Hi Guys – I got this in an email from a very dear friend. As we all know petrol prices are though the roof and this is cutting into our budgets heavily. . . We have to keep a certain amount in our car for emergencies because we never 
know when our youngest will need to be rushed to the hospital.
Both my hubby and I are always on the lookout for ways to reduce the costs of petrol and as you already know my hubby purchased a bike trailer for his push bike, this allows for him and Sumara to still make lots of short little trips without the car
Now to the main reason for this article . . I have added and removed and changed some parts of this email in order to post this here on Minti. I think this advice is important for ALL parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and more . . .
I don’t know what you guys are paying for petrol but here is Tasmania where I live we are currently paying anywhere between $1.57 to $1.60 a litre. A friend of mine was telling me that she had to fill her car yesterday and it cost her a whopping $157.00. That is half of my pay and there is no way that I could ever afford that.
This information comes fro a guy who lives in Durban, South Africa. For the last 31 years he has worked in the petroleum business where his company is responsible for delivering 4 Million litres of fuel through a pipeline every 24 hours.
So here are the tips that are suggested:
Fill Up your tanks in the early morning when the ground is still cold - Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
When you are filling your tank up DO NOT squeeze the trigger to 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 vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.
Try and fill your tank up when your tank is already at half full - The reason for this is quite simple when you think about it. The more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
Do NOT fill up your tank when there is a full tanker pumping fuel into the storage tank at the petrol station – It is most likely that the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. If you get dirt in your fuel system not only will it effect the fuel efficiency of your vehicle BUT it will and can damage your motor.
I hope that many of you will find this useful. . I myself have a copy of this on my fridge as well as in my car. . . We also try and store our car in shaded area’s whenever possible as this help reduce the amount of evaporation. . . Good luck and happy motoring . . .
Cheers Kellzacar xoxox
(May 29th) (
