It’s the mystery of the missing gas grade.
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Have you ever wondered what’s going on behind the paneling of the pump you use to fill up at the gas station? A social media post reveals the truth, but the poster says it raises a big question.
Jobe’s (@jobe0452) viral TikTok post shows the interior of a gas pump but asks why there are only three pump mechanisms when there are four gas options.
The video was posted to the TikTok account on Thursday. It’s received over 1.4 million views since then.
Mystery at the pump
“Who could explain this to me?” a voice asks at the beginning of the video.
The camera pans over a gas pump, first showing the four gas options available: three grades of gasoline and one of diesel fuel.
We then see that the front pane below the option buttons has been removed, revealing the inner workings. But the camera person is confused.
There are only three fuel inlets shown in the pump’s interior. “Three different options,” the voice says.
So where does the fourth option come out?
The camera tilts several times, showing various angles of the inner compartment. No separate fuel intake can be seen.
So where does the fourth option come from? Is the station scamming him?
How does a gas pump work?
Pumping gas is a task that most of us have to do at least every other week if not more often—whether we like it or not. However, most of us rarely stop to wonder how the gas pump we use all the time actually works.
The gasoline you purchase at a gas station is stored in underground tanks. The gas is pumped from below and into the dispenser you use to fill up. The inside contains several devices that control and measure the flow of the gas.
The “mystery” of the missing gas grade is explained by one of those devices: the blend valve.
Missing gas garage. The re-mix
Gas stations don’t store four different types of gas in their below-ground reservoirs.
According to How Stuff Works, “the dispenser can produce as many grades as it wants from as few as two underground tanks, as long as one tank contains the highest grade of octane available at that station and the other contains the lowest.”
To create the mid-grade option, the dispenser mixes the high and low-end grades using a “blend valve.”
“By shifting [a] ratchet back and forth, the blend valve can produce any octane of gas, ranging from the highest to the lowest grades stored in the tanks — and all octanes in between.”
In other words, the three inlets seen behind the dispenser panel in the video are for diesel, low-octane, and high-octane fuel respectively. The missing gas grade is a blend of the two non-diesel options.
@jobe0452 #fyp ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
Viewers explain the missing gas grade
Some viewers poked fun at the video and the grade options.
“What does it matter. U still gonna pick 87 octane,” one wrote. Another added, “[you’re] still going to pump 20 dollars [of] 87 anyways.”
Most viewers were quick to explain the “mystery.”
Ryan Godbout (@rytheprivateye) wrote, “Easy. the mid-grade is just an even mix of super and regular.”
One viewer commented, “I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this: 89 is a mix of 87 and 91. There is no conspiracy.”
Another pointed out, “It’s called a blender pump. One is stand-alone Deisel one is low grade alone is high grade. when you pick mid grade it blends high and low for mid grade.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Jobe via TikTok comment and direct message for further statement.
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