Get The Most Out Of Your Tank Of Gas

Here are a few timely tips to help you get the most out of
your gas purchases. These suggestions come from a long time
employee of the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline in San Jose, California.

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
in the 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 at
the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes
vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the under-
ground 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.

Hopefully, this information will help you get the most out of your
gas dollars in these times of skyrocketing gas prices.