Sunday, March 30, 2008

How to Get the Most Out of Pumping Gas!


This is short little article on how to save a few cents at the gas pump. The most important part of the article is near the end, where it talks about buyin gas from certain stations that dont import thier oil from middle eastern countries. Enjoy.

I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but 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 through 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 controls.
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.

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.

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
BP/Phillips..............0 barrels
Hess.......................0 barrels
ARC0......................0 barrels

If you go to 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.

But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas
buyers. It's really simple to do.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent tips. I will definately start filling up in the mornings and when half full now.

Also, I'll go out of my way to purchase gas from the non-middle eastern oil imports.

Anonymous said...

There are several inaccuracies in this article. They are important enough that, if corrected, will require an entire rethink of the main points. I would list them here, but it would take too much time and I think most wouldn't bother to read and/or verify them anyway.

The worldview presented here is not as rational as many in this country might think, nor is it a remedy. In fact, it is just the opposite. Funny how that works: What usually passes as reason is really a masquerade. And the masquerade here is pretty close to the kind of crypto-facism and xenophobia that starts wars. It is also dangerously ignorant of the US role in the current state of energy politics.

The crude oil market is not structured in a way that one can buy gas derived from non-ME crude very easily. And unfortunately all crude comes from nations with pretty spotty human rights records. Drilling for more oil in the US might increase our own supply by 3% or so, which admittedly is more than a drop in the barrel, though not by much and certainly not enough to accomplish what executive and congressional demagogues in this country are claiming. And in any case, its impact won't be felt for several years.

And I won't even bother with what the history of the US and crude is about. Again, I don't think people in this country are sincerely interested in knowing. But they really should be. They would understand more and make more informed decisions about energy policy, instead of leaving it in the hands of people who really don't share the interests of the average American.

But if y'all want to keep believing the hype, go right ahead.