Test News Item

Today’s retail fuel dispensers are fully automated payment solutions that are web enabled with streaming media and interactive marketing on color screens. These high tech devices are loaded with capabilities including automatic temperature compensation, enhanced security, better durability and improved flow measurement accuracy. Unfortunately, all of these modern tools still rely upon old test methods, processes and equipment that can leave you giving away product.

If you’re not aware the majority of all retail fuel dispensers are calibrated using a metal container that is open to atmosphere and allows fuel vapor (product) to escape. Anyone who’s ever filled a gas can has seen these vapors pouring out of the container, it’s no secret. To compensate for these vapor losses the technician will dispense additional fuel from the dispenser until he reads the desired 5 gallons on a visual indicator. Net result, the volume shown on your dispenser will generally be greater than what is actually in the test can so there is a good chance that your dispensers are being adjusted to give away product by under registering the actual amount delivered. There are other factors that can influence the outcome of the manual testing such as the time between test runs, the condition of the test can, ambient temperature, and the technician’s experience.