The Solution To Our Problem

[alaska511]

My latest junk mail, just arrived in my INBOX 2 minutes ago:

 

I figured there HAD to be an engineer on this board that could help us with this one

 

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS--GOOD INFO

I don't know what you guys are paying

for gasoline....Here in California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But 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.

 

1. 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.

 

2. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode.. I f 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 a re being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

 

3. 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.

 

4. 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 sett les on the bottom.

 

 

 

[Metro12]

No engineer, but I'll tackle #1-

 

"Buy when the ground is cold"

 

The ground pretty much stays consistent in tempature between day and night, even summer and winter. Thats why people have geothermal to heat or cool their homes-the ground is mostly consistent year round. Now, if the tanks are only two feet deep, and only two feet tall, that makes the bottom of the tank 4 feet below the ground level, which could fluctuate. But, tanks are like 5 feet below ground, and like 10 feet tall, making the bottom 15 feet below ground.

[LF Motorsports]

Am an engineer and there is some merit to all that is said. Now with that, what you benefit by taking all this advice is a different story. Let's just say, doing everything by what was stated, you might get an extra 1/2 gallon. But it is more likely you are getting that extra 0.05 gallon per fill-up. And yes, likely the ground temperature does on change that much from night to day but if it makes a person feel better, by all means, fill up in the morning.

 

Basically, all makes sense but how much do you acatually save.

 

Lance

[alaska511]

Am an engineer and there is some merit to all that is said. Now with that, what you benefit by taking all this advice is a different story. Let's just say, doing everything by what was stated, you might get an extra 1/2 gallon. But it is more likely you are getting that extra 0.05 gallon per fill-up. And yes, likely the ground temperature does on change that much from night to day but if it makes a person feel better, by all means, fill up in the morning.

 

Basically, all makes sense but how much do you acatually save.

 

Lance

 

Thanks for putting it in perspective, Lance!

[Rocco715]

I usually always fill up at half tank and never when the stations is getting re-filled. But I don't have the patience to wait for the tank to fill at the slow setting especially when it's cold out.

[bpaszek]

I usually always fill up at half tank and never when the stations is getting re-filled. But I don't have the patience to wait for the tank to fill at the slow setting especially when it's cold out.

 

 

 

And how is your mileage compared to the rest of us on the board?? I have yet to get over 14.8 averaging 80/20 town/highway and usually fill up in the afternoon pushing 'E' and always at fastest notch on the nozzle.

[GatorFan]

I tried the logic of setting the pump on the slowest setting. All it did was make me cry longer when I kept seeing the $$$ leaking out of my wallet . Of course I use 93 octane but I still can't keep my foot out of it. I guess I can't have my cake and eat it too.

[pennzoil29]

have you ever noticed the writing on the pumps? accurate at any delivery rate or pressure. I don't know any one that is going to stand around and get fuel at the slowest setting, unless some babe is pumping gas next to you.

[Metro12]

The only thing I have noticed to be true was to fill up in the morning, and not because of the tempature. Gas is always more expensive on the leisurely ride home, then the "no time to stop for gas" rush into work.

[svensk]

You shouldn't be pumping dirt from a stirred tank into your vehicle. Most gas stations have good filters on the line before it hits your tank.

[Rocco715]

I usually always fill up at half tank and never when the stations is getting re-filled. But I don't have the patience to wait for the tank to fill at the slow setting especially when it's cold out.

 

 

 

And how is your mileage compared to the rest of us on the board?? I have yet to get over 14.8 averaging 80/20 town/highway and usually fill up in the afternoon pushing 'E' and always at fastest notch on the nozzle.

 

 

 

I get roughly the same as you, 14.8-15.2 with 70% highway and 30% city. My only reasoning for filling up at half tank is that it takes half the time to fill and with fuel injection if your pushing E then your sucking everything off the bottom of your tank.

[j.roffel]

Ya all gas pumps arecolume corrected to like 20 degrees celcius or something, and I watched a show on the government checking the pumps and they're pretty hardcore, all kinds of tests in different scenarios.

[iminaquagmire]

All of that has some merit to it but its still not worthwhile advice. The thing about filling up early is that franchised stations usually get their prices around 2 in the afternoon from corporate. If you fill up before that, you're more likely not to get the price jump price if it is set to go up.

[alaska511]

I did post this for fun BTW...

[Mikeee]

It worked.

13 posters had "fun".

 

Or just call it,"sittn' out on the patio drinkn' beer shootn' the breeze" time.