If you recall last week’s post, you’ll remember the story of oil being contaminated by some fuel, and the fast work the crew had to do to prevent the engine running away.
And this week, something very similar happened, that I thought I’d share with you.
A client called us after falling foul of another common oil mixture that needs dealing with: water on oil.
If you’ve never seen the emulsification effect of water on oil, this is what it looks like:
Not pretty is it?
These images demonstrate exactly how the oil pressure can increase and the oil ways quickly become clogged, reducing vital component lubrication. You’ll know the risks to the engine if your engine isn’t properly lubricated!
One thing worth bearing in mind is that the cause for the water in oil isn’t necessarily an internal leak.
For standby units, it is often due to condensation in the engine, which occurs more often than you might think.
And if condensation is the cause, you won’t just be at risk of contaminated oil, but also the water will be rusting and attacking the internals of the engine.
There are a few ways to limit this risk; the main one being regular running of the engine to burn off the water. We would recommend 2 hours, once a week.
Secondly, the engine should be properly pre-heated. If you are relying on old technology, this may not be the case, but it’s pretty important, so it’s worth checking that this is happening.
PS if you missed the information on the fuel in oil, you can get it here.
If you’d like us to carry out some oil analysis, review your engine running procedures, or you’re interested in our engine pre-heat system which can easily be retro-fitted to most engines, contact us via email or on the number below.
