TIPS ON FUELING YOUR CAR

I don’t know what you guys are paying for petrol…. but here in Durban 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, LERP and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of
16,800,000 litres.
*Only buy or fill up your car 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.

The problem is not solved with searchs on the internet or with cost averaging…most of us just need to get where we want to go.

What will bring down the prices? Maybe the American people getting in the streets to voice their problem. Supporting the building of more refineries will create a greater flow of fuel.

Alternative fuels may be a solution as long as it is efficient and doesn’t create other problems, and so the ethanol band wagon I choose not to ride in. It is anything other than cost effective and doesn’t really address the root issue.

What of hydrogen? There are a number of people already using hydrogen in there cars (google water4cars). Part of the energy problem is due to corporate entities wanting control so they can profit. I support profits being made in any business endeavor, profit is not my issue. Control is the issue. We won’t have hydrogen available until the oil companies can build enough of hydrogen fuel stations to supply the demand. I will stop here on this because time and space here doesn’t permit a full disclosure now.

The average American doesn’t know that Ford (for instance) sells cars in South American where the mpg are higher by law than here. I have forgotten which SA country has a minimum standard of 43mpg, fail to get 43mpg and the car can’t be sold there. So Ford sells cars down south, why don’t they sell them here? Almost pisses you off when you think about.

For me, solving the problem rather than half solutions is what is important.

On the other hand, with a small car, it doesn’t pay to go out of one’s way to save a dime, only 2% or 3% at current prices. Further, very few brands meet Japanese standards for detergency. On the Left Coast, Chevron, Shell, and Union 76. That’s worth an extra dime on $4.