As a fuel retailer, if there’s one thing we suggest you pick up going into a new year, it’s a gas station maintenance checklist.
But before you do that, we need to talk about walkthrough inspections.
Scheduling Your Walkthrough Inspections
Your monthly schedule as a fuel retailer should go beyond inventories and assessing customer feedback. Conducting regular walkthrough inspections needs to be high up on that checklist, since these walkthroughs will help you determine the state of your equipment. You did, after all, pay a heavy price for this equipment.
Maintenance, like we said, is the key here. Ideally, you should schedule these inspections on the last working day of the month. Since the New Year has just begun, this is a good time to start this practice. Something like this table should work:
| 2021 | ||||||||||||
| What to Check | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Spill Buckets | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Overfill Alarms | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Dispensers | ✕ |
And here’s what you need to focus on:
Storage Tanks
Everything from the spill buckets to the release detection system falls under this category. Dispenser sumps should be specifically checked for leaks, as well as checked for cleanliness. You don’t want these contaminated. Any debris has to be removed. Also ensure you’re checking those little things that people often dismiss: nozzles, hoses, breakaways.
And don’t forget the electronics: overfill alarms are directly linked to fuel dispensing systems and storage tanks, and they, too, ought to be checked. Malfunctioning overfill alarms mean you won’t even know when disaster strikes. You won’t have pre-warning—and that eventually will cost you hundreds of dollars.
Checking for Leaks
Leaks are the primary hazard you need to guard your gas station against. Not only do lead to financial damage (much of the equipment requires repairs or replacement in the case of a leak), but they can also lead to personal injury. That is not a situation you want yourself in, since it leads to court hearings and damages you might have to pay. Imagine gas leaking silently out because you forgot to check those pipes off one month—it’s a costly mistake. In the fuel retail industry, you cannot afford mistakes.
Debris
Any place of business, be it a gas station or otherwise, ought to be spick and span. With a gas station, the need for cleanliness becomes even more pressing, and it’s more than just about putting up a “clean front” for the customer. Yes, a neat gas station will naturally attract more customers and keep them coming back, but that isn’t the point.
The point is that debris ending up in any of your systems can easily cause (a) contamination and (b) blockage. Costly repairs and a backlog usually follow.
Need Repairs?
If you have just carried out your monthly gas station inspection and have observed something is damaged, get in touch with the John W. Kennedy Company today. We can provide replacement equipment and more.