Tips on filling up and saving fuel
 

Someone sent me this R R email - looks pretty sensible to me...

TIPS ON FILLING YOUR CAR(S) (Good information)
I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol.... But here in Durban , SA, We are also paying higher,up to R7.35 per litre. 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 litre. Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline where I work in Durban , we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LRP and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 litres.

Only buy or fill up your car or bike 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 fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, 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 vapours that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours 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 tank is HALF FULL.
The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol 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 litre is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a fuel truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy, DO NOT fill up
Most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel 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.
DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!

Well done James tips worth noting

Very informative post, thank you for taking the time to type it up, I am certain that a lot of members will actually take note of your comments and act accordingly.

Thank you James.:grouphug:

Only buy or fill up your car or bike 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 fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, 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.

Well this one is garbage. Given that the tanks are buried at least 6 feet below ground you are not going to see a huge difference in ground temperature at that depth even between winter and summer let alone morning and evening! Te other advice seems ok though....:lol:

Hi Zeb don't for get that the author of this information lives in South Africa

Ah, good point!:o It won't apply over here just the same...

No vapour return system here either.

I've read this recently on one of the 3 forums I read, this one (obviously not on here), .org, and Detailing World, and there was a general pooh-poohing of all the points, with some very plausible reasoning.

I reckon that there's nothing to be lost in following the tips, and there might just be something gained.

So thanks...........

malcolm