Fuel polishing is the name of the process that removes sediment and contaminants from stored diesel in fuel tanks. During fuel polishing, stored fuel is removed from the generator tank and filtered. Any contaminated or non-useable diesel fuel is then removed, before the cleaned fuel is returned to the tank.
As part of our fuel polishing process, our Vital Power engineers will assess your generator and create a customised maintenance plan. We can set up a fuel test schedule so a member of our team will always be on hand to prevent the build-up of dirt and grime in the tank.
The fuel polishing process begins with the removal of the fuel from the storage tank by our team. The fuel is then carefully filtered for contaminants that build up over time like water, sediment and diesel bugs (a microorganism such as bacteria, yeast and moulds. Clean fuel is then carefully fed back into the tank – any contaminated fuel that couldn’t be cleaned sufficiently will be safely discarded.
Why is fuel polishing necessary?
There are a variety of reasons you may find your generator fuel needs polishing. One of the most common is stagnation – the stored fuel in a backup generator is, naturally, very likely to be sat unused for large periods of time. As it sits, the refined diesel fuel can begin to degrade, or can get contaminated. This can lead to significant loss of performance, affecting generator output and reliability.
We also often find that fuel polishing is required due to outside fuel contaminants, including dirt, dust, water and rust. Other factors such as the build up of sludge inside a storage tank and corrosion of metal parts can also mean generator fuel needs polishing. Fuel that sits stagnant inside a storage tank for long periods of time can actually damage generator parts, potentially leading to systematic failure.
Fuel polishing also guarantees cleaner, more efficient fuel for your generator. Clean fuel lasts longer and burns more efficiently – this means that you will use less and therefore save significantly on fuel costs.