Posted by BetsyMI on 11/26/07 2:47pm
Msg #222966

Tips on Pumping Gas..good info!

Hope this is true..thought I'd post and you can make your own decision...I did not write it.

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS (Good information)

I hope these tips will help ease the pain at the pumps !

I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon.. Did you know that when they fill a ferry boat with fuel there can be a 23 gallon difference depending on if the tank is warm or cold.

Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Tip #1.) Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

Tip #2.) When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

Tip #3.) One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Tip #4.) Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 11/26/07 2:57pm
Msg #222969

Thanks for the great Gas Class... n/m

Reply by CTS10866 on 11/26/07 7:45pm
Msg #223011

Re: Thanks for the great Gas Class...

I agree. That was really cool.

Reply by CaliNotary on 11/26/07 10:31pm
Msg #223038

And if you do all these things you've just saved 12 cents! n/m

Reply by Susan Fischer on 11/27/07 12:12am
Msg #223053

There are pennies everywhere; a smart man finds them. n/m

Reply by Linda Juenger on 11/27/07 7:21am
Msg #223062

Makes me laugh when people will waste gas driving across town to save a penny a gallon. If they got 12 gallons, they saved 12 cents . Can't fix stupid.

Reply by Ernest Adams on 11/27/07 12:23pm
Msg #223106

Unfortunately, some of these tips are bogus.

First, unless you are in a place where the temperature is really, really extreme, the temperature in the gasoline storage tank _below ground_ is nearly the same year 'round. The temperature is probably about 50 degrees F. The tanks are always below the frost line, no matter what. (Yes, yes, I know. Florida doesn't get frost. [ho, ho, ho])

Second, there is no "floating roof" in the underground tanks. In order to check the gasoline _and water_ levels of undersground tanks, the gas station dips a long stick (a very long stick!) into the tank. Water, being heavier than gasoline, stays at the bottom of the tank. There's a paste that turns red in the presence of water, showing how much water is at the bottom of the tank. A "roof" would preclude all of the above.

Filling slowly _may_ make sense.

Not filling up while the gas truck is delivering also makes sense. I'd just go to another station or come back later. Much later.

Reply by BetsyMI on 11/28/07 12:24pm
Msg #223361

Ernest

And you know this because................