This was sent to me by Mike Brown.. aka Splash.. A good read and somethings I did not know about.
Thanks Mike
Gene
Pumping gas-good to know
Interesting facts. I have been doing several of these things incorrectly.
I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently
working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose , CA .
We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line;
one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34
storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are
some tricks to help you get your money's worth:
1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still
cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried
below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it
gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in
theevening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the
petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel
(gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are
significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so
that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree
rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't
have temperature compensation at their pumps.
2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to
buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being
stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that
dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.
3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the
more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates
rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an
internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and
theatmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)
4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery
settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the
trigger of thenozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow
setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping.
Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for
vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping
at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is
being sucked back into the underground tank, so you're getting less gas for
your money. Hope this will help ease your 'pain at the pump.
5. Do not top off your gas tank, when the pump shuts off, do not keep
trying to add more gas..................a friend who owns a gas station says
that by doing this, you are actually giving the next customer a $1.00 worth
of gas. The gas you pump stays in the hose and never makes it to your
tank...........good to know.
