Keeping Your Fuel Storage Tank Clean and Dry: Essential Water Management Practices

Fleet managers are fully aware of the connection between fuel quality and equipment performance, reliability, and maintenance costs. But many overlook the silent threat of water contamination in stored fuel. The bottom line:  Even small amounts of water can lead to serious problems, including fuel degradation, corrosion, microbial contamination, and costly downtime. 

Why Water is the Enemy of Fuel Quality

Before we discuss how to control the water in your fuel storage tanks, let’s review the problems it causes:

• Microbial growth: Water provides an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria, yeast, and fungi. These microbes form sludge that clogs filters and injectors.

  
  

• Corrosion: Water accelerates the formation of rust and pitting in system components, including tanks and lines.

  
  

• Fuel instability: Water contamination disrupts the fuel's chemical balance, which can reduce lubricity, form varnishes, and reduce fuel storage life.

  
  

• Operational downtime: Contaminated fuel can lead to filter clogging, engine misfires, increased downtime (unscheduled), and equipment failures, resulting in significant costs in terms of time and money.

8 Smart Strategies for Managing Water in Fuel

Maintain clean and dry fuel by following the guidelines below:

1) Keep your tank full.

Reducing air space minimizes condensation. Try to refill tanks before long periods of inactivity or seasonal changes.

2) Monitor your storage tank.

Beyond automated tank monitoring systems, we recommend manual detection, using the paste method to check for water and contamination on a monthly basis (or more frequently during periods of temperature fluctuation).  

3) Routinely drain tank bottoms.

If your tank has a water drain or sump, remove water or sludge build-up regularly. In power units, check and drain water from water/fuel separators and saddle tanks.

4) Inspect and tighten vent caps and seals to ensure proper operation.

Ensure vent alarms, caps, seals, and gaskets are protected and working correctly to prevent rain, snow, and humidity from entering fuel tanks.

5) Only use OEM-approved dispenser filter pore sizes.

Follow OEM OEM-recommended filter pore size to protect fuel system components. If you are having premature filter plugging, contact our fuel experts for guidance.

6) Know the operability temperatures of your fuel.

Diesel and other fuels behave differently under varying temperatures, and understanding these limits helps prevent operational issues, especially in extreme weather conditions.

7) Test fuel regularly.

Partner with a reputable fuel-quality management provider, like Advanced Fuel Solutions, to sample and analyze your fuel. Early detection of water or microbial contamination prevents costly remediation down the road.

8) Use a Fuel Additive before the winter season

Even with proactive monitoring and management, some water intrusion in fuel storage tanks is inevitable. After we test your fuel, we will recommend the best fuel additive solution.

The Role of Specialty Fuel Additives

Even with proactive monitoring and management, some water intrusion is inevitable. Advanced Fuel Solutions addresses this issue with our Optimum Performance Technology (OPT) Tank-Dry fuel additive. This specialty fuel additive provides the following benefits:

• Reducing water content in diesel fuel, gasoline, and heating oil products 

• Inhibiting microbial growth by removing the water microbes need to survive

• Prevent corrosion, rust, and fuel degradation

• Acting as a water “anti-freeze” during cold weather

• Ensuring optimal performance and longevity of a storage system

  
  

Protect Your Fuel and Your Fleet

Water management isn’t just a tank issue; it’s an operational issue. Monitoring your fuel storage system, promptly removing water, and using our Tank-Dry fuel additive are simple, cost-effective steps to protect your investment, reduce downtime, and extend the life of your equipment. Because when your fuel stays clean and dry, your fleet stays on the road. Contact us to get started.