[pianotech] The Fuel You Use In Your Car

[Don Mannino]

Rob,

Thanks - sounds interesting, and certainly is a good concept for a commuting
car.  I've been ruminating about alternates for my commute lately, and the
~40 miles round trip each day allows for some interesting alternatives,
including the CNG.

Don

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Rob McCall
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 2:00 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] The Fuel You Use In Your Car

Hi Don,

It runs on a 15 amp circuit.  The manual states that full load amperage is
10/4 amps.  I think they might mean a range from 10 - 4, because it does a
variable pump rate although I could be wrong.  Electricity was not always my
best subject, other than knowing not to stick a penny in an electrical
outlet... :-)

The offsetting benefit, however, is that I have a Vehicle Refueling Device
rate for my house from the gas company.  You know how we have a tiered
system here with SoCal Gas, where the rate goes up the more you use?  Well,
with my plan, it's a flat rate at the base rate for up to 50,000 therms.
Yes, that's not a typo...  It's way more than I'll use in a long time!

So, the electrical goes up a little, but the house gas bill, for heating,
water, cooking, etc. goes down.

The home compressor does run overnight. It fills at a rate of 0.42 gallons
per hour. Considering it's only an 8 gallon tank, it could take up to 16
hours.  However, my typical driving of 50-75 miles per day only requires the
unit to run about about 4 hours at night.  The reason it's slower is that it
keeps the temp in the tank at 70°F so it gets a better fill than the quick
fills at a station out on the road, which typically take no more than 2-3
minutes. The home unit is also very quiet.

Also, since it's an alternative fuel vehicle, you get a $4,000 tax credit on
the car, plus another $1,000 tax credit on the fueling device. The state of
California has an additional $3,000 cash rebate you may be eligible for.
Additionally, you can get the HOV lane (carpool) stickers.  They were
limited for the hybrids (Prius, etc.) and are no longer available for those
vehicles, but they are unlimited for the CNG and electrical vehicles!  A
definite bonus on a Friday afternoon on the 91...

Also, check out www.cngprices.com to see how many fill stations are around
your home.  It's a little more expensive but still cheaper than gasoline.

Rob McCall

McCall Piano Service, LLC
www.mccallpiano.com
Murrieta, CA
951-698-1875

PS  I really enjoyed your class on Action Centers up at the PNWC!  Thanks
for all your work.  I learned quite a lot!

On Mar 08, 2010, at 14:03 , Don Mannino wrote:

> How long does it take to compress the gas from the home line to the 
> car tank?  Do you need to run the compressor overnight, or just for a
while?
> 
> I'd also be interested in how many amps the compressor draws.  This 
> should be figured into the fuel costs.  But it still sounds a heck of 
> a lot cheaper than gasoline.
> 
> Don Mannino