NYC Emergency Generators Put to The Test…. Are Your Generators Ready?

Last weekend’s blackout in New York City put building managers and their emergency power equipment to the test. Due to aging infrastructure, there was a failure in the electrical grid that caused a power outage, leaving 72,000 customers without power. People poured onto the streets, traffic came to a standstill, and businesses could not operate. Our world relies on electricity to operate, and when the grid goes down unexpectedly, diesel-fired generators are our last hope to keep the lights on.

The majority of emergency generators that provide backup power to buildings like these have routine preventative maintenance plans. They are inspected, tested, and maintained; however, a fuel quality check is not always included as part of the generator maintenance. 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. The routine testing conducted typically uses a very low amount of fuel and is conducted in a short amount of time. These tests will determine if the generator will start, but not how long the generator will run. Diesel contamination will naturally settle to the bottom of the fuel. As the generator runs for longer durations, the contaminated fuel gets delivered to the firing chamber, causing failures.

A Fuel Quality Plan is an essential part of a generator preventative maintenance plan. At a minimum, your plan should include routine testing of the fuel and chemical additive treatment to prevent bacteria growth and product breakdown. Call FuelGuard today at 904- 349-2347 to discuss your Fuel Quality Plan.

Your Business Runs on Fuel. Quality Fuel Runs on FuelGuard.

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