Fuel Equipment Maintenance: Service Schedules
for Pumps, Meters and Hoses

What to check, and when

Use this as a starting point and adjust it to the equipment, the manual and how hard the setup works. A farm pump used once a week needs less attention than a depot bowser running every shift.

Keeping the pump healthy

Most pump problems start on the suction side, before the fuel reaches the pump. A blocked strainer or an air leak makes the pump work harder, run hotter and deliver less.

• Clean the suction strainer. Kits such as the ULTRAFLO 12V refuelling kit have a filter at the bottom of the suction pipe. Sediment from the tank collects there.
• Respect the duty cycle. The ULTRAFLO 12V pump is listed with a 30 minute duty cycle. Running a DC pump longer than its rating overheats the motor.
• Check the electrics. Battery clips, cables, fuses and switches on 12V and 24V pumps corrode and loosen, especially on vehicles. A poor connection shows up as a slow pump.
• Never run it dry for long. Vane pumps rely on the fuel for lubrication and cooling.
• Listen to it. A new rattle, whine or drop in flow usually means air in the suction line, a blockage or wear.

If the pump will not pick up fuel at all, why your diesel pump won't prime works through the causes in order. Diesel pump flow rates explained covers why real flow falls short of the rating.

Filters and breathers

A filter that is never changed becomes the blockage it was fitted to prevent. Flow falls a little at a time, so nobody notices until the pump is straining.

• Drain the bowl. The farm tank fuel filter has a drain valve and a clear, replaceable bowl, so water and sediment can be seen and let out.
• Replace the element. Its 10 micron replacement element is sold separately. Change it at the interval given, or sooner if flow drops.
• Look after the breather. A T.R.A.P breather strips moisture and dust from the air a tank draws in through its vent. Its element is replaceable too.
• Note what comes out. A lot of water in the bowl points to a problem in the tank, not the filter.

The full filtration range includes filter heads, water absorbing elements and breathers.

Keeping meters accurate

A meter can keep working long after it has stopped reading correctly. Wear, dirt and a change of fluid all move the reading, and every litre charged or recorded moves with it.

• Check against a known volume. Dispense into a calibrated container and compare it with the reading. Follow the manufacturer's procedure to recalibrate.
• Keep dirt out. Filter upstream of the meter. Debris wears the measuring chamber and can jam it.
• Change batteries before they fail. Digital meters lose the reading, or stop counting, on a flat battery.
• Reconcile. Compare metered totals with deliveries and tank levels. A gap that keeps growing is either a meter fault or fuel going missing.

Fuel flow meters: mechanical vs digital covers accuracy and calibration in more depth, and the flow meter range lists replacements.

Where the fuel comes out

The nozzle, hose and reel take the most handling and the most abuse. They are also where most visible leaks start.

AdBlue equipment needs more attention

AdBlue leaves white crystals where it dries, and those crystals block nozzles, stick valves and wear seals. Equipment that sits unused between fills is the most affected.

• Keep the nozzle capped or holstered. Exposure to air is what dries the AdBlue.
• Never mix equipment. A pump, hose or filter that has carried diesel must not go back into AdBlue service.
• Check filters more often. AdBlue setups use their own AdBlue filters.

Keep a simple log

A maintenance log does not need to be elaborate. A page per setup, kept near the equipment or in the vehicle, is enough.

• Date and what was checked. So the next person knows when it was last done.
• Parts replaced. Filter elements, seals, hose, with part numbers for next time.
• Meter checks. The known volume, the reading and any adjustment made.
• Faults found. A pattern of the same fault points to the real cause.

Keep a spare filter element, nozzle seals and a set of fuses on hand, and spill containment at the refuelling point.

What goes wrong

• Waiting for it to break. A pump that fails mid-job costs more than the strainer that would have saved it.
• Ignoring a slow pump. Falling flow is usually a blocked filter or strainer, not a worn pump.
• Leaving water in the filter bowl. Once the bowl is full, the water goes through to the engine.
• Trusting an unchecked meter. It drifts, and every reading drifts with it.
• Living with a drip. A weeping fitting or nozzle wastes fuel and is a slip and fire hazard.
• Fitting the wrong part. Hose or seals not rated for the fuel fail early.

Small checks, fewer breakdowns

Check for leaks and a clean shut-off every time. Drain the filter, clean the strainer and check the reel and electrics monthly. Replace filter and breather elements, check the meter and inspect hoses closely every year or as the manual directs. Shorten every interval for heavy use, dust and AdBlue, and write down what was done.

Frequently asked questions