Gas pumping advice
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,470
Likes: 2
From: Portland OR
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12
Gas pumping advice
Got this from another board I sponsor Camaro5
Got this email from a good friend of mine, thought it might be worth sharing.
TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
*I don't know what you folks are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. 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 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. You should be pumping on low mode, 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.
*To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers. It's really simple to do.
TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
*I don't know what you folks are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. 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 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. You should be pumping on low mode, 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.
*To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers. It's really simple to do.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,817
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Even on a hot day the tanks are pretty much at the temperature you get overnight. Once you get below 4 ft the temp remains pretty much constant. Most of the tank is below the 4 ft level. The fluid temperature probably varies a couple of degrees due to the fluid in the tank above the 4 ft mark. Not enough to make a great difference in the volume. You do have to be careful when filling up with gasoline from an underground tank on a very hot day because as soon as it gets in your tank it is going to heat up and start expanding. If you really top off the tank (just ease the gas in) you can get quite a bit of fluid in the tank's expansion area above the filler pipe. If you get the expansion area too full with cold fluid there might not be enough room in the tank when it heats up thus causing damage to some of the evaporative emissions parts in the fuel system.
Bill
Bill
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 5,078
Likes: 19
From: Cumming, GA
Even on a hot day the tanks are pretty much at the temperature you get overnight. Once you get below 4 ft the temp remains pretty much constant. Most of the tank is below the 4 ft level. The fluid temperature probably varies a couple of degrees due to the fluid in the tank above the 4 ft mark. Not enough to make a great difference in the volume. You do have to be careful when filling up with gasoline from an underground tank on a very hot day because as soon as it gets in your tank it is going to heat up and start expanding. If you really top off the tank (just ease the gas in) you can get quite a bit of fluid in the tank's expansion area above the filler pipe. If you get the expansion area too full with cold fluid there might not be enough room in the tank when it heats up thus causing damage to some of the evaporative emissions parts in the fuel system.
Bill
Bill
Please keep in mind that I am not in this line of work so I don't know right or wrong. But, I have to ask since you basically knocked down the posted information in just the third post how do you know? Are you in the petro business?
Again, I'm not trying to be a smart a$$ but just wondering as it didn't take long for someone, you, to come behind the OP and say "yeah, that's wrong information" which is basically what you said.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,207
Likes: 147
From: St. Louis MO
Please keep in mind that I am not in this line of work so I don't know right or wrong. But, I have to ask since you basically knocked down the posted information in just the third post how do you know? Are you in the petro business?
Again, I'm not trying to be a smart a$$ but just wondering as it didn't take long for someone, you, to come behind the OP and say "yeah, that's wrong information" which is basically what you said.
Again, I'm not trying to be a smart a$$ but just wondering as it didn't take long for someone, you, to come behind the OP and say "yeah, that's wrong information" which is basically what you said.
Most of the claims while not exactly wrong are of little use.
This type of information, when sent around in email without research is just a big bandwidth waster.
Everyone that considers these tips would be better served by taking the time to contact their Congressperson and demanding that drilling restrictions in and around N. America be eased immediately. Also demand that .gov eliminate excessive oil market speculation, by establishing position limits in oil, & energy.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 31,788
Likes: 2,396
From: Middle TN by way of KY, OH, VA, IL, CA, FL, NY, SC, HI
This goes around every few years at least since the 60s, when I heard it first.
Most of it is meaningless.
Usually comes up more often when gas prices are climbing, so it has more 'credibility'.
Sorry, it's a crock.
Most people that would excited over this and MAYBE saving a penny per tankful would not check the air pressure in thier tires, since it's not 'exciting'. Many of these same folks have not clue what gas mileage they are actually getting and go by the needle position on the dash board
to tell them what they wnat to believe.
Gas is still cheap. Really.
Most of it is meaningless.
Usually comes up more often when gas prices are climbing, so it has more 'credibility'.
Sorry, it's a crock.
Most people that would excited over this and MAYBE saving a penny per tankful would not check the air pressure in thier tires, since it's not 'exciting'. Many of these same folks have not clue what gas mileage they are actually getting and go by the needle position on the dash board
to tell them what they wnat to believe.Gas is still cheap. Really.
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Verdad Gallardo
Racer
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
From: South Central Kansas
Even on a hot day the tanks are pretty much at the temperature you get overnight. Once you get below 4 ft the temp remains pretty much constant. Most of the tank is below the 4 ft level. The fluid temperature probably varies a couple of degrees due to the fluid in the tank above the 4 ft mark. Not enough to make a great difference in the volume. You do have to be careful when filling up with gasoline from an underground tank on a very hot day because as soon as it gets in your tank it is going to heat up and start expanding. If you really top off the tank (just ease the gas in) you can get quite a bit of fluid in the tank's expansion area above the filler pipe. If you get the expansion area too full with cold fluid there might not be enough room in the tank when it heats up thus causing damage to some of the evaporative emissions parts in the fuel system.
Bill
Bill
Bob
