Petrol pump accuracy

[anonymous-user]

Well are they accurate? Do they ALL get checked, by whom, how often? Is there an allowable margin of error?

Just got thinking when I filled up last night (£93!), that unless the pumps are very accurate, what difference does 1p increase per litre, or rattling the nozzle in the tank filler neck for 30 secs to get that last drop out, really mean?

Surely fuel is left in the hose from the previous user, and you leave drops in the hose for the next. Can stations 'fiddle' the pumps so that you get less volume than stated on the pump dials?

Curious.

[Crusoe]

Been a few charged for giving out less than the amount recorded and paid for, think the trading standards people spot check and investigate if there are suspicions.

[Crusoe]

http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/404/trading_standa...

[StottyZr]

I often wonder about this. When my car ran out of fuel I bought a 5 litre fuel can and filled it up. At the 5 litre mark the fuel pump read 6 litres. When buying the fuel I questioned it, which one is wrong the pump or the can? The cashier just laughed. I wasn't joking but couldn't be arsed arguing.

[The_Blue_Dragon]

What I also wondered is do the pumps go up in a certain amount? I mean I know the fuel is pumped quite fast but at what rate because there is a pump near me that no matter how hard you try you can't stop it £10 on the dot, its always £10.01

[gareth.e]

as far as I'm aware, they are calibrated to a fairly high standard (legally bound to do this too) and checked regulary.

Also they might just as easily be giving you more fuel

[gareth.e]

The_Blue_Dragon said:

What I also wondered is do the pumps go up in a certain amount? I mean I know the fuel is pumped quite fast but at what rate because there is a pump near me that no matter how hard you try you can't stop it £10 on the dot, its always £10.01

9/10 I can stop it on the dot of however much im putting in, if i screw up I put an extra £1 in and had over a note and a coin :P

[Garett]

I was thinking this yesterday, I ran out of fuel and had to fill a can, and got 5.6 ltrs into it, I then drove 4 miles to another station (in a car that does 45mpg) and brimmed the tank, it took 60.6 ltrs.

Now the manufacturers book states the car has a 70 ltr fuel tank, so where did the other 3.8 ltrs go??? I would guess there was still a tiny bit in the tank but the other few litres must be down to fuel pump inaccuracy surely.

[Kevin VRs]

yellowbentines said:

Well are they accurate? Do they ALL get checked, by whom, how often? Is there an allowable margin of error?

Regular checks, yes allowable margin of error = they are allowed to give you more fuel than metered, not less

yellowbentines said:

Just got thinking when I filled up last night (£93!), that unless the pumps are very accurate, what difference does 1p increase per litre, or rattling the nozzle in the tank filler neck for 30 secs to get that last drop out, really mean?

1p means it costs more, simple as that. Rattling the nozzle does nothing, when you release the trigger the nozzle valve closes, you get all the fuel still in the nozzle.

yellowbentines said:

Surely fuel is left in the hose from the previous user, and you leave drops in the hose for the next.

No, the hose remains full because the stop valve is after the hose

yellowbentines said:

Can stations 'fiddle' the pumps so that you get less volume than stated on the pump dials?

Curious.

Yes, but is an offence, so most do not.

Bear in mind it is computer controlled nowadays so errors can happen. This happened to me when I filled my wifes car from 3/4 empty. The pump meter showed an amount greater than the tank capacity even though there were still 10-15 litres in the tank. Fuel station denied it was possible, however I did get a voucher from them......

[StephenDJM]

My old man owns a chain of petrol stations and all of his are checked on a very regular basis to ensure accuracy.

[Ben106]

I work in a BP station and the pumps are Checked quiet a lot and the £10.01 is manly to do with the price it rounds up quicker.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks I'll now sleep better knowing I've more than likely got my £93 worth (if not more!), and will no longer rattle the nozzle like a maniac or tip the nozzle and nose up to ensure I get every drop I paid for.

I see from the link posted it's the local council trading standards that check, I can imagine they are pretty vigilant and particular, and are of course independent to the stations and fuel suppliers, which is good.

[YesItsARover]

+0.1% to -0.05% if I recall correctly, been awhile!

[DannyVTS]

The_Blue_Dragon said:

What I also wondered is do the pumps go up in a certain amount? I mean I know the fuel is pumped quite fast but at what rate because there is a pump near me that no matter how hard you try you can't stop it £10 on the dot, its always £10.01

I think they just round it up, fuel no longer goes up in 1ps since fuel is over £1 a litre, it goes up 2p at a time sometimes because of how the round it up