MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis of nearly 60,000 gasoline pump inspections shows that more than 2,000 Wisconsin pumps delivered a different amount of fuel than the meter registered in the past two years.
In some cases, that is a good thing for motorists, said the newspaper. Most faulty pumps dispense extra gasolinea little more than half a teaspoon per gallon on average.
At Weber's of Brillion gas station in Calumet County. In October, the station dispensed about four gallons of extra gas for every 15 gallons [image-nocss] pumped, said the report. "If it was that significant of an amount, I probably reacted immediately to get it corrected," Dennis Weber, who owns the station, told the paper. He added that he does not remember this problem.
In May, Kettle CITGO in Waukesha County shorted customers more than any other in southeastern Wisconsin, according to state data cited by the Journal Sentinel. Customers lost out on a little more than a half-gallon for every 15 gallons bought, it said. Bruce Hanke, the station's owner, said the shortage was because of a broken part in the pump. "I don't do anything to rip off any customers," he told the paper. "[The pumps are] tested yearly, and any problems are taken care of immediately."
The majority of pumps in the state are on target, inspection records show, but about 3.5% of stations inspected did not put in a vehicle's tank what the meter registered during the two-year period.
Racine County had the largest percentage of problem pumps in the seven-county metro area with 7% of stations' pumps failing state inspections, the report said. Pumps in the city of Milwaukee failed about 5% of the time, it added.
State inspectors said they doubt station owners are deliberately altering their pumps to deliver the wrong amount of gasoline, especially because more than 600 stations gave away more fuel than was purchased.
The problem instead is faulty equipment, said Mike Pappas, who inspects fuel pumps for the state's weights and measures department. "After years of wear and tear and usage, things break," Pappas told the paper.
Most fuel pumps are checked at least once a year by city or state inspectors. The state Division of Trade & Consumer Protection has 14 inspectors who test pumps throughout the state, except in 31 cities with populations larger than 5,000. Those cities, including Milwaukee, Kenosha and West Allis, have their own weights and measures agencies.
In both the state and city departments, inspectors do unannounced checks by dispensing five gallons of gasoline from each pump into a specially calibrated test container. A pump fails the test when it dispenses about 3.3 ounces of gasoline too much or too little per five-gallon test. With gasoline at $3 a gallon, that's a margin of error of about 23 cents per 15 gallons pumped, said the report.
If the pump comes up short, the state requires that the station owner hire a licensed service technician to recalibrate the pump. After inspection, the technician seals the pump, and only state-licensed companies are allowed to break the seal. Inspectors return a few days or weeks later to make sure the pump is accurate. Pumps that dispense dramatically less gasoline than they are supposed to are immediately taken out of service.
New pumps within the first 30 days are held to a tighter standard. They must dispense within 1.6 ounces of what the meter reads.
If a pump dispenses too much gas, the station owner can continue to take the hit, the report said, instead of pay for recalibration, which costs about $300 a station. But owners might not want to eat the cost.
With nearly 97% of fuel pumps operating accurately, Pappas said, fuel pumps have a better success rate than most of the other things he tests, such as food weight listed on packaging. Still, Pappas said he knows people filling up their vehicles are concerned with getting a fair deal.
The state receives complaints via a hotline posted on fuel pumps throughout the state. Pappas and other inspectors respond to complaints in their jurisdiction. Most of the time, consumers question a pump's accuracy after finding that their plastic, portable gas can holds more fuel than expected. Or, for instance, a car that has a 14-gallon tank will fill up with 14.5 gallons. The plastic gas can, and even a car's fuel tank, is not necessarily accurate, inspectors said. Plastic cans bend and bulge, and a car's gas tank does not always match what is outlined in the manual, Pappas said. Also, fuel expands and contracts because of weather.
Station owners also are likely to hear about problems at the pump from their customers. "If something goes wrong, I get the heads-up real quick," Mark Crivello, manager of the Appleby's station in Glendale, told the paper.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.