Gas tips

[Excalibur]

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

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 grou nd 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 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 ba ck 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.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!

WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON

Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It
might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We
should return the favor.

An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS.

Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into
the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't
import their oil from the Saudis.

Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up
the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my
family, and my friends.

I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies
are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle
Eastern oil.
&nb sp;
These companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell.......................... 205,742,000 barrels

Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels

Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels

Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels

Amoco...........................62,231,000 barrels

Citgo gas is from South America, from a Dictator who hates Americans. If
you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION!
(Oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel)

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco..................0 barrels

Conoco..................0 barrels

Sinclair................0 barrels

B P/Phillips............0 barrels

Hess.......................0 barrels

ARC0....................0 barrels

If you go to Sunoco.com <http://sunoco.com/> , you will get a list of
the station locations near you.

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and
each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are
importing.

[Excalibur]

Thsi was sent to my by a friend who lives in California

[Alpine_Sapper]

This is not verified. It's "disputed".

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

[Excalibur]

thats why I put it on here hoping someone has better data even if its contradicting me lol information is half the battle

[BraggSurvivor]

Good eye Sapper.

[FVR]

I do happen to work at a BP bulk terminal. Funny, there I sit on the terminal, just watching all kinds of gas trucks coming in, filling up, and driving off. Wait a minute, they are pumping gas from the same bulk containers.

The "clear" gas, just an addititive and from what I've heard it is actually used to follow the gas dispersions.

Now, one tanker that I never see coming in or out of the facility, Citgo.

They get their gas somewhere else.

All in all, gas is gas. One station is no better than the other. You can disagree, but the folks at the terminal just laughin at you. There are a few large distributors, buts that is it.

So, I get my gas at BP. Only, only, use a Citgo if I'm chugging out and there is not another station for miles. I spend about 100 bucks a day in the truck.

[Excalibur]

does any one know numbers on how much profit the oil companies made on the US market and any numbers between supply and demand vs cost hikes

[crashdive123]

Do you mean actual dollars or percentage of profit? If you're talking percentag, they earned less profit than many, many businesses.

[Excalibur]

I just heard something like oil companies posting record profits last quarter while I was getting raped at the pump

[crashdive123]

In dollars - yes - they earn a large profit. Think of the volume they do. Their profit margin is something like 8% or 9% (haven't looked at it in awhile) Now think about that. 8% or 9%. McDonald's sells burgers and shakes and makes in excess of 22%. Most people don't think they're getting raped when eating a double cheeseburger for a dollar. The oil companies have been demonized so much by the media that it taints the views that peoplehave about them. Look at it this way - they do the exploration - they drill thousands of feet into the ground - they extract the oil - they transport the oil - they refine the oil - they transport the gas. All for less than the cost of a gallon of milk at the grocery store. Look at who is making the most money from a gallon of gas. It's not the oil companies. The taxes are much higher than the oil company profits....and they didn't have to work to get the gas to the pump.

[Excalibur]

so the finger lies with the gov..er the powers that be hmmm wonder where all that cash goes from taxes on cigs, alcohol, gas, ect. How much money DOES it take to run a country we're running a trillion in the hole and making billions more what the HECK

[BraggSurvivor]

9 trillion.....by 2020 it will be 58 trillion.....

[Excalibur]

wow I dont think I want to see THOSE taxes

[BraggSurvivor]

http://zfacts.com/p/461.html

[Excalibur]

wow almost speachless um where can i get a loan that continues to grow and pay me 2,000,000 in 90 seconds that i dont have to pay back

[Rick]

Excaliber. Sorry, but nearly that whole post is wrong. Whoever wrote that had no idea what they were talking about. I saw this same email last year and investigated it just see how much was correct and it's just bad! My response is in red below.

I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose, CA. We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth.

1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps.

At a depth below four feet, which underground storage tanks are, ground temperature stays a constant 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. It's called the thermal inertia of a large mass. It doesn't matter when you fill up your car, the temperature of the gasoline would be relatively unchanged unless the station had just received a load of fuel. The temperature of the gasoline being transferred to the underground tank would be the same as the ambient air temperature and it would take some time to cool down or warm up, depending on the season. If a station were receiving deliveries daily, then there could be a significant difference in fuel temperatures but the only way to circumvent that issue is the installation of temperature compensating pumps. The technology exists but the cost to retrofit would drive the price of gas up.


Here's a more technical explanation of thermal inertia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_inertia

2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.

I suppose there could be some argument for this. But the impact should be negligible. I'm sure all of us have filled up after a tanker just left the station and had no knowledge the tanker was even there. Many stations are refilled at night to reduce the congestion at the station, which would further contradict the advice in paragraph one. The fuel filter on your vehicle should prevent any "debris" from entering the engine and a plugged fuel filter, thankfully, is a pretty rare occurrence.


3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)

Interesting argument but not entirely accurate. Evaporation is negligible when compared to other fuel hogs such as improper tire inflation or ignored engine maintenance. However, There IS a good mechanical reason to keep the tank topped off. Most modern cars use electric fuel pumps located in the gas tank. Because fuel injection systems need more volume and higher pressures to operate, the modern fuel pump runs hotter than the old mechanical engine driven ones of the carburater days, and the auto engineers count on the gasoline in the tank to help cool the tank mounted pump. When you run the tank dry, the pump isn't getting any cooling help from the gas, runs hotter and wears prematurely.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/2000/March/04.html

I'm not at all certain why the paragraph includes the information on internal floating 'roof' membranes. That's true of the large storage tanks you see in a tank farm at the refinery, for example. The floating membrane roof is designed to reduce fuel vapors (not evaporation), which can be ignited by static discharge or when a tank is struck by lightening.

http://www.engineerlive.com/international-oil-and-gas-engineer/health-safety/page_3/2294/14856/floating-roof-tank-grounding-method-eliminates-rim-fires.thtml

4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank so you're getting less gas for your money.

Again, extremely negligible. The design is to prevent hydrocarbon release into the atmosphere where it contributes to green house gases...or so the theory goes. That's what the little rubber cup on the pump nozzle is supposed to do.

I recently read a store about the accuracy of gasoline pumps. (Indy Star, I think). As you may or may not know, the state checks each pump annually to ensure it dispenses the amount of fuel it says it does. You'll be interested to know that the state found most pumps dispensed too much gas rather than too little. The reasoning was that as pumps age their components wear resulting in less accurate readings but in the buyer's favor. Of course, those pumps are shut down as quickly as ones dispensing too little. Inaccurate is inaccurate whether it is too much or too little.

Here are some tips for saving your money when you buy gas:

Look for the cheapest gas price in town. Web sites such as gasbuddy.com or Gas Prices from MSN Auto can tell you where the lowest price for fuel is.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=97224&src=QL


Look into special programs that offer lower fuel prices such as COSTCO or Kroger. You have to join COSTCO because only members can use their gas stations. Acquire a Kroger Plus card and you can save 10¢ per gallon at their gas stations. Sign up for their credit and you can save 15¢ per gallon. In both cases, you must purchase $100.00 worth of food per month. Look for similar deals through other retailers.

Here are some additional tips on reducing fuel costs:

Avoid idling
Check your tire pressure weekly (including your spare!)
Use the lowest recommended octane for your car (check your owner's manual)
Maintain your car. Better performance = reduced fuel consumption
Drive at a consistent speed. Use your cruise control
Slow down. A car traveling at 55 mph uses about 15% less fuel that one traveling at 65 mph
Use your GPS. Shorter trips = reduced fuel consumption
Anticipate lights. Slow down so the light turns green. You won't have to come to a complete stop.
If you are considering a new car buy a gas miser. Some good choices for hybrids are the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid or the Toyota Camry Hybrid. For a non-hybrid consider the Scion xB and the Honda Civic. The Toyota RAV4 4-cylinder is a good choice in SUVs.
You will see a lot of recommendations about turning off your air conditioner. The truth you only lose about 1 mpg. Opening the windows, particularly at highway speeds, increases drag on the vehicle resulting in greater fuel loss.

[BraggSurvivor]

Wow, good post Rick.

[Rick]

I do my best.:p

[trax]

I do my best.:p

Really? I thought you were just kinda wingin' it in your spare time...that's your best? ummmm, ok....good work Rick, yeah, nicely done sir.

[Rick]

All my time is spare time.

[trax]

All my time is spare time.

these words from a man who is currently, as I type, sitting at 4,580 posts. I believe him!:D

[Rick]

4586...no, wait, 87...no, 88....no,......

[Excalibur]

that was informative thanks it took me a little while to read all the links

[dilligaf2u2]

I desided to switch to pinto bean power. More beans and mare gas and I'll just toot down the road marrly making my way.

Don

[Rick]

Pity those behind you, Don.

[bulrush]

does any one know numbers on how much profit the oil companies made on the US market and any numbers between supply and demand vs cost hikes

You can pull SEC filings (for US public companies) for free on finance.yahoo.com and other financial sites. Their yearly reports will tell you their profits for that year, and probably gallons of gas sold or barrels of oil pumped.

[Excalibur]

Here is one the big five oil corps bosses were in congress thrying to explain a 123 BILLION dollar profit while we are getting hammered at the pump oh yeah just so they can add insult to injury they are trying to hold on to 18 billion in taxes

[crashdive123]

When you watch the grandstanding on CSPAN remeber a couple of things. The oil companies do not set the price at the pump and those that are asking the accusatory questions set the tax rates (a lot more revenue than the oil company profits)

[Rick]

It's a catch 22 isn't it? The American dream is to build a company into a Bill Gates type empire and when you do everyone mad mouths you.

[crashdive123]

Aint that the truth.

[Excalibur]

they posted 8.4 cents on the dollar, slightly higher than the S&P 500 for profit they also have maintained a close ballance between supply and demand but prices per barrel have rocketed in the last few months to over $100 a barrel. no crunch in supply, no major increase in demand so why the price hike

[crashdive123]

Commodities market, percieved disruptions in flow, actual disruptions in flow, panic.

[Rick]

I agree with the panic. At least one other possible explanation:

http://www.peakoil.net/headline-news/crude-oil-price-now-over-100-per-barrel

[Excalibur]

makes me think...supply and demand are at a ballance prices both for barrels and for gas at the pump, I dont remember any middle people complain of huge pay increase ie the refiners, pumpers, pipe guys ect. so where is the money goin oh in to the fat cats wallets and the powers that be are allowing it cause there neck deep in the profits

[beerrunner13]

Maybe becuse the dollar has devalued so much it takes more of your dollars to make the Arabs give up a barrel of oil. Don't know just a thought.:confused:

[crashdive123]

Maybe becuse the dollar has devalued so much it takes more of your dollars to make the Arabs give up a barrel of oil. Don't know just a thought.:confused:

Probably a lot of truth to that. But it's the Canada and Mexico that we've got to pay more (well at least we import more from them than the Middle East)

[Excalibur]

I will admit the dollar is loosing ground were facing a big recession housing is in a slum unemployment is at an all time high but the world still trades using US dollars but the crunch is also being felt in the powerfull and rising japan market, europe market and countries all over are still taking morgages out to pay for thier gas bills

[beerrunner13]

Both of you are correct, but the fact is our dollar is worth less all over the world. My mistake I should not have included on;y the Arabs..I am no economist but if our dollar was worth more it would not take as many of them to buy anything on the world market

[Rick]

Unemployment is not at an all time high. Far from it. Check the numbers. February rose to 4.9%. 1982 and 1983 saw 9.7% and 9.6% respectively. We're far from that.

Source: http://www.nidataplus.com/lfeus1.htm

[Excalibur]

I stand corrected on unemployment thanks whispers to kid this guy doesnt sleep lol