Before you dip
- Dip at the same times every day — usually at opening and close — and note the time.
- Avoid dipping while product is being decanted, or just after; let the tank settle.
- Use a clean, dry dip rod marked in centimetres and millimetres.
- Keep product-finding paste and water-finding paste to hand.
Taking the reading
- Apply water-finding paste to the bottom of the rod, and product-finding paste where you expect the fuel level.
- Lower the rod slowly and vertically through the dip pipe until it touches the bottom of the tank. Don't let it drop.
- Hold it still for a few seconds, then withdraw it steadily.
- Read the product level where the paste has changed colour, and the water level at the bottom.
- Repeat. If the two readings differ, take a third and use the two that agree.
From dip to litres
A dip is a depth, not a quantity. Convert it with the tank's calibration chart, which lists the litres at each centimetre for that particular tank. Do the same for the water dip and subtract it: water is not stock.
If you don't have the chart to hand, the dip to litres calculator gives a close estimate for a horizontal cylindrical tank. Always use the official chart for your registers.
What the dip is for
The dip is the physical stock. Compared with the book stock (opening + receipts − meter sales), it tells you the day's gain or loss. Read what stock loss at a pump usually means.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a fuel tank be dipped?
At least once a day at a fixed time, and before and after every tanker is decanted, so the delivery itself can be checked.
Why is there water in my tank?
Condensation, a loose fill cap or a damaged dip pipe can let water in. Measure it every day; a rising water dip needs attention.