The most valuable commodity is TIME. Pumping slow and filling up when the tank is half full increases the time at the station and doubles the station visits.

So in a nutshell, everyone spend more time at the station, and do it twice as often.

Bad advice.

 

There is a lawsuit in federal court pending about "hot" fuel. You can do a search on it. OOIDA and serveral other orginazations have been tying to get temperature compensations for years because its a known issue that fuel expands in warmer temps.
It may not mean anything to a guy putting 30 gallons in but when you buy 4000 gallons at a time and more its important to you.

Here is one mention http://www.landlinemag.com/Special_R...6_Hot_Fuel.htm

 

Even if this stuff did make a difference on unleaded gasoline, it definitely won't on diesel fuel. The hose draining tip someone mentioned works good though!

 

Yeah, but I think it's just emptying the handle area, not the whole hose.

 

True, the handle mechanisms are anti-siphon to comply with DOT and environmental laws. Supposed to avoid spills even if someone puts the handle back with the lever locked on.

Above ground tanks would be my first worry about these alleged tips. I don't buy from above ground stations if I can, due to condensation buildup in the tanks from temperature changes. Most fuel stations have insulated tanks (for leakage containment) well below grade so the daytime temps will have NO effect on the fuel temp. I notice that most in the Winter when the hose is stiff at -40, then starts to soften as the fuel comes from the ground tanks at 50°F..

Cool fuel is a good ticket for volume, but with our fuel return systems on diesels, your tank temperature is much higher than ambient. Gasser tips don't apply...

 

New nozzle design won't let you drain the nozzle or the hose. To check this out: finish filling your rig. Shut off pump. Place nozzle in an empty gasoline or diesel container. Now squeeze handle and see how much you get! Is that amount worth the effort?
I found a formula for figuring out how much fuel is lost to thermal expansion:
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~vawter/Physic...hermExpan.html
I also found a pretty explanatory blog about what is really going on.
http://www.californiaprogressreport....ornia_gas.html
I have to agree with 'Tony' and 'Jeff' and have to wonder if 'Chris' isn't right. In fact, before reading their comments; I was wondering if stations wouldn't benefit from 'warming' the fuel up when we pump it. That way they could charge us for something we weren't getting.....
All this argument does seem like a lot of yelling over nothing. I feel the end result will be us as consumers taking it in the shorts in the end (My underwear is already 'holy' enough. It doesn't need any help!).
Check out this chart for how many gallons were lost broken down by state:
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/reso...l07ByState.pdf
It estimates we lost 2.5 million gallons here in Idaho. I did a rough estimate that showed I lost about a gallon of that myself for the year! Oh, what will I do? I really can't wait till I can get to help pay for the new 'Temp Compensating Pumps and equipment'. Yes there was a lot of sarcasim in that last sentence! I want to be left alone. I can hardly afford all the help the gov is giving me now!
Dan

 

Pumping slow does let the despenser's filters work better instead of bypassing...the windshield needs washing anyway.

 

Another way to save on fuel cost at the big pumps us to 'borrow' the satelite hose from the big rig that is fueling while the driver is talking or doing something else...simply remove it from his passenger side tank, place it in yours and enjoy.
A few things to consider with this alternative.
1] Do not get caught.
2] Make sure you can handle the driver if you do get caught.
3] Always be ready to leave quickly.



I actually saw a guy do this with another big rig...so I made sure the driver that was getting ript knew what was happening. He had a hard time understanding what I had told him til he went around to the passenger side and saw the satelite hose in the driver side tank of the rig in the next island.
Some people sure have nerve.

Disclaimer:
Do not do this. Its humor.

Scotty

 

I could not figure out why my overhead MPG readout was so far off from hand-calc figures until I figured out that the speed and pressure of the different station's pumps results in more, or less, foaming of the fuel as it's being pumped. The more foam the sooner the pump shuts off and the less fuel you're actually putting in the tank. So the next time you fill up you get less foaming and more fuel and hand-calc shows less MPG than you actually got and the reverse can happen as well. If you run the pump on slow speed there will be less foaming and your overhead and hand-calc will be much more in agreement; all else being equal.

 

I used to think there would be less foaming by running the nozzle slow; now, I have relocated the vent and I don't think it makes any difference. 'Sides, the pump is pumping out liquid fuel; not foam.
Pumping fuel into your truck slowly will not make the overhead computer more accurate than if you pump it fast. The computer will do it's best to give you a MPG reading (It's best is usually subpar though!).
As far as the original intent of this post goes: I asked Costco what the temp was of the gasoline I was pumping. The other morning it was 58F. That kind of verifies the theory that underground fuel will stay around 55 - 60F. We will see after a few days of really cold weather this winter.
Ask your station if they have fuel temp readouts. The local Costco station has a pretty elaborate monitoring setup.........
Now, how could we get a temp reading of the fuel we are pumping?
Dan

 

This is BS. I haven't done the research, it's just plain old common sense. I'm inclined to say that in most climates the tanks are far enough under ground (all it takes is a few feet) that the outside temp doesn't effect the temp of the fuel very significantly. If you can prove this theory otherwise, I still call BS for the following reason.

Lets picture a large tank of water above ground for a moment. It takes a substantially larger amount of energy to heat liquid (gasoline, diesel, water, etc.) than it takes to heat gas (i.e. air). With the average temperature change throughout a day (according to my local weather report it's an average of 14-18 degrees high vs. low), you would not see a significant change in water temp throughout the tank. If your average high was 50 degrees, and your average low was 35, then you'd see the water remain pretty much consistently somewhere in between those two numbers.

-Luke the myth debunker

 

Luke - You'd be right on your water temperature scenario. The proof is: I live in Montgomery, AL. I don't have to drain my swimming pool in the winter ... because it doesn't freeze. The coldest winter days will be below freezing at night and above it during the day. The swimming pool will not freeze, but a bucket of water beside the swimming pool will. The quantity has a large effect.

 

Yeahbut - The foaming occurs in the tank after it's pumped in and so if you get less foam by pumping slowly (since you can control the slow pumping easier from pump to pump than holding it wide open on different station's pumps) then the computer and hand-calc will be closer together. I think one or both of us don't get something that the other one thinks he gets ..... Roger?

 

Don't think speed of filling has anything to do with foaming, it's the auto shutdown on the nozzle that causes it.
The pump on my farm tank does 30 gallons a minute with no foam.

I've read about but have never tried the trick to eliminate foaming at the station. Notice at the tip of the fill nozzle there is small hole in the side, apparently if you block it there will be no foam.

 

I think the speed does affect foaming in so much as it is caused by turbulance. I think it is caused by having to hit the turns in the fill hose going into our tanks and by splashing into the fuel already at the bottom of the tank. There isn't alot we can do about the way our tanks are made....
But, foaming won't throw the trip computer off. Provided the stations pumps are accurate (And most are very accurate!) you are getting the quantity of fuel you are being charged for. You are paying for liquid, the pump is dispensing liquid and that is that. Now what you do with it as it is delivered or afterwards, it doesn't change the amount dispensed. Besides, the foam is gone for the most part in about 15 minutes.
I would be curious to know how our trip computers calculate mileage. They could have a way of measuring the amount of fuel being consumed by some sort of flow meter. I don't think that is how they work. I theorize that they instead approximate the amount of fuel being used by calculating it off of how long the injectors are open..... Either way, we are dealing with liquid fuel and not foam......
Now, if you can tell me how to get my overhead to be closer, I would really appreciate it. My other Cummins have been alot closer than this one. They were usually with in .5 mile to the gallon. This current lyar is often 2 or 3 miles off per gallon! (I theorize that this is another sign that something is wrong with my injection system, since it reads higher than what I actually get).
Who really knows.........
Dan