How to properly add water to the water tank of the diesel generator set?

The water tank of the diesel generator set plays a considerable role in the heat dissipation of the entire body of the generator set. If the water tank is used improperly, it will cause considerable damage to the diesel engine and generator, and may even cause the diesel generator set to be scrapped in severe cases. Therefore, it is very important to use the water tank of the diesel generator set correctly. In this article, we will introduce you how to correctly add water to the water tank of the diesel generator set.

 

1. Use clean soft water

Soft water usually includes rain water, snow water and river water, etc. These waters contain less minerals and are suitable for engine use. Well water, spring water and tap water have high content of minerals. These minerals are easily deposited on the tank wall, water jacket and water channel wall when heated to form scale and rust, which makes the engine heat dissipation capacity worse and easily leads to overheating of the engine. The added water must be clean. The impurities in the water will block the water channel and increase the wear of the pump impeller and other components. If hard water is used, it must be softened in advance. The softening methods usually include heating method and adding lye (usually caustic soda) method.

 

2. Do not start and then add water

Some users, in order to facilitate starting in winter, or because the water source is far away, often adopt the method of starting first and then adding water, which is very harmful. After the engine is dry started, because there is no cooling water in the body, all parts of the engine heat up rapidly, especially the temperature of the cylinder head and the water jacket outside the fuel injector of the diesel engine is particularly high. If cooling water is added at this time, the cylinder head and the water jacket It is easy to produce cracks or deformation due to quenching. When the engine temperature is too high, the engine load should be unloaded first and then idling at low speed, and cooling water should be added when the water temperature is normal.

 

3. Replenish soft water in time

After the antifreeze is filled in the water tank, if the liquid level of the water tank is found to be low, on the premise of ensuring no leakage, only clean soft water (distilled water is better) needs to be filled, because the boiling point of the commonly used ethylene glycol antifreeze is high. , What evaporates is the water in the antifreeze, no need to add antifreeze but just add soft water. Worth mentioning: Never add unsoftened hard water.

 

4. It is not advisable to release water immediately when the temperature is high

Before the engine is turned off, if the temperature of the engine is very high, do not stop and drain the water immediately. Unload the load first to make it run at an idling speed, and then drain the water when the water temperature drops to 40-50°C to prevent the cylinder block, cylinder head, and water contacting with water. The temperature of the outer surface of the sleeve drops suddenly due to the sudden release of water and shrinks sharply, while the temperature inside the cylinder is still high and the shrinkage is small.

 

5. Antifreeze should be of high quality

At present, the quality of antifreeze on the market is uneven, and many are shoddy. If the antifreeze does not contain preservatives, it will seriously corrode the engine cylinder head, water jacket, radiator, water blocking ring, rubber parts and other components, and at the same time generate a large amount of scale, which will cause poor engine heat dissipation and cause engine overheating failure. Therefore, you must choose products from regular manufacturers.

 

6. Prevent burns when "opening the pot"

After the water tank is "opened", do not blindly open the cover of the water tank to prevent burns. The correct way is: first idling for a while, then turn off the generator, and then unscrew the water tank cover after the temperature of the generator drops and the pressure of the water tank drops. When unscrewing, cover the lid with a towel or car cloth to prevent hot water and steam from being sprayed on your face and body. Do not look down at the water tank with your head, and then quickly withdraw your hands after unscrewing it. When there is no hot air or steam, remove the water tank cover to prevent burns.

 

7. Discharge antifreeze in time to reduce corrosion

Whether it is ordinary antifreeze or long-acting antifreeze, when the temperature becomes high, it should be released in time, which can prevent the corrosion of the parts. Because the preservatives added to the antifreeze will gradually decrease or fail with the extension of the use time, what's more, some do not add preservatives at all, which will have a strong corrosive effect on the parts, so it should be Release the antifreeze in time according to the temperature, and thoroughly clean the cooling pipeline after releasing the antifreeze.

 

8. Regularly change the water and clean the pipeline

It is not recommended to change the cooling water frequently, because after a period of use, the minerals of the cooling water have been precipitated, unless the water is very dirty, which may block the pipeline and the radiator, do not replace it easily, because even the newly replaced cooling water has passed through. Softened, but still contains certain minerals, these minerals will be deposited in the water jacket and other places to form scale, the more frequently the water is replaced, the more minerals are precipitated, the thicker the scale, so it should be based on the actual situation. Change the cooling water regularly. When replacing, the cooling pipeline should be cleaned, and the cleaning solution can be prepared with caustic soda, kerosene and water. At the same time, maintain the water discharge switches, especially before winter, replace the damaged switches in time, and do not use bolts, sticks, rags, etc. to replace them.

 

 9. Open the water tank cover when discharging water

If the water tank cover is not opened when the water is discharged, although a part of the cooling water can flow out, as the water volume in the radiator decreases, a certain degree of vacuum will be generated due to the airtightness of the water tank, which will slow down or stop the water flow. And freeze the parts.

 

10. Heating water in winter

In the cold winter, the generator is difficult to start. If cold water is added before starting, it is easy to freeze in the lower chamber of the water tank and the water inlet pipe during the process of adding water or when the water is not started in time, causing the water to fail to circulate. Even the water tank burst. Adding hot water, on the one hand, can increase the temperature of the engine to facilitate starting; on the other hand, it can try to avoid the above-mentioned freezing phenomenon.

 

11. Idle the engine after the water is released in the cold winter

In the cold winter, after the cooling water in the engine is released, the engine should be started to idle for a few minutes. This is mainly because some water may remain in the water pump and other parts after the water is released. After restarting, the temperature of the body can dry the water pump, etc. To ensure that there is no water in the engine, to prevent the phenomenon of water leakage caused by the freezing of the water pump and the tearing of the water seal.