How Overfill Prevention Valves and Other Fuel Storage Equipment Play a Vital Role
A power outage at a hospital or a retirement community can lead to significant risk. Operational downtime is costly, and the consequences for those receiving care can be even greater.
Ventilators, dialysis machines, refrigerated medications, oxygen concentrators, climate control in memory care units, elevators, and call buttons all depend on uninterrupted electricity. Yet if a grid goes down, the responsibility for keeping that power on falls to the diesel generator and the system that fuels it.
As you specify fuel storage equipment for a healthcare campus or retirement community, the components you choose have a downstream effect on fuel delivery teams, the facilities that rely on power, along with personnel and the loved ones in their care. Masterfully designed and manufactured storage tank equipment is the difference between a generator that delivers for all stakeholders and one that doesn’t.
Speak directly with the Clay & Bailey engineering team about overfill prevention valves for aboveground fuel storage tanks (AST) and our many other components. Call (800) 821-6583, send us a message online, or email sales@claybailey.com.
Why Healthcare and Retirement Communities Depend on Backup Power
Hospitals, healthcare campuses, and retirement communities operate around the clock, and the people inside them rely on continuous power for survival, treatment, and quality of life.
Standby power requirements for these facilities are engineered around these demands. Backup systems must come online almost immediately after a grid failure and need to run for extended periods of time. When the grid goes down, the power can still stay on, thanks to a diesel generator and a fuel storage tank specified with high-performing, precision-engineered components.
Storage tanks must:
- Hold enough diesel to meet the facility’s needs.
- Keep that diesel in premium condition over months of storage between deliveries.
- Accept new deliveries safely, without overfills or environmental incidents.
Each of those jobs depends on the components installed in the tank. These include:
- Overfill prevention valves
- Venting
- Gauges
- And more.
None of these components is optional, and they must be specified with the purpose of keeping the facilities they power safe and derisked.
Why Overfill Prevention Valves, Venting, and Gauges Are Vital For Healthcare and Retirement Community Fuel Systems
Each component in a fuel storage tank does a specific job to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of backup-power diesel generators.
Overfill prevention valves for aboveground storage tanks: An OPV is a mechanical, fail-safe device that restricts and then stops fuel flow as the tank approaches capacity during a delivery, so that overfill does not occur. An OPV operates without electrical power or human intervention.
Solenoid valves: A solenoid valve controls fuel flow through the supply line. It opens when the pump is energized and remains closed when it is not. On an aboveground fuel storage tank, its primary role is anti-siphon control, preventing fuel from siphoning out of the tank through the supply line.
Venting: Tank vents regulate pressure as the tank fills and empties, allowing displaced air to escape during a delivery or return as the tank slowly empties. Without proper venting, pressure can build inside the tank, interfere with the OPV, and damage the tank.
Spill containment buckets: A spill containment bucket sits at the fill connection and captures the drips and small spills that occur when the delivery hose is disconnected. It keeps fuel from reaching the surrounding soil or pavement, protecting the site from cleanup and contamination.
Gauges: Liquid level gauges give facility managers a continuous, verifiable reading of how much fuel is in the tank.
Order these components and more from Clay & Bailey by calling (800) 821-6583, sending us a message, or emailing sales@claybailey.com.
A Chain of Trust Begins With Fuel Storage Tank Equipment, Including Overfill Prevention Valves, Solenoid Valves, and More
When a nurse is on an overnight shift, she relies on powered monitors, lights, medical equipment, and other critical devices. Families sleep at night knowing that the memory care facility where their loved one lives can contact them at any time. Neither healthcare personnel nor families think about fuel storage tanks, and that should be by design.
A chain of trust begins with medical professionals, patients, and families, extending all the way back through the facility manager, the fuel delivery operator, the engineer who designed the system, the specifiers who choose components, and the manufacturer who developed a product that keeps all of them safe and free from avoidable risk. The choices your team makes are a part of this chain.
Partner With a Manufacturer Who Knows What’s at Stake
Clay & Bailey Manufacturing has built fuel storage equipment in Kansas City since 1913. Our product line includes:
We understand that the work you do protects the people who depend on these facilities. It is our role to engineer the components that let you do that work well. Explore our full line of fuel storage equipment today, trusted by suppliers of overfill prevention valves for diesel tanks, among other components.
To request product specifications or to speak directly with the Clay & Bailey engineering team about an upcoming project, call (800) 821-6583, send us a message online, or email sales@claybailey.com.