06/08/2025
Helping you save money on filling up. Every little bit helps.
👇👇👇👇
TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... 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 v***rs that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a v***r return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes v***r. Those v***rs 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 ev***rates 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 ev***ration. 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.
✅ Every little bit does help & these are all good valid tips. I'd like to add another reason for keeping your tank at least 1/2 full. Almost all modern cars have fuel pumps that are located in the actual gas tank of your car. These fuel pumps rely on the fuel to keep them lubricated & if your constantly driving around with an empty tank your actually shortening the life of your fuel pump. This might not seem like a big deal until you find out that to replace your fuel pump can cost anywhere from $400 - $1200 depending on if they need to drop your fuel tank in order to do the work. In my Buick the fuel pump is accessible in the trunk & doesn't require removing the tank but still cost $300 just to buy the pump from AutoZone.
Not sure who to give the credit to, but thank you!
