Tips on Filling your Vehicles
Here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every litre.
- Only fill up your car in the early morning when the ground temperature
is still cold.
Remember that all petrol pumps 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 other petroleum products play an important role. A one
degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the petrol
pumps do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
- When your car is being filled up, ask the attendant that he should not
squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode.
The trigger of the nozzle has 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.
- The Most Important tip 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.
- If there is a fuel truck pumping into the storage tanks, when you stop
to fill your car, Don't fill up.
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.