Ever pump gas when the tanker's there?
 

Is it true that when tankers fill up, it kicks up sediment/junk in the underground tank, which might put dirty stuff into your gas tank?

Jae

Yup, I work at a gas station. give it like 15 minutes before you gas up. they usually do it early morning how ever

but yea you get the crap in the bottom of the tank

happened to my mom once, she could not start the car after she filled up, it would sputter and die.

I had to pump the gas pedal several times while cranking to get it going, this never happened to that car again so i know its not the fuel pump or anything like that

i would also prefer to go to a newer built station rather than an older one because the tanks are new and dont have as much crap in them...

got_max: do gas stations somehow clean their tanks after years of use and crap build up ?????

the stuff that came out of my old fuel filter was nasty i wonder if its from my car's tank and fuel lines or from the stations crappy and dirty gas

I used to pump gas at a station and no one ever told me not to fill people up when the truck was there. The truck came at all times of the day. I worked there three years and they never cleaned the tanks when I was there. The pumps had filters that were changed regularly though. I have never heard about the gas being any different when the truck is filling or not. I guess it could stir the gas up but the filters would get the muck.

Just to be safe, I'll make sure to avoid those trucks refilling the gas.

makes sense, but it also makes sense that filters would prevent damage, that is why they are there

the filters may be there to prevent this from happening, but do the filters themselves ever get changed/cleaned??

Definitely don't fill up when the tanker's pumping. Just roll on to the next station. and it doesn't settle out in 15 minutes either. It can take hours sometimes for it all to go back to the bottom of the tank. usually 30 min should be enough.

I've seen sample bottles pumped out of a tank immediately after a fill-up. It looks like muddy water. disgusting.
yes, the tanks and pumps have filters on them, but you can't count on them to filter out everything.

And no, someone who works at a filling station isn't going to stop taking customers while they're filling. people are impatient and will simply go on down the street and the business loses money. so your boss will never tell you to not pump gas if there's someone standing there with money in hand.

Not that I suggest filling up, but...Fuel filters FTW!

I manage a well known/high volume station over here in az. It all depends on the size of the tank. yes it's true that dirt gets kicked up but it heads straight back down to the bottom of the tank. 15min is more than enough time to wait.

I've filled up once when the tanker was present, but never knew crap gets kicked up while they refill the tanks. I didn't experience any difficulty turning over my car nor driving it after this incidence, but definitely good information for the future.

congrats mythbusters...

I think I'll go change my fuel filter now :D

good info guys - never thought of that one before

That is why there are filters on pumps and also on your vehicle.

Whomever made the comment about whether the filters get changed or not should really think before they type. What happens when a filter is clogged? Nothing passes it. That is it - end of story.

If it is a 15 micron filter than nothing > 15 microns will pass. If it is clogged then obviously even particles less than 10 microns will not pass.

Here is a simple analogy for those that can't comprehend this fact - if you have a size 12 foot, can you get your foot into a size 6? Another one - say your 350lb girlfriend's bra snaps, will your sisters 34B fit her?

If you are so worried about dirt particles in your gas, you should be more concerned about the crap that your K&N or CAI passes into your intake. I'd be more worried about that as opposed to a non-issue at the gas pumps.

yeah haha nice analogy -- thats why i am still rocking the stock air box with the paper filter

"Priorities" :wtf:

We got them all mixed up.

Dude. You work at a QT don't you? The one on Bethany and Grand. I've talked to you about your Maxima when I was filling up mine. I also asked if you were on the Org, lol.

lol yeah that was my very first store, I've been to a bunch of different stores. I think I do remember you though. I'm in mesa right now and stapley and broadway

I think this is what you really need to worry about, that stuff passes through with the gas, and depending on the type of owner and the EPA in that area, some tanks will have more water than others, and it is allowed to an extent. Each tank has a sensor built into its monitors, that tells exactly how much. From what I know the standards are increasing for station owners, where the EPA is getting more strict than ever.

I learned something new today.....

I've never actually considered the fact that there could be sediment in the underground tanks. Much less the fact that the tanker would be stirring it up.

I'm sure there are a lot of things I've never considered and would be happier not knowing

Never have, never will fill up with a tanker there. Even if someone proves that it makes no diff, I still wouldn't.

Filters and preventive measures be damned. I will wait.

Depends if all the weight is in her *** or equally distributed.

...why do you know your sister's bra size, anyway...?

QFT. I've never thought about it either, but I've also never gassed when the tankers there. So I guess that's for the best.

If I see a tanker there I drive on to the next station. Don't want to take any chances.

I wonder: Of the people that voted "yes, they'd still pump if they saw the tanker", do they care about Top Tier?

Jae

Always have, and will keep doing it too. Never an issue.

I do know your sister's bra size - if you read carefully, I never said my sister. Maybe you should have someone at the pump let you know which is diesel and which is low grade gas since there seems to be a reading disability.

Maybe I would if, say, the diesel nozzle would fit in my car.

actually, i look around for the most run-down station and wait for the truck to show, then start to fill 2 min after he starts pouring. i figure i get the best gas that way.






















I voted no anyway though

It all depends where you get your gas. For example, at a high volume gas station that gets deliveries once a day or every other day, for example, will have very little junk or sediment at the bottom of the tanks. Therefore, it wouldn't really make a difference. However, if you go to a gas station that doesn't sell much gas and gets deliveries, say once a week, i'd be more concerned about it. I've asked delivery men as well as other managers that worked with me back in my gas station days and they all said the same thing.

However, I could be wrong, i've been wrong before.

i used 2. but one morning i was driving my little nissan truck and i caught hell trying to get it started after fueling while tanker was there. and it never ran right after. :( its at the shop now :(

I don't care i just fill up

Yeah, they'd have to or else they'd become solid walls of sediment instead of filters.. :)