This has popped up on the internet and emails.
Gas up Tips
From a friend in the petro industry...
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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 morning when 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 you top off your gas tank and overfill it? When the gas pump nozzle clicks off automatically, do you add a little more gas to round off your dollar sale? Topping off your gas tank is bad for the environment and your wallet.
Here's why:
Topping off the gas tank can result in your paying for gasoline that is fed back into the station's tanks because your gas tank is full. The gas nozzle automatically clicks off when your gas tank is full. In many areas, gas station pumps are equipped with vapor recovery systems that feed back gas vapors into their tanks to prevent vapors from escaping into the air and contributing to air pollution. Any additional gas you try to pump into your tank may be drawn into the vapor line and fed back into the station's storage tanks. That means that you will be paying for gas that doesn't get into your tank thus raising your cost for gas.
Gasoline vapors are harmful to breathe. Gasoline vapors contribute to bad ozone days and are a source of toxic air pollutants such as benzene. Evaporation from the spillage of gas from overfilling can occur, contributing to the air pollution problem.
Not only is it bad for the environment it is also bad for your wallet. You pay for the gas that evaporates or is spilled on the ground. When you top off there is a good chance that one or both of those things will happen and that will cost you.
There is another downside to topping your gas tank. Gas expands as it gets warmer. Especially in the summer, generally the gas from underground tanks will be cooler than the air. As it warms up in your gas tank it expands. You need extra room in your gas tank to allow the gasoline to expand. If you top off your tank, the extra gas may evaporate into your vehicle's vapor collection system. That system may become fouled and will not work properly causing your vehicle to run poorly and have high gas emissions.
In this case you will be hit with a double whammy! The gas that expands and is lost is gas that you have paid for and have not used. That's wasted gas and money. Also if the extra expanding gas fouls up the vapor collection system your car will operate less efficiently. A less efficient car means less fuel efficiency which means you will use more gas which means it will cost you more money.
The next time you fill your car or truck up at the gas station; remember not to top it off. When the pump automatically stops your tank should be full enough. Not only will you be saving yourself money, you will be helping the environment
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