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No one wants to experience a power outage without being prepared as it can be very costly for a business and may even have life threatening effects, especially when it comes to care facilities and hospitals. Therefore, a lot of money tends to be spent on emergency power systems to protect homes, hospitals, post-secondary institutions, businesses, etc. in the case of a power outage.
With these large investments being made, we want to ensure that these systems are properly cared for because they will only be dependable and functioning if they are routinely serviced.
Without proper maintenance your power generation units will fail and leave you without power when you need it most!
All back-up generators supporting life-saving equipment must also follow the CSA 282-19 guidelines for safety purposes.
What are some common sources of failure?
- Battery Failure: If the battery fails, the generator will not start. Batteries fail due to poor connections, corrosion on the battery terminals, age, and lack of charge.
- Block Heater Issues: The block/coolant heater of the generator keeps the engine block at operating temperature which allows the generator to ramp up to full load in seconds. If the block heater has failed and the coolant is below operating temperature, the engine may not start or it could cause catastrophic engine failure.
- Fluids:
- Fuel issues: Among other contaminants, diesel tanks can become fouled by water or become corrupted by algae (which feeds off the diesel fuel). These fuel contaminants will cause the generator to fail to start because of substandard fuel or clogged fuel filters.
- Oil: Low engine oil can prevent your engine from starting. Also, engine oil can get acid build up over time which can cause excessive engine wear. In addition, water, fuel, and soot deposits can contaminate engine oil.
- Coolant: Low coolant can cause engines to shut down on high temperature or low coolant alarms. Engine coolant does deteriorate over time and use which can also cause over heating issues and it can become very acidic which leads to radiator failure.
- Sensor Failure: There are quite a few sensors on power generation equipment and many of these sensors can fail and this can prevent the generator from starting.
The best way to mitigate these risks is to get your unit inspected by a qualified generator technician, regularly. A regular inspection may be quarterly, semi-annually, or annually, depending on the application of your unit.
During these inspections, the technician will also make recommendations for any issues that they may find. Some issues may be fixed at the time of the inspection but if parts need to be ordered for the repairs, then the technician will return at a later date.
In conclusion, don’t just “set and forget” your equipment. This could be dangerous, costly and even life threatening. Schedule an inspection with our Collicutt team today: 888.682.6888 or [email protected].
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