We love to answer questions about fuel.
What is fuel polishing?
Fuel polishing is the mechanical removal of contaminants from fuel by filtration. Various microns of filters are used in succession to take out particulate and water from the fuel. In the case of suspended water, a coalescing filter is used.
How long can I store diesel fuel?
Diesel fuel can be stored indefinitely as long as it is maintained annually with fuel polishing.
What is diesel fuel lubricity?
It is the amount of paraffin wax in the fuel which helps lubricate your engine. In the lower temperatures it remains liquid but in the Northern climates too much can be a problem as it will solidify plugging up filters.
How does water get into diesel fuel and what problems can it cause?
Water gets into the tank via the air that is pulled in through the vents. Outside VS Inside temperature changes can cause a tank to sweat just like the moisture on your windows. Water provides Oxygen and the Paraffin wax in diesel fuel is the food for bacteria. The bacteria need paraffin wax to eat and water to breathe. The more water the better the environment for breeding bacteria.
How do water and bugs affect the operation of my equipment?
Bugs live naturally in fuel. A large colony out of control will form an acidic mat to protect themselves from even the most powerful biocide usually attaching themselves to the walls of the tank. This gummy mat can clog up filters and stop the operation of your engine. When the bugs die they also fall to the bottom of the tank forming an acidic sludge that also gums up your filters, engines and eat the walls of your tank.
How can I prevent the sludge from gumming up my filters and shutting down my equipment?
Fuel Polishing and cleaning your tanks when you see the black specs in your filters and before the problem is at the point of shutting down your engines. By treating your fuel with a fuel conditioner after cleaning your tanks and fuel – If you treat your already dirty fuel and tanks with biocide you will end up with more sludge after killing more bacteria making the problem worse! Keeping your fuel tanks topped up over the winter or downtime Installing pre-filtration before your fuel gets to your expensive Racor filters. Ask us about this.
What is Cetane Testing?
Cetane – The cetane number is one of the most commonly cited indicators of diesel fuel quality. It measures the readiness of the fuel to auto-ignite when injected into the engine. It is generally dependent on the composition of the fuel and can impact the engine’s start ability, noise level, and exhaust emissions. We can take a sample of your fuel and test it in our facility or on-site.
