Yesterday I stopped at the Esso Station in Cabarete to fill a 5 gallon gasoline container. I watched as they put in and charged me for 5.5 gallons of regular gasoline in my 5 gallon container. So beware that you are paying 10% more than you should be there.
- Thread starter windeguy
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BEWARE: Esso Station in Cabarete overcharging
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Are you certain container holds no more than 5 gallons.
When I was a cruising liveaboard, we hauled most of our fuel from shore in jerry cans. I was always able to get more in than the supposed capacity of the can because in calculating the capacity some space was allowed for expansion. Since we were using diesel rather than gas and most of it would immediately be poured in the tank on the boat, I didn't worry too much about it, but I was getting more in the can than 3 or 5 gallons.
If they filled your can all the way to the fill hole, you got more than 5 gallons.
When I was a cruising liveaboard, we hauled most of our fuel from shore in jerry cans. I was always able to get more in than the supposed capacity of the can because in calculating the capacity some space was allowed for expansion. Since we were using diesel rather than gas and most of it would immediately be poured in the tank on the boat, I didn't worry too much about it, but I was getting more in the can than 3 or 5 gallons.
If they filled your can all the way to the fill hole, you got more than 5 gallons.
usually the cans will be marked with the actual capacity. My little one gallon can for my oil/gas mix says right on it 1.2 gal. Maybe only the newer cans are marked that way though.
Just because your tank is marked 1.2 gallons does not mean that you can't put in more than that if you fill it up to the top.
Gas stored in a tank in the ground is cooler than it will become when in a jerry can in the sun. The marked capacity allows room for the gas to expand.
However, if you take that can to the gas station and the attendant squeezes in every possible drop, you are going to fill that expansion space with gas and the meter will read more than the marked capacity of the can.
When we were cruising, we took advantage of the space when tilling the cans with diesel because it doesn't expand like gas, but for gasoline, we always left room for the cool gas coming from the ground to expand under the Caribbean sun. However, attendants at gas stations may not be mindful of that.
From the internet: "Because gasoline expands and contracts based on temperature, the industry uses a standard temperature -- 60 degrees Fahrenheit -- as part of its definition of a gallon. To the industry, a gallon of gasoline is the amount of fuel that occupies 231 cubic inches at 60 degrees.
But at 75 degrees, the same amount of fuel occupies 233.4 cubic inches. At 90 degrees, the gas expands to 235.8 cubic inches.
Because gasoline expands and contracts based on temperature, the industry uses a standard temperature -- 60 degrees Fahrenheit -- as part of its definition of a gallon. To the industry, a gallon of gasoline is the amount of fuel that occupies 231 cubic inches at 60 degrees.
But at 75 degrees, the same amount of fuel occupies 233.4 cubic inches. At 90 degrees, the gas expands to 235.8 cubic inches."
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The Cavalry is Coming
I have alerted Einstein to the problem.... Hopefully , he will post in due course.
Meanwhile, he suggested that you ask your attendant for a specific amount.... to avoid a discussion of specific gravity
i.e. ask for 5 gallons or 1000 pesos..... that might solve the issue
WW
I have alerted Einstein to the problem.... Hopefully , he will post in due course.
Meanwhile, he suggested that you ask your attendant for a specific amount.... to avoid a discussion of specific gravity
i.e. ask for 5 gallons or 1000 pesos..... that might solve the issue
WW
Blitz 5 gallon plasitc gasoline can
I have a 5 gallon Blitz gasoline can just like this one.
Blitz 5 Gallon Plastic Gas Can with Spill Proof System at Safety Central
It was filled to just below the full mark indication for 5 gallons, not to the fill hole, and the pump read 5.5 gallons. It is possible that the can is off by one half of a gallon.
WW, Asking for 5 gallons to be pumped or a certain number of pesos in value won't help if the pump is mis-calibrated. You have to have the following situation. If the can is accurately marked with the fill line at 5 gallons, it is filled exactly to the fill line and I pay the price for 5 gallons then I would have gotten what I paid for.
I have a 5 gallon Blitz gasoline can just like this one.
Blitz 5 Gallon Plastic Gas Can with Spill Proof System at Safety Central
It was filled to just below the full mark indication for 5 gallons, not to the fill hole, and the pump read 5.5 gallons. It is possible that the can is off by one half of a gallon.
WW, Asking for 5 gallons to be pumped or a certain number of pesos in value won't help if the pump is mis-calibrated. You have to have the following situation. If the can is accurately marked with the fill line at 5 gallons, it is filled exactly to the fill line and I pay the price for 5 gallons then I would have gotten what I paid for.
I started a thread about this last month called -
"How much gas do you get for your money?"
Basically I got trashed by our lovely reading community for rumour-mongering, spreading global conspiracy theories and even got blasted for posting in a colored font, which just shows you that although they may think they are great drivers, they didn't think enough to make sure their brain was in neutral before engaging their mouth - or should I say "mouse".
Can't be too careful these days, especially with gasolina prices the way they are!!
Knowing how "Scientific" the Dominicans are,
... they will pump the gasoline through in-line solar heaters to maximize their profits.
SantiagoDR
miesposo has run gas stations for a long time and he is responsible for gas dictribution in his current company.
he tells me there is always a margin of mistake due to temperatures. accorddingly to him someone could be easily filling a motor for daily consumption from one of the big tanks and no one would be alble to tell the difference...
he tells me there is always a margin of mistake due to temperatures. accorddingly to him someone could be easily filling a motor for daily consumption from one of the big tanks and no one would be alble to tell the difference...
Volume of gasoline dispensed would be 5 gallons regardless of temperature
It is true that if the gasoline is at a higher temperature it will expand.
However, and this is an important point, the pump should still dispense exactly 5 gallons of this "expanded" gasoline when it reads that 5 gallons have been pumped.
If the gasoline is subsequently cooled to a lower temperature, then it will take up less volume.
It is true that if the gasoline is at a higher temperature it will expand.
However, and this is an important point, the pump should still dispense exactly 5 gallons of this "expanded" gasoline when it reads that 5 gallons have been pumped.
If the gasoline is subsequently cooled to a lower temperature, then it will take up less volume.
The pump should record 5 gallons but the gas is not expanded when it comes out the nozzle because it is being drawn from an underground tank which is cooler. For this reason you can probably get more in the can because the expansion space is being filled with gas.
However, you said your tank was not filled to the brim. So that does not seem to be the explanation. The point someone made about imperial gallons is a good one, I have used jerry jugs myself that fooled me at first until I realized the marking was in imperial gallons.
I think what you need to do is to get a container you are sure is marked correctly and see how many gallons of the liquid you can get in your can.
gasoline
1/2 gallon in 5 is a big discrepancy. Bet the gas can is larger than the 5 it says to allow for expansion on a hot day. Paint cans are exactly one gallon if you want to check the amount. If they would cheat I expect that they would cheat less so as to reduce the chances of getting found out. Good to be suspicious in this country because yes they are out to get you!
1/2 gallon in 5 is a big discrepancy. Bet the gas can is larger than the 5 it says to allow for expansion on a hot day. Paint cans are exactly one gallon if you want to check the amount. If they would cheat I expect that they would cheat less so as to reduce the chances of getting found out. Good to be suspicious in this country because yes they are out to get you!
Being that I'm in the Gas biz let me explain this one to you:
Those plastic cans are not precise! They don't always fit what they say they do and in your case that may be what happened.
On the other hand, 5 gallons and 5.5 gallons is a huge difference! There's no way to make this ok!
To test you gas can for calibration when it's fully empty, use a gallon container and fill it up with fresh tap water. Then take the gallon of water and using a regular home/bath scale check that the weight is within 8.34 to 8.35 Lbs, which is the US gallon limit weigh for water.
Mark the gallon with a magic market to the fill line, empty the gallon you just used on the sink and continue to refill the container this time using the water to fill the 5 gallon can with it. Don't pause between the fill up from the tap water as temperature will change in the can rapidly!
When all the 5 gallons of water are poured in the gas can, mark the fill line and note the temperature outside the home.
The next time you go to the gas station and pump the gas can, make sure to have them pump exactly 5 gallons on the can, using the temperature recorded on it, make sure it doesn't go beyond the 10 degrees in that level (yes 10 are still ok with gas).
take the can home and place it a cool spot away from the sun for a while until the ambient temperature matches what was recorded on the can.
The fill line on the can you made with the marker must match the actual gas in the can as well. It could be off by mere millimeters at worst only.
If you find a huge difference between the lines the gas station's pumps need calibration or they're aware of it.
The pump will always give you the exact gallon of gas no matter the expansion/temp or anything else for that matter. That's a given!
What's all this nonsense about expansion and change in temperatures!
A gallon is a measure of VOLUME. It is pumped through a piston which counts the number of cycles relating to the volume of fuel delivered. Regardless of the temperature during the point of sale, you should receive the correct quantity (ie Volume) you asked for.
If you pump 5 gallons into a container, which reads exactly 5 gallons, then leave that container in the sun, the fuel will expand and will indicate more than five gallons. However the fuel will always weigh the same.
The specific gravity of petrol is 0.739. Using the easier metric system it means that one litre of petrol weighs 739 grams. A US Gal of gasoline weighs 6.1 lbs.
If you are right in saying that the Esso pump in Cabarete is 10% under, then that is way off. The industry standard tolerance for fuel delivery pumps is 0.3%.
Is there a weights & measures department you can report them to?
A gallon is a measure of VOLUME. It is pumped through a piston which counts the number of cycles relating to the volume of fuel delivered. Regardless of the temperature during the point of sale, you should receive the correct quantity (ie Volume) you asked for.
If you pump 5 gallons into a container, which reads exactly 5 gallons, then leave that container in the sun, the fuel will expand and will indicate more than five gallons. However the fuel will always weigh the same.
The specific gravity of petrol is 0.739. Using the easier metric system it means that one litre of petrol weighs 739 grams. A US Gal of gasoline weighs 6.1 lbs.
If you are right in saying that the Esso pump in Cabarete is 10% under, then that is way off. The industry standard tolerance for fuel delivery pumps is 0.3%.
Is there a weights & measures department you can report them to?
My comments are in bold
Being that I'm in the Gas biz let me explain this one to you:
I thought you were in th PR business for the DR -
Those plastic cans are not precise! They don't always fit what they say they do and in your case that may be what happened.
Understood that they are not precise.
On the other hand, 5 gallons and 5.5 gallons is a huge difference! There's no way to make this ok!
I also thought that being 10% off was a very large difference. It was 100 pesos more than I expected to pay for 5 US gallons and it was still not quite to the "fill" line of the can.
To test you gas can for calibration when it's fully empty, use a gallon container and fill it up with fresh tap water. Then take the gallon of water and using a regular home/bath scale check that the weight is within 8.34 to 8.35 Lbs, which is the US gallon limit weigh for water.
Mark the gallon with a magic market to the fill line, empty the gallon you just used on the sink and continue to refill the container this time using the water to fill the 5 gallon can with it. Don't pause between the fill up from the tap water as temperature will change in the can rapidly!
When all the 5 gallons of water are poured in the gas can, mark the fill line and note the temperature outside the home.
The next time you go to the gas station and pump the gas can, make sure to have them pump exactly 5 gallons on the can, using the temperature recorded on it, make sure it doesn't go beyond the 10 degrees in that level (yes 10 are still ok with gas).
take the can home and place it a cool spot away from the sun for a while until the ambient temperature matches what was recorded on the can.
The fill line on the can you made with the marker must match the actual gas in the can as well. It could be off by mere millimeters at worst only.
If you find a huge difference between the lines the gas station's pumps need calibration or they're aware of it.
Good idea, but I would trust the scale I have less than the can, so I won't be able to perform such an experiment without injecting another variable into such an experiment.
The pump will always give you the exact gallon of gas no matter the expansion/temp or anything else for that matter. That's a given!
No question that the gallons pumped should be exactly as requested regardless of the temperature of the gas. The volume of the gas will only change later if the temperature changes
Yea i never use the Esso or texaco in Cabarete if i can help it i always look to check to make sre the handle is down and not up with the gas nozzle on the side this is why i use Coastal because they always say 0 and make sure you see that its on 0. One time on the way back from STI I stopped at the Nativa gas station at the bottom of the mountain and watched the guy just rob me of 100 pesos of fuel after he was done i just said hey put the other 100 pesos in he complained but then i said wheres your boss and he just put the extra 100 pesos in but this is just life in the DR
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