I'm sure someone can come up with a test strip just like a chlorine strip that customers could use at the pumps, before filling their car with diesel by mistake as a lot of stations are receiving diesel in their petro tanks, and causing customers lots of hardships. I would just make the test strip long enough to go as far into the tip of the nozzle as possible to get as much material on the test strip to get a good clear reading. If they can do field testing like this for illegal drugs it can be done to tell you the difference between what you're putting in your car before you do it.

 

Your Nose will actually do a better job than any test strip.
Analyzing an unknown Petroleum-Distillate is not simple, cheap or easy.

This sounds like a "one-off" chance accident,
because if this type of thing continues
the Filling-Station would go out of business within a week.

How do You know that You are receiving Diesel mixed with Gasoline ?,
or are You guessing ?, or going by "hearsay" rumors ?

Having the Fuel-Properties properly analysed is not cheap or easy.
.
.
.

 

Sounds like there needs to be some improvement in the delivery process rather than something the customer has to do to make sure the right fuel is in the right tank if I am reading the original question right.

Easiest way is get a couple drops on your fingers and rub them together. Diesel and gas feel different and smell different.

 

This is the first I've heard of this happening, but some Googling did show up a few reports in the USA and Canada. In all of the reports I've read so far, it sounds like the companies involved responded pretty quickly and are paying for any damages done to the customers cars. I don't know how common this is historically -- it might just be another example of something where nothing's different except it's gotten the attention of the media for a while and will fade away back to normal shortly with still nothing being different. But if there is an uptick, it's likely due to the driver shortage resulting in an increase in inexperienced and hastily trained deliver drivers.

 

Part of me wants to wonder why things (tanks, tankers, hoses, etc) weren't designed to prevent this type of mistake, but at the same time it's more than obvious why they are not. Although I'll probably not think of it next time I fill up it does want me to take a few moments to make sure everything feels and smells right.

 

Part of me wants to wonder why things (tanks, tankers, hoses, etc) weren't designed to prevent this type of mistake, but at the same time it's more than obvious why they are not. Although I'll probably not think of it next time I fill up it does want me to take a few moments to make sure everything feels and smells right.

As far as the hoses on the delivery trucks, they could actually color code them, just like they do coffee and decaf, for inexperienced and rookie drivers. Which we seem to have a lot of now since covid. And yeah that's true, if it keeps happening stations will go out of business but that still negates the fact, that it still puts hardships on families when it happens, even if the company covers repairs or replacement of the motor or the whole vehicle depending on the circumstances.

 

As far as the hoses on the delivery trucks, they could actually color code them, just like they do coffee and decaf, for inexperienced and rookie drivers.

The problem is most tankers have three compartments each capable of hauling separate grades of fuel and one set of hoses that will connect to all three connections. The lids at the station are marked and coded and the tanker has coded tags, but beyond that everything is interchangeable.

 

The problem is most tankers have three compartments each capable of hauling separate grades of fuel and one set of hoses that will connect to all three connections. The lids at the station are marked and coded and the tanker has coded tags, but beyond that everything is interchangeable.

Sounds like there's a problem with everyone being on the same page as far as stations and tankers and house stations lids are marked. Because it's happened a few times here in North Carolina. One was within 15 minutes of me and had to usually stopped there to get fuel before that occurrence happened. Heck they could always not just color code two hoses color code all the hoses for each grade and get all the stations on board to color code the lids in the same way to match. To avoid costly damages to customers and millions for the company. But common Sense doesn't prevail in this world anymore. It's an extremely rare commodity nowadays. More valuable than any gold silver platinum or anything like that on the market

 

Heck they could always not just color code two hoses color code all the hoses for each grade and get all the stations on board to color code the lids in the same way to match. To avoid costly damages to customers and millions for the company. But common Sense doesn't prevail in this world anymore. It's an extremely rare commodity nowadays. More valuable than any gold silver platinum or anything like that on the market

I won't lie I am no expert and have based my responses based on what I have observed happening and the layout of the tankers I have seen on the road and filling various stations.

The American Petroleum Institute has the codes covered already. I have seen these signs at several places around me, but not everywhere. I would imagine the seals affixed to the tanker connections would be marked the same. It almost makes me wonder if it's not more upstream than the delivery driver in ways... getting to be a curious subject in ways.

https://gap-store.com/api-20-n-12-x-24-metal-a-p-i-color-codes/

 

I'm sure someone can come up with a test strip just like a chlorine strip that customers could use at the pumps, before filling their car with diesel by mistake as a lot of stations are receiving diesel in their petro tanks, and causing customers lots of hardships. I would just make the test strip long enough to go as far into the tip of the nozzle as possible to get as much material on the test strip to get a good clear reading. If they can do field testing like this for illegal drugs it can be done to tell you the difference between what you're putting in your car before you do it.

Out of interest, When you say " a lot of stations "
how many ? what percentage ?

If its the gas station, then a sensor that works in the tanks would be of use
Do petrol and diesel float on top of each other or mix ?
would a density meter be workable ?

 

Out of interest, When you say " a lot of stations "
how many ? what percentage ?

If its the gas station, then a sensor that works in the tanks would be of use
Do petrol and diesel float on top of each other or mix ?
would a density meter be workable ?

I mean I don't know exact statistics of across the Nation of how many times it's happened and what percentage but with the trucking industry taking on new drivers constantly because the old ones want a real wage on their mileage and time, mistakes like that are going to happen more often. It happened a few times in Western North Carolina now I think it happened in Georgia or South Carolina. And yes I want to the owners of the stations realized what had happened they said for anyone who had a claim to contact them and thet it would be taken care of. Just trying to think of a possible way to avoid it no matter what precautions the station and the petrol providers do to their trailers and their tankers to try to prevent that from happening. But as someone who has a friend, that does independent Long haul, he can even happen to the best of them after so many hours driving. Even with the brakes they're required to take after driving for so long.

 

Out of interest, When you say " a lot of stations "
how many ? what percentage ?

If its the gas station, then a sensor that works in the tanks would be of use
Do petrol and diesel float on top of each other or mix ?
would a density meter be workable ?

https://www.newsweek.com/drivers-trend-gas-station-diesel-gasoline-fuel-1733270

 

https://www.newsweek.com/drivers-trend-gas-station-diesel-gasoline-fuel-1733270

Thank you
that article seems to have a price graph,

I was wondering if one floated on the other, as petrol and water do in the tank,
then it would be interesting on where to measure

As for the test strip,
Im thinking that its going to evaporate quickly from the pump nozel.
and with the other vapours around, going to be hard to check the nozel
checking the cars tank, possible, but to late then,
May be a sensor in the stations tanks,
but thats going to be interesting, as its a high bang environment,

Aparantly
" Diesel weight more than gas. Gas is about 6 lbs per gal. Diesel is 7.5 lbs per gal "
so it seems a "simple" hydrometer in a bucket would do ,
may be gas stations could include some sort of instrumentation after all

https://www.stevenson-reeves.co.uk/hydrometers/LAOP.htm