USA Gas Pumps Don't Compensate for Hot Gasoline

I always try to fuel up as early in the morning as possible. Most people don't understand that gas expands and contracts with the temperature.

You have a much worse issue where you are because your temperature can stay just as high over night as it had been all day. The ground doesn't get the chance to cool down before the sun rises again.

I wonder about a system to pump coolant around a fuel tank to keep liquid compression. The problem there is that it would cut into profits.

There may be some Automatic Temperature Compensator pumps coming to a service station near you. They're being considered in California and other states (and are in use in Canada) to bring gasoline sales in line with the 60 F standard.

Hi sue,

I won't live to see temperature compensated (hot) pumps. Too many politicians are owned by big oil.

Big Oil Sells from depots through customs meters when they fill into tankers at the depots. These meters are temperature compensated. The meters from the tanker to the filling station are not temperature compensated (if they have them) and the pumps at the filling station are not temperature compensated. The person set up to make the most out of expansion is the truck driver . Couple of hours parked in the sun might give him gas for the weekend.

Underground temperatures are generally pretty stable depending on region. Those in warmer climates ARE paying a little more for their gas.

http://www.wunderground.com/global/Region/CN/Temperature.html

I seriously doubt that any real gas station in the US would have storage tanks that allow the gas go above ~100 deg F. Pumping gasoline at this temperature would lead to a 2% error in favor of the station (~1%/10degC), but it would also be a huge fire hazard! I think they would gladly trade those few extra pennies to avoid multi-million dollar lawsuits and increased insurance costs.

Underground temperatures are generally pretty stable depending on region. Those in warmer climates ARE paying a little more for their gas.

This is true, but for my money a penny is till a penny and I'd rather keep it than add it to the hundreds of other pennies being skimmed out of consumer pockets to make the oil barons that much more 'baronial'

I think they would gladly trade those few extra pennies to avoid multi-million dollar lawsuits and increased insurance costs.

I would too, but we are talking here primarily of US companies, in response to your completely reasonable statment I am going to say 'Enron, AIG, Drexel Burnham Lambert, big tobacco...look here for more...' Corporate America lives by the maxim 'It's only illegal if you get caught.' Since most consumers are uneducated, uninformed, uninterested and clearly not looking... the chances of getting caught are slim enough to warrant taking some pretty big risks.

should read '...a penny is still a penny...'

The reality is if prosecuted and if defeated the fine will equal less than 1/10th the profit made.

The reality is if prosecuted and if defeated the fine will equal less than 1/10th the profit made.

This really drives the point home... my point being to contradict the statement that corporations wouldn't cheat because of the potential repercussions. Corporations, especially in this country, are not concerned with the potential consequences of corrupt behavior, the odds of getting caught are minimal and as you have clearly stated the penalties are laughable.

And I'll add to the tally that the odds of being successfully prosecuted even if caught are not huge, since lawyers are quite adept at manipulating the language of the law and ill gotten money has a way of finding exceptionally proficient council.

Yup yup yo'

There are a few brands that actually heat the fuel to take advantage as you've said though I can not rightly divulge their enterprise names.

Underground tanked gasoline in CONUS will average about 45°F year round. Even in the searing heat of some southern USA regions one need only dig about twelve feet of depth to realize genuine coolness, at sixteen feet the temperature is much better but at twenty five feet ah is how I spell relief.

Not all desert rats dug holes looking for gold

Living in Wisconsin, in the winter time it works out. I'm sure the customers are not short changing the oil companiesm or do we get a cold fuel premium price when the temperature is below 60 degrees??

Buggered again! This summer it got to 123 DegF where I live (in reality - not the official report).

Now your telling me that I was screwed "hoist on inclined plane"!

Of course, I don't really expect differently from oil companies, politicians, and other used car salesmen.

Costco has a class action against it for this same reason...

http://www.costco.com/Service/FeaturePage.aspx?ProductNo=11494300

You've GOT to be kidding. Compensation's NOT done in the US? Anywhere?

DZ from Canada

Compensation is built in for any temperature below 60 F, just not above. So, the supplier is protected, just not the consumer.

I think it may be different in Canada, I'm speaking only of the good ole USA.

Yes, all pumps here have a sticker on them that says 'Compensated to 15 degrees C' or some temperature close to that. We have a federal agency that checks each pump every couple of years ... each sticker is marked with when the last inspection/calibration took place.

Supplier protected, not the consumer ... duuuuh! :-S There's a nice 'anti-evil-oil-company' vote-getter for you.

DZ

I am not American so do not know the regulations, but that sounds to me like they are calibrated to dispense the correct volume if the temperature is 15 degC. They are not temperature compensated.

Hi, Guest.

Just realized that I didn't say where I'm from: Canada.

Here, Weights and Measures Canada (a group under the federal Industry Canada ministry) calibrates all gas-pump flow meters and temperature sensors. 15 C (59 F) is the reference temperature to which the flow meters are calibrated.

If the fuel's temperature isn't 15 C coming out of the underground tank, an electronic unit inside the pump calculates the volume that the fuel would have had if it had been at 15 C. In other words, it reduces the 'measured' quantity if the fuel's hotter than 15 C, and it increases it of the fuel's cooler.

This is done for all gas pumps Canada-wide, and I must say that I'm VERY surprised that the US doesn't do the same. That being said, I think that I read above that this is a State as opposed to a federal responsibility, hence the haphazard lack of nation-wide standards.

Cheers!

DZ

you are not the first person I've heard complain about this... Clearly the petrol' industry doesn't want you to know about it and since they have the money they have the lawmakers ear... the only way to fix this problem is to loudly yell in their other ear... I would start with a letter writing campaign to the office of weights and measures since they are responsible for insuring that the pumps are delivering the right amount of fuel. Don't stop there, right your congressmen (state and federal), the newspaper, the tv station, your Aunt Mildred and anyone else you can get to listen. Demand that they set a fuel temperature standard for fuel pumps.

The more annoying part is that gas prices generally go up in the summer to add further insult.

Thank you for this post, it is important to get people talking about this!

Of course if we had all refused to buy gasoline on that one day... when was it...

To which I'll add that Americans should get the US FEDERAL government to either administer gas-pump calibration or (more likely) to set national standards that State agencies would administer.

Cheers!
DZ from Canada

P.S. And that thing about some companies' heating gasoline to their own benefit ... this is the kind of thing where it's right to drop brown envelopes anonymously to newspapers, reporters, and legislators (Representatives and Senators).

For politicians, focus especially on those whose election cycle is short, which usually means Representatives ... they're always on the lookout for stuff to campaign on, and short-termers like federal Representatives are in perpetual election mode. Go for more than one, and don't neglect their opponents either (primary challengers, opponents from other parties).

If you're REALLY motivated, go Deep Throat.

Good luck! And if I see this controversy arise, I'll know that you'll have done a good turn. ;-)

DZ

Considering gasoline linear temp coefficient is about 317 ppm /C comparing to Al about 25 and Cast Iron and steel about 12, yes the first few liters or gals are a bit short. But before you know it the pump is cooled to underground tank gasoline temp so no big of a robing. Legal robing i.e. pump accepted accuracy is usally bigger

My fuel tank temperature gage readings often contradict your assumption.