Pumping Gas - Good to Know

Since we could not control what our government have set for us.

"petrol prices are increasing, maybe these are important tips to save a little little money."

Here are some tips i grab


Do not pump full tank of petrol

Many of us are not aware that the petrol kiosk pump has a return pipe-line (in black). When the petrol tank (in the car) reaches full level, there is a mechanism to trigger off the pump latch and at the same time a return-valve is opened (at the top of the pump station) to allow excess petrol to flow back in! to the sump. But the return petrol has already pass through the meter, meaning you are donating the petrol back to SHELL/ PETRONAS/ CALTEX/MOBIL..........

*Pumping Gas - Good to Know (from the expert)


I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose , CA .
We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth:


1. Fill up your car or truck in the morningwhen the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps.

2. ;If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.

3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation).

4. If you look at the trigger you'll ! see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping.
Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank, so you're
getting less gas for your money.

Hope this will help ease your 'pain at the pump.


5. Do not top off your gas tank, when the pump shuts off, do not keep trying to add more gas. A friend who owns a gas station says that by doing this, you are actually giving the next customer a $1.00 worth of gas. The gas you pump stays in the hose and never makes it to your tank...........good to know