Cradle to grave
Keep the pumps
ready for fires
W
“As an organic fluid, diesel does not stay
fresh forever and this can, in particular,
affect the ability of the fuel injection system
to operate properly,” he says. “It is therefore
imperative to service the injection system
regularly, so that the firefighting capacity in
any building is not compromised.”
The servicing that is required tends to
focus on checking and flushing the fuel
pump and injectors, testing the calibration,
and repairing any of the components if
necessary. He notes that, apart from the
danger of the engine not starting when a
fire is detected, there is also a danger of
damaging an engine by running it when the
fuel injection system is faulty.
“This can even lead to catastrophic engine
failure,” says Yorke. “At best, this will cost a
company dearly if it is just conducting a test
run on the engine after years of dormancy.
At worst, the engine could fail during a fire,
with the consequent loss of property and
even life.”
Unlike a vehicle, water pumps and
generator sets are designed to accelerate to
operating speed immediately on start-up.
Any faults in the system therefore manifest
quickly and could cause extensive damage.
“So, it’s important to test the fuel
injection system even before the pump is
regularly tested,” he says. “Such a test is
a very low-cost exercise compared with
repairing or replacing a diesel engine, so it
is worth scheduling and conducting in a
systemic manner as part of the business’s
safety protocol.”
Yorke notes that it would be advisable to
conduct such a fuel injection test every six
to 12 months, and to run a diesel engine at
least once a month to check its condition.
ith municipal services under
strain in most South African
cities, companies must now
provide their own water and pumping
facilities in case of fire. However, keeping
the diesel-powered ‘fire pumps’ in
working order needs regular and expert
maintenance.
“New buildings increasingly require their
own water storage tanks to draw from in
the event of a fire,” says Reef Fuel Injection
Services director, Andrew Yorke. “They also
need their own booster pumps to generate
the required pressure to fight a fire at height.”
Yorke highlights that the standalone diesel
engines driving these pumps generally do not
run regularly. Apart from not being beneficial
to most engines, this also raises the risk that
they may not start or perform optimally
when a fire incident occurs.
Reef Fuel Injection Services operates a world-class fuel injection service facility.
[36] MINING MIRROR APRIL 2019
www.miningmirror.co.za