Fresno County inspectors test every single gas pump in the county each year to make sure measurements are accurate.
When gasoline costs $3.98 a gallon, every drop matters. That's why inspectors make surprise visits to every Fresno County gas station once a year, checking each of the 8,000 fuel nozzles.
They make sure customers get the fuel they buy and check the accuracy of posted prices. If all is well, they place an official sticker on each pump.
The seven inspectors, who work for the Fresno County Department of Agriculture, do more than police fuel pumps. They also test grocery store scales and make undercover trips to make sure scales are fair at recycling centers.
But testing gas stations has gained importance with skyrocketing gas prices, county officials said. Oil rose above $126 a barrel for the first time Friday, bringing its advance the past week to nearly $10.
"The higher the gas prices go, the more complaints we get," said Robert Borec, a supervising agricultural and standards specialist.
Pumps are about 95% accurate when it comes to the amount of gasoline dispensed, said Thomas Nyberg, who oversees weights and measures. The total compliance rate -- which includes checks on the advertised price -- is 92% or 93%.
On a recent weekday morning, Borec tested the Johnny Quik Chevron at Willow and Alluvial avenues in Fresno.
He wheeled a cart containing two metal canisters to the gas pumps. He wore cotton clothing -- no polyester -- and left his cell phone in his truck. It's part of an effort to reduce static and sparks that can -- rarely, but disastrously -- ignite fuel.
He pumped 5 gallons of each grade into each metal container.
There are 231 cubic inches in a gallon, and gas stations are allowed a leeway of 6 cubic inches per container each way -- that's half of 1%, Nyberg said.
After he was done, Borec wheeled the canisters -- each of which has a gauge to exactly calibrate its contents -- to the opening of the underground tank and dumped the gas back in.
A special paste in the funnel turns red if it detects water in the gasoline. It's uncommon now, but gas tanks once were often contaminated with rain water.
If everything is fine, Borec places a green-and-white 2008 sticker on top of last year's yellow sticker. The department has until Dec. 31 to check every pump.
Borec said that even when his test turns up an inaccuracy in a pump, the error usually works in favor of the consumer. As the metering chamber inside a pump wears out, the consumer gets more gasoline, not less, he said.
Customers like Mac Naranjo, who spends $120 a week driving his lawn-service truck, said he's glad someone checks.
"Sometimes I have doubts about what I'm paying -- if that's what I'm getting," he said.
Naranjo said he feels better knowing the county is testing.
If a pump is shorting a customer, a red tag is placed on the nozzle and the pump cannot be used. The gas station owner has 30 days to fix the pump and get it rechecked.
If a pump gives customers too much gas, a yellow tag is placed upon it. The station has two weeks to fix it, but it still can be used by customers.
"Generally, we yellow-tag dispensers more than red-tag them," Borec said.
Cases of tampering are not unheard of. Ten years ago, three men were accused of replacing computer chips in 12 stations in Kern County and several Southern California counties. The new chips rigged the pumps to short customers between 7% and 25% of the fuel they believed they were buying.
But pump violations have dropped in recent years as metering devices get more high-tech, Nyberg said.
"Nobody knows how to adjust them anymore," he said. "People don't want to mess with them."
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TOMAS OVALLE / THE FRESNO BEE
This gas dispenser at Johnny Quik at Willow and Alluvial avenues was giving customers slightly more than they paid for. If a dispenser gives too much gas for free, Robert Borec, an agricultural standards specialist, will yellow-tag the dispenser and notify the gas station that the owner must fix it within a two-week period.
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