Some Tips on Filling Up the Tank

Every time I go to fill up the gas tank these days, I pay at least a few pennies more to get the same old gas. I don't know about you guys but I'm getting to where I have to decide whether I want to spend the money to drive places. I thought about it yesterday as I was going to return something at Target for the 3rd time. I might as well of just thrown my $10 away that it took in gas to get there to return my $4.99 item.

One of my friends emailed these tips to me the other day and I thought maybe some of these will help. Maybe you can try some out. Let me know if they work. After all, anything is worth a try.


1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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. 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 on the fast rate, some other 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.

4. One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. 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.

5. 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 t normally settles on the
bottom.