TIPS ON PUMPING GAS (Good information) I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are also paying higher, up to $4.00 per gallon. But my friends 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.. At the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where he works in San Jose, CA they 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. They have 34-storage tanks there 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 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. 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 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. 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.
man, thanks for that. ill now be filling in the cool mornings, on the low setting when i hit a half tank!
Hopefully there is at least some truth to most of it. Probably won't help a lot, but every little bit helps. Now if I can just keep my foot off the floorboard! Lol!
Gas does expand at higher temps but the gas temp in the ground is going to vary very little or none at all so i dont think that buying gas in the morn or afternoon will matter..IMO of course..
Yea, I can believe all that. Unfortunately, I think with our cars you're going to use up everything you saved last month with one WOT for a block instead of softpedaling it. haha. Good point on stirring up the dirt. I always thought it was because filling the underground agitated and aerated it meaning less less gas per gallon until the bubbles came out of it. Not sure about the morning thing... You don't have to go very far down before the ground temp is a constant 53* do you? Used to live in OH and I think the frost line was 8 or 12" or something like that (how far you need to sink a foundation to ensure it's below where the ground freezes). ...you just posted that so Momo could wring his hands some more now that it doesn't look like his wheels are going to fall off right away, didn't you?
Nice post Drew, thanks! I have to say though if I have to fill my SRT when it's half empty I'll be filling it EVERY DAY!! Lol! ALL us 8 and 10ers will be filling every day!! As for the other stuff I agree with Dave, one more WOT run pretty much negates any savings you accrued I think. Hey, we didn't buy these cars for mileage now did we? Lol. You're right though every little bit counts, especially when all the big oil companies are posting record BILLION dollar profits these days! One thing Drew said I will second to anyone listening ... DO NOT FILL UP WHEN YOU SEE A DELIVERY TANKER AT THE STATION!!! I used to work at a Shell station long ago and even then we knew NOT to get gas when the tanker showed up. In fact we (and most other stations too) used to shut down during delivery or make sure delivery occured when closed. That's back when gas companies used to care about customers.
