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Save on Gasoline (from a reader)

 I don't know what you guys are paying for  gasoline.... but here in  California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50  per gallon. But 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. 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.

 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. 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. Hope this will help

 you get the most value for your money.

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