Having a well-maintained diesel generator can protect you from power disruptions. These breakdowns can endanger lives in healthcare facilities. Similarly, an outage in the data center of an organization can be enormously costly due to a lack of emergency power supply. With periodic diesel generator maintenance, you can make sure that your diesel generators are there for you when you need them.
Diesel generators can withstand extensive load for extended periods. Due to this durability, preventive maintenance is the need of the hour. Here are some tips that can help your emergency power is ready in the event of an outage.
Perform General Inspection
Explain the risks of mechanical problems to your operators when the generators are running so that monthly visual and run checks can be performed by onsite facility staff. If your staff is unequipped, you can contact Odyssey Power for onsite training with our technical staff.
Here are some parts for which a generator maintenance professional can be called out for regular inspection.
- Exhaust system
- Fuel system
- Engine
- Control system
- DC electrical system
Checking Oil Lubrication
When the engine is shut down, you have to keep an eye on the engine oil level by using a dipstick. Generally, we recommend an oil and filter change be performed on an annual basis to maintain optimal performance. If your generator has a high number of run hours per year, you may need to consider having this performed more often. An oil sample can also be tested at this time in order to check some of the operating levels.
Cooling Service
Inspect the coolant level during a planned service or monthly inspection. When the level gets low, you should have some coolant on hand to top off the unit. If the service technician notices this when onsite for the preventative maintenance service, he or she should be able to top it off for you. Some diesel engines need a certain mixture of antifreeze, water, and coolant additives so be sure to select a coolant based on the suggestion by the manufacturer.
Clean the exterior area of the radiator with a cloth or soft brush. Moreover, using a stream of water or low-pressure compressed air to wipe off the dirt from the radiator can be effective.
Fuel Filter Systems
Diesel can degrade or become contaminated over time. Regular generator maintenance can ensure that your fuel filters are replaced at regular annual intervals to maintain performance. In addition, we recommend fuel sample testing be done as part of the annual maintenance as water vapor is collected and can be condensed in the fuel tank which will degrade the fuel.
If the fuel testing shows degradation or certain chemical build-up, fuel polishing and introducing additives to the fuel tank can bring your fuel back to usable condition rather than wasting old diesel..
Test Starting Batteries
There is no greater risk of your generator failing to start than a bad battery. When the transfer switch senses a utility power failure, the battery power is needed to start the generator so that it can absorb the power load. So, undercharged or weak starting batteries are a recipe for disaster. Even if you charge and maintain lead-acid starting batteries properly, they will degrade over time. Most generator starting batteries have an expected manufacturer life cycle of 36 months, although some are only 24 months. We recommend replacing the batteries towards the end of this lifespan in order to prevent failure. Regular testing of the batteries should also be performed in order to check for issues.
Load Bank Testing
If you want to check and see how your generator performs under load, trained technicians can perform a load bank test at a recommended duration of 2 hours. This test enables the unit to run up to full operating temperature for an extended period of time utilizing an artificial load as opposed to risking the site’s critical load. Odyssey maintains various sized load bank equipment in order to best suit our customer’s generators.
If you are unsure of when the last full service was performed on your generator or are looking for a reliable generator maintenance professional, get in touch with Odyssey Power today. We’d love to help!