Fueling Tips

Steve Grissom has provided  the following thoughts on fuel delivery to your vehicle. It contains some interesting concepts that may be helpful to us all. It was written by a person working for a pipeline.
"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.
* 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 worth for your money.
*One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air 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 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. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money. 

May 4 Breakfast and Tour

Again this year our club will participate in the Annual SeaTac HCCA Breakfast Tour. This event has been a yearly event for the old car hobby in the Northwest. Many old car clubs participate providing an opportunity for our members to see numerous makes on tour. The Breakfast is at 9:30 am at the Puyallup Elks Club. 314 27th St NE, Puyallup, WA. The cost is $13.00 for adults and $7 for children. Following breakfast Gerald Greenfield, one of our members, will lead a tour that departs at 10:45 am. It will take us through the eastern part of Pierce and southwestern part of King Counties ending with refreshments at the collection of Marty Anderson. For our members who would like to tour together to the Elks we will meet at the Kmart Parking lot in Kent just off the Willis Street Exit of Highway 167. We'll leave that location at 8:45 am. For further information contact Jim Farris.