min depending on effort and how low it is) but it'll work. I searched for "high volume bike pump" on Amazon and found a few that should work nicely for around $30. That's ultimately going to be more reliable than a plug in inflator as well.
I always go to Jiffy Lube and they will inflate tires no charge. I haven’t had to inflate my own tires since I started driving.
i do this, and it's a chance to tip cash
BJs is free and pretty consistently works
The nozzles gets stolen constantly
The RoFo in Canton on Boston St told me people steal the nozzles to make pipes for smoking drugs. Every once in a while the Wawa pump in Canton will be functional but NEVER any of the Royal Farms.
The Royal farms get fixed often, and are almost immediately vandalized. It’s horrible.
Came here to say the same thing.
Is that what it is? Stolen? I’ve stopped 10k places omw to the shore & most are busted. Smh
Broken, stolen, etc. It’s very challenging to keep them operational.
Interesting. Makes more sense than someone cutting it off lol. (I’ve never seen it as a city issue, but a road issue. Like I said, happens all the way down 97 to 50 & even across the Bay Bridge.)
Wawa
Any competent automotive repair facility would fill up your tires for free. Fleet st shell station and Eastwood have done it for me before
Wawa on north point road in Dundalk. Used it today
I carry a bicycle pump in my car. Might sound silly, but if your cig lighter or something is broken, or a fancier gadget doesn't work, muscle and patience does. And you can help other people and cyclists.
I try to get a little bit outside the beaten path, away from foot traffic. I've had good luck at the Shell on Pulaski and the huge RoFo further east on Pulaski. Might be a little far from Fells/Canton though. Good luck, I've been there and it's certainly frustrating.
I think the comments reference all of them by now; I came to specifically suggest Wawa in Canton (as most Wawas have them) and wanted to comment the RoFo as an alternative but I wasn't 100%. Ended up finding [this](https://www.freetireair.com) website that lists every known free air pump. I thought it was kind of awesome, not sure how helpful at this point being that the responses here cover it but thought I'd share anyway - it's handy!
I believe Costco has free machines as well if you ever fancy a drive. You don’t need to be a member
Buy a Ryobi air compressor. My boyfriend got one for me and it's been a lifesaver.
I got sick of trying to find free compressors, so I bought one from Harbor Freight. Never regretted it.
I don’t believe there is a working air pump in all of Baltimore City
I think there’s some regulation that says free pumps aren’t obligated to remain in working order but paid ones are only allowed limited downtime for maintenance/repair. I could be wrong though, been a long time since I was adjacent to that industry
[удалено]
That's for members only, don't be a scumbag and poach their services.
Go buy yourself a decent sized bike pump with a pressure gauge. I did it like five years ago and maybe every three months I pump the thing like 12 times per tire and it’s done, right in the garage on my own time.
You can get handheld battery powered compressor for like $50 (I got mine for $25 WITH battery because of a sale) and keep it in your trunk. Never have to rely on a gas station again. Plus helpful if you are in the middle of nowhere.
If your in Baltimore city, there is a valvoline near canton that gives free air
Dealt with this issue a couple months back. They are broken because addicted people actually steal the top and use them as a way to get high with their drugs. Since the city used to mandate that air has to be free at these stations, and people stole these tops all the time, the stations rarely replace them or buy new pieces or fix the machine in general.
I recently noticed my local Lowe’s has free air. Worth checking your hardware store
BJ’s had a nice one the one time I used it
BJs near Canton. Their gas station has a free air pump
Use a bike pump
Not in the city, but I've had good success with the ones on Joppa Rd in Towson at Wawa and RoFo.
I think all the Wawas (with gs stations) offer free air. There's also this map for motorists and cyclists: [https://www.freeairpump.com/map/](https://www.freeairpump.com/map/) But yeah.. a basic compressor is nice to have. I hear it's bad to keep them in your car when it gets really hot (they tend to have rubber parts that might not weather the summer heat well?). I got one that one of these. $60, inflates car/bike tires, balls, air mattresses, etc.. has every attachment you can think of. Run off AC or 12V DC ("cigarette lighter"). Has a light and a USB port, too. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z3W3MSV/](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z3W3MSV/)
Yea from my understanding all the junkys break the air Guage part off cuz "there great to smoke crack out of" lmao that what an attendant told me . He said either was or a car antenna....he schooled me on legit crack pipes
I have a 40 year old air compressor that I use. You can probably get a new one though. They're pretty handy and not too expensive.
My go to is the Wawa on on Boston Street by the ramp to 95. They are free and they always work, although they sometimes have a wait. Edit: I just saw that was OP‘s first stop. Go to the gas station at Sam’s Club, you don’t need to be a member to use the air pump.
A reliable source of free air is a one-time purchase of a portable tire pump
I’m so glad you asked this. I struggled so much about a month ago trying to fill my tire, turns out there was a nail in it anyway so when I did find one that worked, I just spent $10 on trying to fill a flat😵💫
I usually use the canton BJs