insights
Do you fully understand the consequences of fuel loss?
Do you fully understand the consequences of fuel loss?
What’s at stake?
Big or small, leaks of any size can cost you big time – especially if you aren’t proactively monitoring your tanks. Consequences include:
- Fines from the EPA that can be as high as $1 million,
- Extensive clean-up costs,
- Loss of product and revenue,
- Loss of customers due to poor fuel quality, and
- Pump/tank closures.
The same can be said for normal fuel loss. One fuel site experienced a discrepancy and, thinking it was the result of a leak, almost issued a site investigation which would have cost them a significant amount of money. Fortunately, they didn’t go ahead – the fuel loss turned out to be normal all along.
As you can see, there are serious financial costs that arise from poor fuel tank monitoring. The only way to know if your fuel loss if normal, or the result of something sinister within your tank, is through consistent and accurate leak detection.
Don’t look the other way
Unfortunately, many fuel site owners and managers ignore their fuel loss, thinking that a fuel leak simply ‘won’t happen to me’. But fuel loss is a symptom of something amiss in your fuel inventory – it shouldn’t be ignored.
After all, there are many expensive reasons to take fuel management seriously. Fuel tank owners/operators are required to employ a leak detection method. EPA regulations state that the leak detection method that you’re using needs to be able to detect a leak of +/-18.2 litres per day or more.
But even a leak smaller than this can get you in trouble if you’re not putting in the effort to monitor your fuel. It’s time to ask yourself:
- Are you currently using a certified system that observes this regulation?
- If you did encounter a fuel tank leak, would you be able to prove you’ve done your best to find it as quickly as possible?
You need a system that will provide accurate and timely feedback allowing you to assess your fuel loss and further investigate if necessary. Without one, you won’t know if you’re encountering a big problem or overreacting to a small one.
Your SIRA report is only as reliable as the data you submit.
The only way to ensure you have complete visibility over your fuel inventory is to ensure you are submitting consistent, accurate data to your SIRA provider. This is especially important if you’re measuring your fuel using a dipstick.
However, if you’re managing multiple fuel sites over several locations, you need to ensure that you have real-time access to all fuel site information.
Using an advanced, real-time, cloud-based solution Using a cloud-based fuel management solution, like Fuelsuite, allows you to access remote fuel data from a site level. This allows you to ensure that you’re submitting quality data to your SIRA provider – therefore receiving the most accurate leak detection report.
If you’d like to find out more about improving your leak detection and fuel management, get in touch with EMS today.
Want to find out more?
If you’d like more information about Fuelsuite® before applying please download our PDF brochure.