Tips On Filling Your Vehicles

I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol... but here in Durban, South Africa, we are also paying higher, up to 47.35 rands (S$8.129) per liter. 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 liter. Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline, where I work in Durban, we deliver about 4 million liters 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 liters.

1. 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 liter is not exactly a liter.
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.

2. 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 of the 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.

3. 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 liter is actually the exact amount.

4. 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.