Tips on refuelling from the experts

[D3CID3R]

Found this in an email...

TIPS ON
PUMPING GAS

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.

[bogan_vk]

do these tips apply to lpg aswell or just petrol ?

[acarmody]

The density difference by the temperature being a few degrees different, would be so minimal it wouldn't even matter. Also the ground is a very good insulator. How far under are the tanks buried? I don't think the tanks will very much difference,if any difference at all.

Wouldn't pumping the fuel and closing the tank up faster create less vapor?

[Gothem92]

Wouldn't pumping the fuel and closing the tank up faster create less vapor?

its like jumping into a pool. the bigger the splash the more air you create in the water thus evaporating into the sky. or just slipping in the pool. you move water around to make it evaporate quicker. spreading it. same thing with fuel i guess?

correct me if i'm wrong.

[acarmody]

Meh, doesn't matter anyway, the amount of fuel that would evaporate in the fuel tank will be basically nothing anyway.

[CSP]

$4.10 per gallon is $1.08 per litre and you're complaining? LOL!

Stupid Americans. In American terms it's over $10.00 a gallon in most places in Europe!!!

Petrol is still cheap in America and it's still cheap in Australia. It SHOULD be around $2.00 a litre for us.

[Hangman]

It's gettin there, I paid $1.50 a litre on the way to work the other night. And that was for normal unleaded.

[CSP]

I paid $1.65 for BP Ultimate twice in the last two weeks. Meh. It's what it costs - I don't give a toss.

[kuzman89]

have to agree with CSP here, it's bloody cheap and all these things wouldn't make a difference anyway.

[Troy711]

I paid $1.65 for BP Ultimate twice in the last two weeks. Meh. It's what it costs - I don't give a toss.

Agreed. Petrol companies can charge what they want.. so long as I need it (which will probably be for many MANY years to come yet) I'll pay whatever they are asking.

[minux]

Petrol is still cheap in America and it's still cheap in Australia. It SHOULD be around $2.00 a litre for us.

Interesting, take into account CPI etc, the last time our dollar was at this level and matched with oil prices we were paying under 80 cents a litre. Not sure how you come up with we should be paying more?

Also, why would you use ultimate in your new car? Seems wasted lol.

[ari666]

when you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode

pffft! i would pay an extra dollar a liter just to fill up faster. time is money and saving myself 20 mins at the bowser is worth an extra 20 bucks!

how tight would ya have to be huh?

[CSP]

Interesting, take into account CPI etc, the last time our dollar was at this level and matched with oil prices we were paying under 80 cents a litre. Not sure how you come up with we should be paying more?

It's not based on how the Australian dollar is performing or CPI. It's based on world market oil and petrol prices. Unfortunately most people don't understand how the Australian price of fuel is set. I mean, even though Australia is actually more than 100% self sufficient in our fuel needs (i.e. we don't import it, we export our excess) our fuel has to be locally priced at competitive market prices for fuel based on the global pricing trends. Otherwise it doesn't make sense to sell it at a lower cost locally than the international market demands. It's how most international businesses work.

Also, why would you use ultimate in your new car? Seems wasted lol.

Fuel efficiency. There is a marked improvement by using a 98RON fuel over just a 91RON fuel and the extra cost of paying a higher price means I go further than more fuel at a lower price. I.e. it's more economical. It's fairly marginal (economically speaking but the 98RON is cheaper in the long term) but then there's the benefit of the better quality fuel too. And with the amount of driving I've been doing lately, I've had plenty of time to properly analyse my fuel usage.

[minux]

It's not based on how the Australian dollar is performing or CPI. It's based on world market oil and petrol prices. Unfortunately most people don't understand how the Australian price of fuel is set. I mean, even though Australia is actually more than 100% self sufficient in our fuel needs (i.e. we don't import it, we export our excess) our fuel has to be locally priced at competitive market prices for fuel based on the global pricing trends. Otherwise it doesn't make sense to sell it at a lower cost locally than the international market demands. It's how most international businesses work.

Actually, it is based on how our dollar is performing as we buy oil at singapore prices. Currently (straight from a source at shell) we are importing around 73% of crude oil for fuel production. Australia use minimal oil of their own (as per your remark regardiing we export excess only) as it is pooled into the world market and bought back. The middle east should have no effect on pricing as only around 12% of oil comes from the UAE, bulk of ours comes from asian markets such as Vietnam, indonesia etc.
You are right though, most do not understand how the Australian oil and fuel pricing market works

[CSP]

Yeah - better explanation!

[Rusty]

pffft! i would pay an extra dollar a liter just to fill up faster. time is money and saving myself 20 mins at the bowser is worth an extra 20 bucks!

how tight would ya have to be huh?

Not having a go at you but if time is money to you then this site owes you a heap!

I completely agree with you though, I would also pay extra just to get away from the servo quicker! Like what most others think here, the OP's list seems fairly pointless other than the bit about not filling up when a tanker is on site.

[Adds_05]

snopes.com: Tips on Pumping Gas

[UFO]

Points of Disagreement:

a) As the tanks are stored underground, the temperature difference in the early morning or middle of the day would be worth nothing to you at the bowser. Dirt is an incredibly good insulator... just ask all the folk living underground at Cooperpedy!

b) 1 degree temp difference is a big deal for large quanties of fuel, but for 50-70L it wouldnt make much difference at all.

Points of Agreement:

a) pumping fuel slower would agitate it less, causing less vapours and less fuel leaving your tank as gas. (but then how much is your time worth to you)

b) keep your tank full. fuel does evaporate very quickly.... just listen to the air push out when you open the lid. (but again, how much is your time worth to you having to pull up and fill twice as often)

c) Never fill your car when a tanker is filling the station. All the crap at the bottom of the storage tank gets stirred up by the high pressures of the tanker pumping fuel in.


Oh..... and if you really want to be a tight arse, lift the fuel hoses after pumping to drain them into your tank for free fuel... although not really 'fair' for the next bloke .

[minux]

Oh..... and if you really want to be a tight arse, lift the fuel hoses after pumping to drain them into your tank for free fuel... although not really 'fair' for the next bloke .

Makes no difference, fuel is recorded before it touches the hose.

[UFO]

Makes no difference, fuel is recorded before it touches the hose.

no, i know that.... what I mean is when you stop pumping, a little fuel is left in the hose if you just hang it up as normal. there is a little left to get if you lift and drain the hose into your tank. but again... that's being pretty tight .

[CSP]

no, i know that.... what I mean is when you stop pumping, a little fuel is left in the hose if you just hang it up as normal. there is a little left to get if you lift and drain the hose into your tank. but again... that's being pretty tight .

LMAO!!! I used to laugh at people that did that when I worked at a servo. The fuel stops flowing at the nozzle. There's still fuel in the hose waiting for the next person. Why do you think it starts flowing INSTANTLY once the pump is activated by the operator when you fill up instead of delaying a few seconds while the hose fills up (like a garden hose when you turn the tap on).

[ari666]

Makes no difference, fuel is recorded before it touches the hose.

yeah he means the lefto ver fuel in between the bowser and the nozzle. if you lift the hose up the last 1/45th of a liter will come out

[CSP]

yeah he means the lefto ver fuel in between the bowser and the nozzle. if you lift the hose up the last 1/45th of a liter will come out

But it doesn't come out of the hose! Jesus! READ!!!!

The dribble you get after you stop pumping is just coming out of the nozzle.

[soop]

Thats exactly what he just said...

[sircruisealotVS]

Just felt i should clear something up for the folks that are saying dirt is a good insulator and the tanks wouldn't change temperature much etc...
The tanks at service stations are only about a foot underground - even then, that foot is basically just the concrete of the forecourt, they aren't buried deep underground where they are uneffected by the temperature changes of day and night.
Those round metal plates you run over coming into a servo (usually - depends where they are located) are the dipping points for a manual check of fuel levels - open them up and there is the top of the tank...