GREENMAIL 46

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

(This is good information from a now anonymous petroleum worker.)

I don't know what you are paying for gasoline... but here in California we are paying higher than national prices, up to $3.50 per gallon. My line of work has been 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 thru 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. With that background, I am happy to share the following advice:

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 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 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 value for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank, the less air is 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 in the storage tanks 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 of the storage tanks.

FROM A MEMBER

I came across this article and thought of you. The US Postal Service
is testing a new kind of recycling program—it's like Netflix, but for
recycling old inkjet cartridges, iPods, phones and other small
electronics that damage the environment when we just toss 'em in the
trash. You get a postage-paid envelope, put your unwanted electronic
thingy in it, and drop it in the mail. Free.

It's a test-program right now in 10 cities across the country. New
York is not yet on the list, but we can pass this email around to our
friends and family who live elsewhere.

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=61331

EARTH HOUR

Earth Hour Today 8-9pm.
Earth Hour is an international event that asks households and
businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical
appliances for one hour on the evening of 29 March at 8 pm local time
until 9 pm to promote electricity conservation and thus lower carbon
emissions.


for more info: www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/lights.out.ap/index.html