Do You Avoid Buying Gas When...

[Bill Howatt]

the tank truck is filling the station's tanks?

My, B-I-L who is fairly car mechanics literate, says he does because the dumping of the fuel into the underground tank stirs up all the water and whatever that had settled to the bottom. Does seem to make at least some sense.

Do you avoid this?

[Jim Becker]

Not likely a factor in high volume stations like Costco which are constantly pumping gas and constantly getting re-supplied. Since that's the only place I buy gas unless I'm traveling, I wouldn't worry about it and have pumped many, many times when a truck was parked and putting fuel in the underground tanks. For stations that are not high volume, there "might" be more risk. One would hope that filtration between the tank and the pump gets rid of the "whatever"; water is it's own thing and can be a serious issue. A whole bunch of folks in South New Jersey found that out recently...twice...where what was being pumped was nearly 50% water.

[Ron Citerone]

I do based on my father saying it. He worked repairing the tanks on those gad trucks and said the bottom was loaded with gunk and dirt. I suspect truck tanks have come along way and better filtration with the advent of fuel injection. I still listen to Dad’s advice even though he passed 15 years ago.😀😭

[Bill George]

Never buy gas when the tanker is dumping in fuel, one of my rules.

[Brian Elfert]

The whole tanker thing is not that big a deal for me. I have a Costco membership, but I don't buy gas there all that often. The closest Costco is often more expensive than a pair of stations closest to home. When I used to drive to work I would pass by the Costco business center and the gas there was usually a good deal. When the business center gas station first opened about three or four years ago they were selling gas for a super low promotional price for a few weeks. I can't believe it was legal to sell that low because of the eight cent minimum markup law in Minnesota.

I have a diesel converted coach bus that usually takes over 100 gallons per fill. I use truck stops, but it is not uncommon to have a tanker filling. Truck stops sell a lot of diesel when fill ups average over 100 gallons at a time.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I will avoid entering a gas station while the tanker is there after reading this. Early speculation about the Key bridge disaster pointed to bad fuel. This reminds me that we are advised to fill up before the eclipse travelers pass through our area.

[Edward Weber]

This is one of those stories that's been around for years. Originally it might have had a small kernel of thuth to it but these days it's just not an issue.
Now it's more of a superstition than anything else.

I'd rather people fuel on the side of the car where the pump is, instead of dragging the hose around the car and standing in the middle of the lane.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I mistook the bad TFI module on my old Ford for bad gas. That thing left me stranded many times.

[Jim Koepke]

the tank truck is filling the station's tanks?

My, B-I-L who is fairly car mechanics literate, says he does because the dumping of the fuel into the underground tank stirs up all the water and whatever that had settled to the bottom. Does seem to make at least some sense.

Do you avoid this?

When the gas is being taken from the storage tank to the pump, it doesn't skim the gas from the top of the tank. It is likely just like the fuel from a car's gas tank being taken from the bottom of the tank.

A whole bunch of folks in South New Jersey found that out recently...twice...where what was being pumped was nearly 50% water.

Found a report on this > https://nj1015.com/conoco-gas-station-water-flooding/

The amount of "contaminants" in storage tankes could vary from state to state.

Here in the west some stations have had to replace tanks due to leaks.

jtk

[Bill George]

Those final filters at the pump take out most dirt and rust scale but does zero for the water. I just turned 80 most of my life I took care of my own cars and trucks, including when I was on the farm as a kid. Gas can be Cr*p the same as transmissions and engines that fail. The new vehicles are better than the old. remember plugs and points at 10k miles?? Remember trading in that car at 30,000 miles? Today if you keep the oil and filter changed most cars and trucks can go 200,000 miles.

[Jim Becker]

The closest Costco is often more expensive than a pair of stations closest to home. W.

That's interesting because in my experience, Costco's gas price is generally lower than typical local stations, especially "name brands" that are also Top Tier fuel. Here, the cost difference is as much as twenty cents a gallon lower. I've found advantage while traveling up and down the east coast, too, with using Costco when it's reasonably close to the route. But I'm sure there are areas that are different.

[glenn bradley]

Don't forget the nanobots!!!! Run, neighbors, run!

[Jim Koepke]

That's interesting because in my experience, Costco's gas price is generally lower than typical local stations, especially "name brands" that are also Top Tier fuel. Here, the cost difference is as much as twenty cents a gallon lower. I've found advantage while traveling up and down the east coast, too, with using Costco when it's reasonably close to the route. But I'm sure there are areas that are different.

When we lived in California Costco was often the lowest price in the area.

Here it is different, plus there are a couple of other factors in the equation:

Gasbuddy Vancouver WA.png

This is Vancouver, Washington prices. Oregon often has lower prices. This only shows Sinclair for a major's price. Sinclair is new to the area. This chart showed Union 76 and Arco at $4.39, the same as Walmart. Chevron was at $4.55, they are often one of the highest prices around here.

Fred Meyer and Safeway have promotional pricing with their Rewards Card. For every $100 spent in their stores the customer can get 10¢ per gallon off of their fuel prices up to $1. With certain promotions you can receive up to 4 times fuel rewards points. We usually get at least 50¢ per gallon and often we get a whole dollar. That is handy with my truck as it can take ~30 gallons to fill.

Consulted Dr. Google on > when fuel is being delivered to a service station does it cause more muck in the fuel < interesting answers about fuel filters in the gas pumps and liability of service stations if these, required in most states, filters do not trap sediment and ruin people's cars.

Also found something else to consider > https://living.acg.aaa.com/auto/risk...iving-on-empty

jtk

[Bill George]

I don't have to google to use common sense! I have seen the tanks removed from the ground when ownership changed hands and its the state law. Tanks rusted and sometimes leaking.

[Brian Tymchak]

40 years ago I filled my car while the truck was filling the station tank. Got about 300 yards down the road and the car died. I happened to have tools in the car and an empty soda bottle. Opened the gas line, pumped a bit of fuel into the bottle. Almost 100% dirty water. It took a couple days to get the fuel system flushed and plugs changed.

Hopefully these days they can fill those tanks without mixing the water layer and sediment at the bottom. But I still avoid filling up if the truck is at the station.