Bo Loo
Well-Known Member
According to a 39 year gas station owner, if a pump is pumping slowly, it indicates clogged filters and could mean there's water in the stations tanks....
Slow pumping gas pump=water in the tanks?
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Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Or it means most of the pumps are in use and the station has an older, poor design.
TJR
TJR
As TJR stated, it usualy means that most of the pumps are in use. Some stations (usually the older or smaller ones) have 1 actual pump that delivers the fuel from the undergraound storage tank to the dispensing nozel. When multiple pumps are in use the delivery slows becuase the single underground pump can not deliver enough volume to all of the dispensing stations being used simultaneously.
Also, while they are often referred to as gas pumps, they are actually not. The gas is not actually being pumped from the location where you dispense your fuel into the tank of oyur car. The actual pumps are underground where the storage tanks are located.
Also, while they are often referred to as gas pumps, they are actually not. The gas is not actually being pumped from the location where you dispense your fuel into the tank of oyur car. The actual pumps are underground where the storage tanks are located.
I agree that the speed of the pump has nothing to do with wheter it's pumping gas or water.
Gas in the station's tank can be caused by several things.
1. The undeergound tank is leaking and alowing rain/ground water into the tank.
2. There is a build up of condensation in the tanks just from humitity in the air. This takes time to build up and more common in gas stiations that do not sell a lot of gas and the fuel sits for long periods of time in half empty tanks.
3. Water was deliberatly put in the tank in an effort to defraud the customers.
In the first two case the station owner should have checked the tanks for excessive water. Some water can seap into any underground tank, but can be checked and if the tank contained excessive water, it could have been removed.
Water is heavier than gas and it will settle to the bottom of the tank very quickly. It sounds like the people were pumping nearly pure water. Even if they did not deliberately put water into the tanks, it is their responsibility to test and insure that there is no excessive amounts of water in their tanks. They should be sued and Shell should take away their franchize sponsorship. Shell is making more than enough money and does not need to be associated with these idiots.
...Rich
Gas in the station's tank can be caused by several things.
1. The undeergound tank is leaking and alowing rain/ground water into the tank.
2. There is a build up of condensation in the tanks just from humitity in the air. This takes time to build up and more common in gas stiations that do not sell a lot of gas and the fuel sits for long periods of time in half empty tanks.
3. Water was deliberatly put in the tank in an effort to defraud the customers.
In the first two case the station owner should have checked the tanks for excessive water. Some water can seap into any underground tank, but can be checked and if the tank contained excessive water, it could have been removed.
Water is heavier than gas and it will settle to the bottom of the tank very quickly. It sounds like the people were pumping nearly pure water. Even if they did not deliberately put water into the tanks, it is their responsibility to test and insure that there is no excessive amounts of water in their tanks. They should be sued and Shell should take away their franchize sponsorship. Shell is making more than enough money and does not need to be associated with these idiots.
...Rich
Kevin Palmer
Well-Known Member
Well.....
At the station we owned, we have Coalescer filters, which, will not allow water to pass through them. So in our case, if there was water in the tank and it got tot he filter, the pump would slow own.
It got to the point that when they pumping would slow down as compared to the norm, we would simply swap out filters and be good to go for another 20 to 30 days.
So the answer is yes,,, it can indicate water in the fuel depending on what type of filters are used in-line.
If they are for dirt only, then no, it will pump water just as though it was gas...
At the station we owned, we have Coalescer filters, which, will not allow water to pass through them. So in our case, if there was water in the tank and it got tot he filter, the pump would slow own.
It got to the point that when they pumping would slow down as compared to the norm, we would simply swap out filters and be good to go for another 20 to 30 days.
So the answer is yes,,, it can indicate water in the fuel depending on what type of filters are used in-line.
If they are for dirt only, then no, it will pump water just as though it was gas...
Coastie, apparently the water was still in the fuel so how did replacing the filters (that don't allow water to pass through them) resolve the issue:unsure:
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Also the new laws that all gas stations here in NY had to replace their int he ground tanks with Double wall tanks by 2010 kills the theory of water being added. The pick up in the tank is about 6 inches off the bottom, Once the water settles to that level you will get a straight tank of water.... The car will not run at all....
You almost can not get a tank of water any more..
Ground water would be interesting, but the water level would have to be below the pick up because the water will settle at the bottom...
Todd Z
You almost can not get a tank of water any more..
Ground water would be interesting, but the water level would have to be below the pick up because the water will settle at the bottom...
Todd Z
Just read the story....reminds me of an incident about 5 yrs ago when my bike club rode from Dallas to Abilene, TX to participate in a parade. At the end of the day everyone went to fill up with gas to head back home. Everyone filled up and literaly within minutes of starting their bikes they all started coughing and running really rough (Sport bikes now running like a badly tuned Harley). So the station owner had everyone's bike towed to Dallas and his insurance paid for the tow and repairs. The ultimate cause was a crossed line at the dispensing pump. The company was just starting to sell Deisel and the installer crossed the line at the dispensing pump so they had all filled up with Deisel instead of Super Unleaded. I was so glad that I didn't make that trip but today we all laugh about the whole thing. The cool thing was the station owner had no problems quickly resolving the issue and handling it in a professional and timely manner.
Jeff C
Well-Known Member
Richard L said:
Yup, but mostly by those big tankers pumping it there...:lol: I used to buy gas at only one station in town at the same pump, but recently I've changed to about 3 different stations, but still only taking pump #1 at each of them so my MPG calculations stay fairly accurate, and at least even out between all the pumps. I used to use Shell only, now it's Shell, Chevron, and BP...
Yup, but mostly by those big tankers pumping it there...:lol: I used to buy gas at only one station in town at the same pump, but recently I've changed to about 3 different stations, but still only taking pump #1 at each of them so my MPG calculations stay fairly accurate, and at least even out between all the pumps. I used to use Shell only, now it's Shell, Chevron, and BP...
Kevin Palmer
Well-Known Member
Lil Red,
Like vinegar and oil, water and fuel do not mix. However, there are little parts of water within the fuel that are suspended due to refilling the tanks. So, there is always some water that is literally floating around and that do get pumped up when the fuel is pumped up. As this water hits the Coalescer filter, the water is stopped and the fuel moves on. As the filter gets more and more water in it, the fuel has less openings to travel, thus the pumping does slow down.
I am referring to the normal amount of water that is in fuel and not something like someone adding water or the tank getting flooded somehow. Though you would have the same end result, changing the filter would help on momentarily as it would be plugged up almost instantly...
Like vinegar and oil, water and fuel do not mix. However, there are little parts of water within the fuel that are suspended due to refilling the tanks. So, there is always some water that is literally floating around and that do get pumped up when the fuel is pumped up. As this water hits the Coalescer filter, the water is stopped and the fuel moves on. As the filter gets more and more water in it, the fuel has less openings to travel, thus the pumping does slow down.
I am referring to the normal amount of water that is in fuel and not something like someone adding water or the tank getting flooded somehow. Though you would have the same end result, changing the filter would help on momentarily as it would be plugged up almost instantly...
Gavin Allan
Well-Known Member
Ethanol in the fuel now means that water will readily absorb into the fuel. The ethanol is hydroscopic and will accept a certain amount of water that will mix right in with the fuel and be carried into the engine. It doesn't really harm anything except maybe corrosion in the fuel system and also displaces actual burning fuel so that the gas gives less power and MPG.
Surely the fuel suppliers don't know about the hydroscopic properties of ethanol. I know they wouldn't purposly add water to the fuel to dilute it and make more profit by selling fuel diluted with water. No, surely not. What am I thinking here?
:lol:
Surely the fuel suppliers don't know about the hydroscopic properties of ethanol. I know they wouldn't purposly add water to the fuel to dilute it and make more profit by selling fuel diluted with water. No, surely not. What am I thinking here?
:lol:
