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Dr. Snubnose
03-17-2008, 12:50 AM
Tips On Pumping Gas (Good information)!

I don't know what you people are paying for
gasoline..... but here in California we are
also paying higher, up to $3.80 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..

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.

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 buy ing 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.

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.
One of the most important tips is to fill up
when your gas tank is HALF FULL. 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.

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.
Doc:D

jaislandboy
03-17-2008, 02:04 AM
i must remind myself that the tank is not half empty but always half full.... :rolleyes:
thanks DocSnubnose :p

Ian UK
03-17-2008, 02:06 AM
Thanks for the tips Doc. :)

Here in the UK where the Goverment taxes us for all but breathing Gas/Petrol is $10+ a Gallon :mad:

So we need all the tips we can get. :)

bh49
03-17-2008, 05:12 AM
Doc thank you for tips.
I never knew that you live in CA and working on Kinder Morgan Pipeline :D

zenheretic
03-17-2008, 06:45 AM
Doc thank you for tips.
I never knew that you live in CA and working on Kinder Morgan Pipeline :D

It is his moonlight job.:p

Jay_Ev
03-17-2008, 07:27 AM
Thanks for the petrol tips, Doc. BTW, I work at an oil refinery which supplies product down the Kinder Morgan Pipeline. :cool:

-Jay

tap
03-17-2008, 07:58 AM
This Email and others like it are mostly bogus. They mix in a few known facts and info and credentials to suck you in. The temperature (in the tank) in the ground isn't going to change from morning to evening. See Snopes and other urban legend type .coms.

David Lowry
03-17-2008, 08:11 AM
The tanks are deep enough in the ground that they should be a constant 50 to 55 degrees. Anything below 4 feet is going to stay around that temp.

Also, the tanks are never truly "empty" so I don't worry too much about getting gas if there is a tanker there filling up. They have got things down to a science.

Thanks for the tips Doc but I think most of it is fiction. ;)

whitefeather
03-17-2008, 08:44 AM
I worked in the gasoline business for thirteen years and I will not fill up while the truck is dropping. I have seen what is in the bottom of underground storage tanks and the results of some of these contaminants reaching customers gas tanks. (results that only occured while dropping or shortly after) This is not an urban legend! I have personally had to deal with the cosequences.

Simple Man
03-17-2008, 12:23 PM
Here's Snopes take on the matter. Basically, yes in theory it is true, but minuscule enough gains that is would not be worth the hassle.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

The one I'd be most concerned with would be the sediment stir up after the station tanks are filled, even with requisite filters in place. I try to keep enough gas in my tank for emergencies (1/4 to 1/2), so filling up another day is not usually an issue.