How to keep your generator running smoothly for longer

When you buy a diesel generator, you are often buying a piece of machinery that will stand the test of time and provide you with backup power whenever you need it. However, to keep your generator running at its best and to avoid frequent generator repairs, you may need to do a little maintenance work to keep the generator running at its best for as long as possible.

Low Sulphur Diesel
There is research to support that low sulphur diesel can help prevent microbes from growing within the diesel engine that can over time affect the performance of the generator. Using low sulphur fuel can help prevent this, as can testing the fuel every 6 months or each time you add new fuel. You can treat the fuel with biocides each time new fuel is added. If you test your generator and find that there are microbes in there, you can get it treated and remove them. It is best to test them regularly to stop them from reaching the inside of the engine.

Replacement Parts
We recommend looking at replacement parts if you have issues with your diesel generator. We offer generator repair services and recommend replacing parts on the generator before purchasing a new generator. This way you save money and still have a long-lasting diesel generator.

Wet Stacking
The buildup of fuel vapours and soot in the exhaust system (known as wet stacking), is another problem that is easy to prevent but requires maintenance.

Wet stacking is when a diesel generator is running at significantly reduced loads, meaning the exhaust doesn’t reach a high enough temperature to burn off the fuel vapours.

To prevent this, you can load bank test the generator once a year and also run your own tests of powering up the generator to 30% of power for half an hour and see if the vapours are burned off. If they do not, we recommend contacting our qualified generator engineers who will be able to run the same test at 75% of the power to force the exhaust to burn everything off. However the risk with this is down to a potential buildup within the exhaust, this could ignite and be a major fire risk if carried out by an unqualified engineer.

Trustworthy Fuel Supplier
This may not be a direct impact on the running of your diesel generator but having a reliable source of quality diesel fuel is a must for any owner of diesel generators. Having someone to fill the tank regularly, deliver the fuel, contingency plans for in the event that roads are blocked so fuel can’t be delivered etc. and much more. Having a trustworthy supplier will mean that no matter when you power up your diesel generator, you can rely on it to work properly and not run into any issues, giving you the backup power you need to continue your day to day business.

If you are based in a location that has frequent low temperatures, then you should also have someone on hand to be able to prevent the diesel from gelling and clogging the engine.

Running You Diesel Generator
Running your diesel generator is a straightforward process if you look after your generator well. Doing this will mean you have a diesel generator that is reliable and long-lasting, giving you extended backup power for years to come.