Home heating oil expansion/contraction question

[bison]

Does anyone know for sure if home heating oil companies adjust the volume based on the temperature of the oil pumped at the time of sale? Is it legal for them to adjust when temperatures are below standard? Who monitors when they are above 60 degrees? Ive always wondered. I noticed some companies store their oil in above ground storage and with the cold weather we have in the northeast this week id suspect they'd be taking a substantial hit due to more energy per volume of fuel with the sub 60 degree delivery because of the reduction in volume . Oil is bought and sold wholesale by the pound not by a volume measure. I find it hard to believe that these oil companies will be taking a hit because of this seeing that most of their deliveries are pumping much cooler than 60 degree oil during the winter months. It seems all too easy for any dishonest oil delivery attendant to be able to skim a little oil when they are delivering hundreds of gallons at a time also. If they dont already compensate i am baffled. The technology available could definitely compensate. I still dont understand how they can sell a volume of liquid that is pumped from a tank at the time of sale without compensation either way. Gas pumps arent compensating in the southern states so the drivers are taking a dry pounding in the poop shoot every time they buy fuel. 2-3% over 30 years is a lot of money. Id rather pay $5 a gallon and see gasoline companies make less per gallon than to find out that an overseas profiting company is making extra because the energy available per gallon is less than what they are paying for. Basically stealing since they are buying by weight and selling by volume. Who monitors these things?

 

[EVIL]

That is a great question.

I’m sure oil delivery companies that have been around for years are aware of the cold effect and have a method of dealing with it.

The question is, are they willing to tell you what the method is if you ask them.

When I owned a house is was oil heated and I always wondered about scamming.

I guess if one was to install a meter inside the house and check it after every delivery and write the info in a notebook, that is kept by the tank,
you could do some math during the year and figure out exactly what it happening money wise.

D

 

[salvageV6]

http://www.trucktanks.com/lc-positive-displacement-flow-meters.htm

 

[Jerryl]

For technology, Look at Graco pumps and dispensing nozzles.

 

[TexasT]

I know when I was hauling fuel(gasoline and diesel) the place that we went to fill the truck made adjustments depending on temp. I try to fill my personal vehicle up in the am as it is cooler therefore the fill is more. Might not be much but I figure over a year or two I'm coming out ahead.
Not sure on the fuel oil.

 

[achalmersman]

I never understood the fuel in the AM thought. Isn't the fuel stored in the ground which is like a constant 56°? How could it vary AM to PM?

 

[TexasT]

The fuel we picked up in the truck was stored in above ground tanks. If you are talking about at the gas station, then I would say yes underground. Here in Texas the underground varies little as you said. But as it is brought above ground the temp changes quite a bit.