Fuel Sampling & Testing
Fuel Hygiene
Road diesel & gasoil now contain a percentage of bio-fuel (up to 7%). This provides an ideal breeding ground for diesel/gasoil bugs.
Equipment failure can be down to bugs in these modern fuels. Problems with contaminated fuel inside storage tanks can cause pumps & vehicle filters to block, & in severe cases, vehicles can stop working causing downtime & hefty repair bills.
These issues are caused by microbial contamination (often known as diesel bugs which are micro-organisms that grow on water present in fuel). This problem has been known but contained for years until the age of the latest fuels.
Fuel Testing For Microbes:
Testing for microbial contamination in diesel & gasoil gives people storing fuel a warning so that they may prevent microbial contamination reaching dangerous levels. This would will cause problems to the fuel & equipment therefore testing before it happens prevents vehicle & equipment downtime & expensive repair bills.
Our test measures the total quantity of microbiological activity through a single analysis within minutes. The test report gives you a traffic light warning sequence:
Green = Low contamination, no preventive action is required < 10pg/ml
Amber = Medium contamination, preventative action is required 10 < 100pg/ml
Red = High contamination, preventive/remedial action is required > 100 pg/ml
A few simple tips for maintaining fuel hygiene include:
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Regularly check for the presence of water.
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Inspect your tank, checking for points of water ingress.
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Bottom out your tank to remove any free water & sludge.
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Have your fuel tested regularly for microbes.
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Fit a fuel conditioner to your suction or vehicle fuel lines.
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Fit a water & particle filter to your storage tank (fit to delivery side of pumps).
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Use tank dryers in fuel stores & vehicle tanks when not in use.