FAQs

Guide to Diesel Generator Air Filters, Fuel Filters, and Oil Filters

Why are new Parts Important to a Diesel Generator?

Air filters, fuel filters (including water separators), and oil filters, are essential components that play a big role in the operation of any Diesel Generator.

Your diesel generator should be operating at maximum generator efficiency. This means it is important that the right supporting parts are installed correctly and maintained properly within your generator.

You need the right air filters, fuel filters and oil filters for the right generator – ensuring that only genuine parts are used in your diesel generator.

If maintained correctly, the life expectancy of your diesel generator can be prolonged for 20+ years. This could save you a lot of headaches, and thousands of dollars over the long term.

In this article, we will cover the basics of fuel filter, air filter, and oil filter. You will understand their features, and what you need to know to ensure your ownership of a diesel generator is hassle-free.

We also cover what you need to look out for so that your ownership as easy as possible.

Air Filters

Air Filters are integral in maintaining the well-being of your diesel generator. Diesel generators require outside air for its combustion process. This outside air however contains a range of pollen, sand, dust, and other additives that need to be filtered out to ensure clean air enters the combustion process.

When an air filter becomes used, it starts to allow these particles and additives into the combustion process. In other words, When air filter reaches its maximum dirt absorption rate it won’t be able to block all the contaminated particles that affects the diesel generator.

This means that if it is not replaced as per the maintenance log, your diesel generator can become less efficient, leading to an increase in the consumption of fuel.

Thus, air filters play an important role in the life expectancy of your diesel generator by extracting these particles from entering the diesel engine and only allows clear air to pass through.

Air filters have limited life and after specific hours of running, it is very important to replace the diesel generator set with the genuine air filter.

Similar to a fuel filter, the air filter will last around 500 hours of use and can be changed by most people provided that safety precautions are heeded.

We recommend you use genuine air filters, which can be sourced by our Parts team. While non-genuine air filters may be marginally less expensive, they are poor in quality. This poses potential danger to your diesel generators, as they may allow for an incorrect mix of air and fuel into your diesel generator.

This ultimately results in poor engine performance and high fuel consumption – which may actually cost you more as a result.

Fuel Filters

Fuel filters blocks dust and other harmful particles from entering the engine. Without fuel filters, some of the impurities can enter the engine and cause potential damages to fuel pumps and injectors. This ultimately affects the performance of the engine.

Each diesel generator only functions with the specific type of fuel filter that it was designed for. Using other fuel filters will most likely damage your diesel generator. You can find the information of which type of fuel filter your diesel generator needs through the part number on the fuel filter.

A fuel filter is designed to last on average of about 500 hours of the diesel generator being operational. That is roughly 20 days of continuous use before your fuel filters need to be changed and replaced from your diesel generator.

Changing the fuel filter is a relatively simple process and can be performed by most people – provided that the requisite safety precautions are taken.

When a diesel generator is purchased from Spectra, it comes with a service kit which include the maintenance log. This maintenance log includes all the details and parts information that are required to be serviced after specific hours of running.

We strongly recommends following the maintenance log as it will ensure smooth running for the diesel generator.

Oil Filters

Oil filter plays a central role in providing clean supply of oil to different parts of the engine for smooth running and reducing the effects of wear and tear. It reduces friction so that metal components may press against each other without damaging the components.

With the oil continuously being pumped throughout the engine, it collects residue and other particles that may contaminate the oil over time. The oil filter cleans the oil every time it passes through the filter by collecting these residue and particles, to ensure that the oil is “clean” for its next cycle across the engine.

If the oil is dirty, it will become thick and abrasive and will eventually clog the filter and will automatically bypass the filter through a relief valve. This increases the friction between the parts inside the diesel engine and thus increase wear and tear.

Like fuel and air filters, it is also important to replace oil filters after the diesel generator has passed specific hours of operation. Fake oil filters should be avoided because this leads to oil leaking and corrosion and quickly deteriorates the engine life.

Only genuine oil filters are required to be used that prolongs the generator life and as well lubricate the engine correctly.

General Precautions

When replacing your filters, please remember the following:

1. Always make sure that the engine is off.
2. Please check that the diesel generator is turned off through the control panel of the diesel generator and as well the emergency button and battery isolator.
3. Diesel engines produce great suction and almost anything near such as nuts and bolts can fly into the engine.

Summary

In summary, the key advantages of maintaining the fuel filter, air filter and oil filter are:

1. Improved Performance
2. Long Diesel Generator Life
3. Lower Emission

For more information on diesel generators, please contact us at

Spectra strongly recommends the use of genuine parts for your diesel generator.

Using genuine parts not only reduce the safety risks but also prolong the life of the diesel generator. Spectra supply genuine parts that is being provided and tested by the manufacturer itself.