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As Hurricane Dorian strengthens and heads towards Florida, it is time for facility managers and retail gas station owners to prepare for what lies ahead.
For facility managers, when was the last time you inspected the fuel in your generators? The majority of emergency generators that provide backup power to buildings needs to have routine maintenance plans. They are inspected and tested; however, a fuel quality check is not always part of the generator maintenance.
A situation as this can create a false sense of security because a contaminated diesel supply may not impact the performance of the generator until it is several hours into continuous operation. Routine testing conducted typically uses a very low amount of fuel and it only takes a short amount of time to be carried out. These tests will determine if the generator will start, however, not how long it will run. As the generator runs for longer durations, the contaminated fuel gets delivered to the firing chamber, causing mechanical failures.
So now is the time to make sure your generators will work when needed the most. A Fuel Quality Plan is an essential part of a generator’s preventative maintenance plan. At a minimum, your plan should include routine testing of the fuel and chemical additive treatment to prevent bacteria.
Petroleum storage tank owners and operators need to also make sure that their equipment is tight and functional in order to prevent water contamination in fuel.
Water contamination in fuel can damages your equipment, engines, and causes failure at the worst possible time. Water entering a tank with ethanol-blended fuel will put the fuel in a phase separate condition, which is a state that renders the fuel unusable. In diesel, water allows for bacteria to grow and consume the fuel, increasing acidity and corrosion. Excessive water in fuel can cause imminent equipment failure. And even small amounts of water can cause serious wear and damage over time.
FuelGuard recommends regularly carrying out of Water Intrusion Check of your storage tank. This is a visual assessment of the potential entry points for water.
The Water Intrusion Check includes an inspection of the tank pad, fill caps, brass adapters, drop tubes, ATG caps, vents and spill buckets.
If you see any cracking, rust or water damage, or signs of wear and tear on these components, call FuelGuard today at 904-349-2347, to get a full assessment on your fuel.
If you’d like to download FuelGuard’s Water Intrusion Checklist, click here to get a step by step guide.
Your Business Runs on Fuel. Quality Fuel Runs on FuelGuard.