Tips for Saving at the Gas Pump
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 $3.50 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. 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. DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! May the Lord bless you. Peggy (whoever that is??) |
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mouthypf wrote: I recently received this email, so I thought I'd pass it on. I already knew some of the things that are mentioned, but I thought the letter was interesting and informative. I did not take time to validate this, so I hope its contents are all correct.
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 $3.50 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. 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. DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! May the Lord bless you. Peggy (whoever that is??) I used to work for a fuel oil company and this information is true. So good advise.  |
| I've seen this for years but I wonder how it actually translates in savings. All of it sounds so minimal, it sounds like it could save me, literally, cents per month. |
| 1) The difference in ground temperature between day and night is roughly 0. The ground around the tank and the liquid in it that are all protected from sunlight just don't change temperature that rapidly.
2) The pumps may or may not have temperature compensation, but they certainly have flow rate compensation and should deliver and account for a gallon at whatever flow rate your little pump handle will allow. I've asked the folks in weights and measures about this. 3) The faster you fill your tank, the less time the vapor sniffer will have to suck vapors out of the tank. However don't overfill your tank, because if it comes back to the handle or if you spill even a drop you'll lose more fluid than the vapor you would suck into the return. IMHO. |
| I belong to another forum with a large number of petroleum engineers. When this email made the rounds a couple of weeks ago, it received 5 pages of discussion.
The group decided that thre was some truth to the suggestions, but that it really won't save you much in the long run. The exception was filling up while the tanker was loading the storage tanks - it can put a strain on your gas filter resulting in an earlier replacement (not by much usually). Keeping your tank full - decreases your mileage because of the increased weight of the gas. Temperature affecting correct dispensing - the tankers do have temperature compensation because they are subject to the sun, wind and weather. And I can probably find the post to get the formula they use to calculate the effect of temperture on dispensing. However, underground tanks are buried deep enough that they really don't experence a huge temperature flucuation. And the short time the fuel is in the pump doesn't make a significant difference - they calculated it at pennies per fill up. And you get it back by filling up in the winter. |
Mom of 3 wrote: The group decided that thre was some truth to the suggestions, but that it really won't save you much in the long run. The exception was filling up while the tanker was loading the storage tanks - it can put a strain on your gas filter resulting in an earlier replacement (not by much usually).
That's exactly what I was getting at. I understand how they're all supposed to work but if it saves you like 25 cents a month and you're rearranging your schedule just to get morning gas and to get to run the pump on the lowest setting, taking extra time, do the benefits outweigh the positives? |
ButtersStotch wrote: .......and you're rearranging your schedule just to get morning gas.....
If you're like several people I know, you wouldn't have to rearrange your schedule to get 'morning gas'. You wake up with a full tank, and it's free! If only we could figure out a way to contain it and sell it as gasoline!  
I agree, I wouldn't go to that much trouble for a few cents, but I did think the article itself was interesting. |
| Just wait til the cars run on methane......morning gas will be worshipped! And so will the cows......... |
| Another way to increase mpg is to keep your tire air pressure at the correct level. Recommendation is to check once a week.
If you have a roof rack and are not using, best to take it off too to cut down on drag...  |
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