Tips on Filling your Vehicles…

This is a Message received from a friend:

I don’t know what you guys are paying for petrol… but here
in Durban, we are also paying higher, up to 47.35 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 BIKKIE 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 denser 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 play an important role. A
1degree 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 maximum value for your
money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET’S SHARE
INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF
MANKIND.