in ground tanks hold a consistent 55 degrees. I've heard of fuel in the actual pump warming, but the stuff in the ground is the same year round. (Do not completely fill your tank in Summer as the gasoline will expand and force out the overfill valve.) Pumps can be rigged. People have been busted running water into the underground tanks. Ohio has no legal way to enforce the octane rating. I've seen tests of 20 different gas stations saying they sold 87 octane fuel and not a single place had anything higher than 85. Most states prosecute that. All states prosecute violations of weights and measures. Here they fill a glass 5 gallon bottle sitting on a very accurate scale and if the line isn't on the mark and it doesn't weigh enough, the station can find itself paying enormous fines. Since all pumps are tested, it is assumed that pump has malfunctioned since it last tested successfully. If the amount sold at an undermeasure exceeds a million gallons someone will go to jail.
john ----- Original Message ---- From: Tod E. Santee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Quadius <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 7:20:40 PM Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] FW: gas pumps It's just as easy, if not moreso, to rig a pump so the gallons and price shown actually *do* match but have it pumping less. So the "10 gallons divided by 10" method won't necessarily tell much. Instead, you'd need need a very accurate 1 or 2 gallon container to fill just rigjht... then see if all the numbers match per gallon pumped. CNN reported today that pump calibrations at US stations are made assuming the gas is at 60 degrees F. If as is warmer than 60 F you get less energy (hydrogen-carbon molecules) from it -- if it's cooler than 60 F you get more. Depending where you live in the US this could be a huge difference. So my van should get better mileage in Bangor, ME than it does in Tucson, AZ. It reported that pumps in Canada autocalibrate based on temperature so stations don't lose out (gas gets cooler more often there). Tanks in the UIS don't adjust for high/low temperature deviations even though it's a very easy thing to fix. A truck driver tested fuel from a pump and it was over 78 F. At that rate (if it's consistent) he would be overpaying about $1250 this year. Best regards, --Tod ---- Quadius <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This is good advice. They had the same thing happen here, but you need to > contact the agricultural apartment with the pump number and the location of > the gas station. If you think it's been rigged for fraudulent purposes and > it's just not a calibration problem, you need to contact the state attorney > general. That way he or she can launch an investigation into price gouging. > > The old adage, may the customer beware, the is very applicable here. > Quadius
