The Most Common Cause of Emergency Power System Failure

During times of emergencies, facilities need an emergency power system that they can rely on to keep essential functions operating and ensure the safety of everyone onsite. The most common factor causing emergency power systems to fail is weak or dead batteries. Contaminated diesel fuel can be a leading cause of damaged, dead batteries and in itself is another common cause of emergency power system failure. Luckily, both dead batteries and contaminated fuel can easily be prevented by taking a few simple precautions.

How to Prevent Issues with Emergency Power Systems

Basic routine maintenance and smart fuel storage are key to preventing issues with emergency power systems. The National Fire Protection Association has regulations in place that make it mandatory for facilities to perform weekly battery maintenance; however, stored diesel fuel maintenance is set as a recommendation rather than requirement. It’s vital to pay close attention to stored diesel fuel to prevent contamination and avoid any damage to batteries from bad fuel. Complete the following basic steps to prevent diesel fuel from going bad and in turn keep emergency power systems’ batteries functioning properly:

• Proper Fuel Storage: Since diesel fuel has a limited storage life, it’s important to store only for the appropriate amount of time. It’s a good idea to make sure your fuel storage tank is the right size; your tank should be sized to hold only the amount of fuel you can use before the fuel becomes contaminated. Generally, diesel may be stored safely for 1.5 to 2 years before it should be replaced.
• Stored Diesel Fuel Maintenance: In addition to storing fuel properly, the stored fuel should receive maintenance just like all other components of your emergency power system. For diesel fuel, maintenance includes draining water vapor and any gathered sediment from the storage tank. Regular testing of fuel is also important to ensure degradation hasn’t caused the fuel to become unusable.
• Battery Maintenance & Testing: Batteries should be tested weekly to ensure they are full of power and operating correctly. While routine testing and maintenance is completed on power generators and other components of emergency power systems, batteries are among the most crucial of items to be checked.

By taking steps to optimize diesel generator reliability, you can make sure your emergency power system is set to run as it should during times of power loss.