TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

  • Steve Plantz
    SE MN
    Posts: 12240
    #1271164

    Got this in an email not sure how much of it is true but was intresting none the less so I thought I would post it here and see what you guys think about it………..

    I don’t know what you guys 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.

    Czech
    Cottage Grove, MN
    Posts: 1574
    #945087

    I don’t buy the temp deal. A tank 10-20 feet in the ground is NOT going to change temp all that quick, in fact I bet it’s within a couple degrees year round. I’ve forgotten pretty much all about physics and vapor pressure by this time, so not sure on those!

    hnd
    Posts: 1579
    #945088

    most of the info is actually true i believe. however, the difference is so minute that its not worth the hassle. do you know how long it takes to fill a 20 gallon tank on the slowest setting? its not worth it to save .05 in gas. if you are saving more than a cent a gallon doing this i’d be surprised. over the course of the year, the inconvenience of doing this amounts to what? 10 bucks in savings?

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #945089

    It is on Snopes.com. Google “snopes gas pump tips”.

    I was thinking the same thing about the temperatures in the underground tanks.

    Tom Sawvell
    Inactive
    Posts: 9559
    #945094

    If I am not mistaken I think the temp at 10 feet stays at around 55 degrees year round.

    Steve Hix
    Dysart, Iowa
    Posts: 1135
    #945098

    Yea, we are mighty smart for a bunch of fisherman.

    wes_bergemann
    Crystal, MN
    Posts: 458
    #945103

    we will save more money by just driving with more common sense. i.e. drive the posted speed or a couple mph under. Easy on the acceleration, dont drive a truck

    Czech
    Cottage Grove, MN
    Posts: 1574
    #945104

    Or buy a motorcycle…

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22456
    #945110

    Quote:


    Or buy a motorcycle…


    If you do… only fill your motorcylce up in the winter months, in the early morning…

    I would guess more is lost, when you swing out of the neck and about 5-10 drops hit the side of your vehicle or the ground

    hnd
    Posts: 1579
    #945116

    i have my truck, but most of my mileage comes on a mid 90’s geo prizm. i get 35 mpg with this thing. it has about 130k miles on it, and with proper maintenance, you can pull 300k easy out of them. while my wife is clamouring to get this ugly thing out of the driveway, i’m probably going to try and drive it till it won’t go no more….i paid 300 bucks for it 4 years ago too.

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #945118

    Quote:


    If I am not mistaken I think the temp at 10 feet stays at around 55 degrees year round.



    I was going to say 55-60 degrees, but I wasn’t sure how far down. I believe the same is true for caves if you go far enough to where the air is not ventilated? Don’t quote me.

    Czech
    Cottage Grove, MN
    Posts: 1574
    #945119

    One thing that I always do is shut the pump off (when you can) and then lift the hose high and squeeeze the handle to drain the hose. Not sure if it really helps at all, but I like dancing with the hose (pun intended!).

    bzzsaw
    Hudson, Wi
    Posts: 3480
    #945127

    They had this information on Snopes. It doesn’t really say any of these tips are false. More that they aren’t worth the inconvenience.

    Snopes – Gas tips

    bzzsaw
    Hudson, Wi
    Posts: 3480
    #945128

    Pug,
    You beat me to Snopes. I shouldn’t have gone to lunch before posting.

    Tom P.
    Whitehall Wi.
    Posts: 3526
    #945134

    Quote:


    One thing that I always do is shut the pump off (when you can) and then lift the hose high and squeeeze the handle to drain the hose. Not sure if it really helps at all, but I like dancing with the hose (pun intended!).


    What if somebody does this before you use the pump ????

    smackem
    Iowa Marshall Co
    Posts: 956
    #945144

    It’s BS, I have a Meter License and it’s all corrected for Temp, Pressure, and flow. Sorry to kill the thread

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #945153

    Quote:


    Pug,
    You beat me to Snopes. I shouldn’t have gone to lunch before posting.



    LOL, if I had a nickle for every time I posted something at home or work and with the preview checked, only to discover much later I never posted it. Either that or I lose the post entirely because I forget to submit after the preview.

    sharkbait
    The mud puddle in western Ks
    Posts: 347
    #945162

    It’s all a bunch of bs.I have the same email that started this laying on the desk right now.Amazing how fast this stuff spreads.We just had the state licensing inspector in here last week and discussed all the great theories people have and even the idea of dancing with the hose isn’t supposed to work with the design of the pumps.My system here is a little bigger that a gas system.4 inch pump on ours but he says they are all set the same when he calibrates and checks calibration on them.

    broncosguy
    Blaine, MN
    Posts: 2106
    #945164

    Quote:


    It’s all a bunch of bs.I have the same email that started this laying on the desk right now.Amazing how fast this stuff spreads.We just had the state licensing inspector in here last week and discussed all the great theories people have and even the idea of dancing with the hose isn’t supposed to work with the design of the pumps.My system here is a little bigger that a gas system.4 inch pump on ours but he says they are all set the same when he calibrates and checks calibration on them.


    so are you telling me when I pump gas on super speed like I heard the gas does not go out faster then the “money meter” can add so I don’t save money? and that the “suckers” that pump there gas slow get over charged?

    sharkbait
    The mud puddle in western Ks
    Posts: 347
    #945177

    Quote:


    Quote:


    It’s all a bunch of bs.I have the same email that started this laying on the desk right now.Amazing how fast this stuff spreads.We just had the state licensing inspector in here last week and discussed all the great theories people have and even the idea of dancing with the hose isn’t supposed to work with the design of the pumps.My system here is a little bigger that a gas system.4 inch pump on ours but he says they are all set the same when he calibrates and checks calibration on them.


    so are you telling me when I pump gas on super speed like I heard the gas does not go out faster then the “money meter” can add so I don’t save money? and that the “suckers” that pump there gas slow get over charged?


    I wish it worked that way. Man it wouldbe great to pull in with the boat and tahoe.run the pump full speed and get a couple extra gallons for free. In reality they have to be less that .5% variance at all conditions in Kansas at least to be a legal pump.Not sure that is the exact number but it is close.Similar to a scale has to weigh accurate .Our commercially legal scales that go to 100000 lbs can only be rated to sell in 20 lbs break point for accuracy because of the percent accuracy they rate at.

    icenutz
    Aniwa, WI
    Posts: 2540
    #945192

    Yea and if you put a magnet on the pump by the dollar amount you can slow down the amount and still get the same amount of gas. OPPPS that won’t work on LCD screens!!!

    Czech
    Cottage Grove, MN
    Posts: 1574
    #945197

    I’m going to miss dancing with the ho’s. Oops, make that hose.

    joshbjork
    Center of Iowa
    Posts: 727
    #945223

    So why does gas pump slower when it costs more?

    jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    #945224

    The one comment I might buy into is – don’t pump when a tank is being filled from a tanker truck. Can anyone comment on that one? Does it stir up sediment/water/crap in the tank? How is that pumped out to the end user? Any filters?

    -J.

    cat dude
    Arlington, MN
    Posts: 1389
    #945228

    My father owned 3 gas stations, 2 bulk plants and a truck stop. If there is any dirt or sediment or moisture in the tank and it is close to empty and a semi fills the underground storage tank, yes all the other stuff will mix in with the gas until it has time to settle.

    That you can take to the bank.

    When we use to check our tanks, we has a conversion table for tempature differences to correct the gallons in the tank to get a correct gallonage reading. Now it may not be a huge amount but yes, there is a difference.

    That was the info given to us by Standard Oil or the Amwerican oil company.

    I do believe what the OP has stated.

    jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    #945245

    Quote:


    If there is any dirt or sediment or moisture in the tank and it is close to empty ….


    Yep, one more thing I can add to the list of stuff not to worry about.

    -J.

    sgt._rock
    Rochester, MN
    Posts: 2517
    #945349

    I don’t worry about it because I’m waiting to blow up talking on my cell phone.

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