Rain Draining into Gas Station Tanks?

[chubbs1]

I was just wondering if this is possible but I caught a little bit of a conversation at a local gas station between the manager and the tanker truck driver about how his scheduled fill up was hampered due to the the tanks being almost overflowing. The manager and driver then went outside and started looking at the fill caps for the tanks and I couldn't follow the rest of the conversation. I was finished up inside and I drive away and the tanker driver gets in his truck to drive away no gas pumped into the tanks (and this is a busy station). I wanted to ask them what was up so bad but I figured they wouldn't tell me anyway.

Has anyone heard of tanks getting water in them after days of heavy rain?
I do fill up at this station periodically due to convenience. It is not a "Top Tier" station.

 

[racin4ds]

It happens at our local Sunoco often, the tank fill caps aren't high enough and when it really pours and floods the parking lot the rain runs right in the tanks. I was there a few weeks back when they were pumping out the water. I've also had issues with my vehicles running like garbage on this gas. Needless to say we don't fill up here anymore.

 

[chubbs1]

Originally Posted By: racin4ds
It happens at our local Sunoco often, the tank fill caps aren't high enough and when it really pours and floods the parking lot the rain runs right in the tanks. I was there a few weeks back when they were pumping out the water. I've also had issues with my vehicles running like garbage on this gas. Needless to say we don't fill up here anymore.


This was a Sunoco station as well.

 

[surfstar]

Yes, they're called spill containers. The truck to tank connection should have a spill container/bucket with a drain plug in it. If there are leaks of product (gas/diesel) during filling, the plug is pulled and it drains into the tank. If water accumulates in the spill bucket, the owner or store clerk must go out and pump out the water (treated as haz waste). In CA, these spill buckets are required to be tested every 1-3 years for leak tightness.
You will see many stations here with large outdoor mats/rugs covering the filling points to aid in keeping them dry enough to not require pumping out (and it hardly ever rains in So Cal).
Other states may not have this requirement. The horrors of an environmental state - sometimes gov't regulations are beneficial.
If you're bored and want to read about the two most popular systems used in my county:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/vapor/eos/eo-vr102/eo-vr102k/eo-vr102k-iom.pdf
http://www.arb.ca.gov/vapor/eos/eo-vr101/eo-vr101l/eo-vr101l-iom.pdf

 

[accent2012]

Obviously not being taken care of properly. Owner is responsible and can be sued by the local DEP.

 

[Zeus103363]

The local chevron station near my house has a white box on the wall with a read out screen. It tells fuel level, water level, fuel temp, and something I didnt understand. Usually it showed1-4" of water on the display. After a several days rain it would show sometimes s much as 12" of water. I asked the store owner whats up wth that. He told me that the water actually is in the bottom of the tank, and that the fuel pickup for the gas pump actually floated on top of the gas and only sucked off the top. I asked him what they did when the tank had too much water, he said they his gas distributer would send a pump truck out and suck out the water. He also said that chevron owned his pumps and the system. He just sold the gas.

 

[Garak]

Nice information, Zeus. Up here, with the ethanol, the pumps will automatically shut down if much water is detected, at least at some stations. One Shell was selling premium at regular prices for a whole day thanks to water contamination of the regular tank, which caused regular to shut down, and mid-grade shortly thereafter.

 

[GumbyJarvis]

All Gas Stations SHOULD have a Gilbarco/Veeder Root style mainframe, printing out mow much is in the tanks of gas, and it also includes water volume (in inches). Granted yes water can screw up your car, but where I work, and all the stations I have worked in for the company, we average 15000 gallon underground hold tanks, a cup of water/a overflow bucket of water isnt going to make it bad gas... Anything coming on the veeder root system at work as water shuts down our tanks over 1 inch. Regardless, you live in the SE USA go to Racetrac, Cheap Gas, Cheap Eats, and ya know a [censored] good oil made by Warren. Gas isnt like some places that sits in the station all week, we get fuel deliveries 2-4 times daily sometimes more, so it is fresh gasoline. LOL. Plus support smaller private companies, Fresh out of GA still owned by the founders son. Traveling its QT, WaWa or Racetrac for me, usually the nicer American stores!

 

[GumbyJarvis]

Though I dont think this should of been posted in PCMO.

 

[Cmobile]

When I was in the Navy, the ships would pump salt water into the fuel tanks. the pumps pulled from the top of the tank. It would then go through a centrifuge before entering the turbine engine.

But liquid had to be in the tanks at all time. The ship held 176,000 gallons of JP-5 fuel

 

[JHZR2]

different fuel and no ethanol.