The sweet sound of birds chirping in the morning, beautiful Magnolia trees blossoming, walking and enjoying the sunshine and actually feeling warm- these are just a few of the joys of spring. However, the start of spring in New England and many areas in the Northern half of the US represents more of a psychological change than anything else. The weather reports, like this one on USA Today, reinforce this and the reality is temperatures can still stay low and freezing and it can still snow, even though we have reached “spring”.
So you should keep in mind that during extreme cold winter-like weather, some people experience diesel fuel failures.
If this happens to you, here are some questions you should ask yourself:
- What is the scope of the failure?
- How many diesel powered units have been impacted versus the number of vehicles in the fleet?
- Are you purchasing fuel from a single source supply?
- Where is the failure being identified? For example, sluggish fuel dispensers, saddle tanks/filters, and trucks/buses?
- When was the last time you removed water from bulk tanks, saddle tanks, & water fuel separators?
- What type of filters are you using on your equipment? What is the micron range size of those filters? Avoid filters that are water absorbing, hydroscopic types.
And since spring eventually will mean warmth, another factor contributing to diesel fuel failures to be aware of this time of year is bugs. Also known as microbial growth, these bugs could be lurking in your tank as a consequence warmer weather, bio content in the fuel, and moisture.
We are here to help you when this happens! Our friendly and knowledgeable team of sales professionals and fuel experts are ready to educate and assist you with these problems. Contact us today for more information!
