Water contamination is a significant problem for diesel fuel storage tanks. When water is allowed to penetrate a storage tank, it can quickly degrade diesel fuel and significantly lessen the performance of the vehicles that use the fuel. In addition to reducing performance, water contamination can also cause diesel fuel to freeze at a warmer temperature, causing serious risk to your equipment and vehicles. For these reasons, it’s crucial to ensure that diesel fuel storage tanks are maintained properly. Learn more about why diesel fuel integrity is so important and what you can do to keep your diesel fuel storage tanks free from water infiltration in today’s blog.

Doesn’t diesel fuel already contain water?
All types of fuel contain some amounts of water in suspension and because diesel fuel is less refined than gasoline, it is able to hold a significantly larger amount. While it is normal for diesel fuel to contain a small amount of water in solution (which can be dissolved by the fuel), excessive amounts of free water like that which is created by condensation or fuel storage tank leaks will wreak havoc on your diesel fuel. Free water can cause fuel tips to explode, as well as create serious problems with a vehicle’s water separator equipment. In addition, fuel that contains slugs of water can cool the engine suddenly, which can drastically reduce its lifespan.

How do you prevent free water from contaminating a diesel fuel storage tank?
A lack of routine maintenance is the most common reason that free water enters a diesel fuel storage tank. Because diesel fuel and water will separate, it is important to have your storage tank drained routinely to prevent this water from contaminating your fuel. In addition, a tank’s integrity should be inspected and, when necessary, repaired to ensure that no water is able to infiltrate. All aboveground storage tanks should be properly sealed to prevent contamination from rainwater.

Contact Tanks Direct to schedule routine diesel fuel storage tank maintenance
Our Service and Maintenance department can perform routine maintenance that will ensure the quality of your diesel fuel in the long term. To prevent major problems with your diesel-powered equipment, be sure to call Tanks Direct for all of your diesel fuel storage tank maintenance needs.