Professional Fuel Polishing Services in Florida
Exigo Fuels provides professional mobile fuel polishing — the on-site filtration and reconditioning of stored diesel and other petroleum products — for businesses throughout Southeast Florida. Fuel polishing is the process of removing water, microbial growth, sediment, and other contaminants from storage tanks without draining or replacing the fuel. It is the economical alternative to disposing of degraded fuel and buying fresh product.
Any organization that stores diesel for backup generators, marine vessels, construction equipment, or emergency power systems needs periodic fuel polishing, and nowhere is this more critical than in South Florida, where heat, humidity, and condensation accelerate contamination faster than in any other region of the country. Our mobile processing units come to your site and restore fuel to ASTM D975 specification, extending storage life and protecting the engines and generators that depend on clean fuel.
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How It Works
- Fuel quality assessment: Before we begin, a technician draws samples from your storage tank and performs an on-site quality test. We check for water content, microbial contamination (diesel bug), particulate loading, and fuel color. This establishes the baseline and determines the level of treatment required.
- Multi-stage filtration: Our mobile polishing unit connects to your tank through the existing fuel lines or directly through the tank access port. Fuel is circulated through a series of filters: a primary coalescing filter that separates free and emulsified water, a secondary particulate filter rated to 1 micron or finer, and a polishing stage that removes residual contamination and restores fuel clarity.
- Microbial treatment: When diesel bug — bacterial and fungal microorganisms that colonize the water-fuel interface in storage tanks — is detected, we apply a biocide treatment as part of the polishing process. This kills active microbial colonies and inhibits regrowth. The tank bottom is inspected and any sludge accumulation is removed.
- Post-polish verification: After polishing is complete, we draw a final sample and re-test. We confirm water content, particulate level, and visual clarity before disconnecting our equipment. You receive a written service report with pre- and post-treatment test results for your records and compliance documentation.
What Fuel Polishing Removes
Florida's climate creates ideal conditions for diesel degradation. Heat accelerates oxidation and the breakdown of fuel stability additives. Condensation from daily temperature swings introduces free water into tanks that are not sealed or temperature-controlled. That water layer at the bottom of the tank is where microbial colonies thrive. Our fuel polishing process removes:
- Free and emulsified water: Even small quantities of water cause injector corrosion, microbial growth, and fuel combustion problems. Our coalescing filters extract water from fuel that appears visually clear.
- Diesel bug (microbial contamination): Bacteria and fungi that grow at the fuel-water interface produce acids and biomass that clog filters, corrode tank walls, and degrade fuel quality rapidly. Biocide treatment is included when contamination is detected.
- Sediment and rust particles: Corrosion of steel tank walls introduces rust particles that damage injectors and fuel pumps. Particulate filtration to 1 micron removes these contaminants.
- Sludge and tank bottom deposits: Long-stored fuel develops sludge layers that resuspend during drawdown, causing filter plugging and equipment damage at the worst possible moment — during an emergency power event.
Who We Serve
- Data centers and colocation facilities: Backup generator reliability is a contractual obligation for data center operators. Regular fuel polishing is a non-negotiable part of generator maintenance for any facility with SLA uptime requirements.
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities: Hospitals are required by NFPA 110 and The Joint Commission to maintain generator fuel in a condition suitable for immediate use. Fuel polishing keeps stored diesel compliant with those standards.
- Marine and boating operations: Marinas, charter operators, and commercial fishing fleets store large quantities of diesel that sit for extended periods. Florida's heat and saltwater environment accelerate contamination in marine fuel tanks.
- Construction companies: Large construction projects with on-site diesel tanks for heavy equipment benefit from periodic polishing, especially when tanks are refilled infrequently or stored between project phases.
- Emergency services and government facilities: Fire stations, emergency operations centers, and public safety facilities that depend on generator backup power need fuel that will perform reliably when called upon.
- Property management and commercial real estate: Office parks, apartment complexes, and commercial buildings with standby generators often overlook fuel quality until a generator test failure reveals the problem.
Service Area
Exigo Fuels performs mobile fuel polishing throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Our technicians travel to data centers, hospitals, marinas, construction sites, and commercial facilities across the region. Service locations include Miami, Miami Lakes, Hialeah, Doral, Medley, and Opa-locka in Miami-Dade; Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miramar, Pompano Beach, and Pembroke Pines in Broward; and West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach in Palm Beach County.
Why Exigo Fuels
- Fully mobile, on-site service: There is no need to drain your tank, transport fuel, or arrange temporary backup storage. Our mobile processing units arrive at your facility and handle the entire polishing process in place, with zero interruption to your operations.
- ASTM D975 compliance: Every fuel polishing job is completed to ASTM D975 specification for diesel fuel quality. The written service report we provide documents pre- and post-treatment test results, giving you a compliance record for inspections and audits.
- Proven South Florida experience: We have polished fuel in data centers, hospitals, marinas, and construction sites across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. We understand how Florida's climate affects stored fuel and what treatment approach each contamination scenario requires.
- DOT-certified technicians: Our technicians hold current DOT certification and are trained in safe handling of petroleum products, including biocide application and waste water disposal in compliance with Florida DEP regulations.
- 5.0 Google rating: Across 48 reviews, our customers consistently cite professionalism, punctuality, and thoroughness as the defining qualities of our service — qualities that matter when you are trusting someone to work on your critical power infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is diesel fuel polishing and when do I need it?
Diesel fuel polishing is the process of cleaning stored fuel in place by circulating it through filters that remove water, microbial growth (diesel bug), sediment, and particulates — without draining the tank or replacing the fuel. It is required whenever stored diesel shows signs of degradation (cloudy appearance, sludge, repeated filter plugging, hard starts), after long storage periods, or as a scheduled maintenance step for standby generators, marine vessels, and emergency fuel reserves that must perform on demand.
How often should stored diesel be polished?
For standby generator tanks that rarely turn over, annual polishing plus annual lab testing is the baseline recommendation. Florida's heat and humidity accelerate microbial growth and water ingress, so 6-month intervals are appropriate for coastal locations, marine fuel tanks, and any diesel stored over 12 months.
Long-stored marine fuel on yachts and commercial vessels often needs polishing every 3-6 months if the boat is used infrequently. Fuel in active daily-use tanks rarely needs polishing because the turnover itself prevents contamination buildup.
How do I know if my stored fuel needs polishing?
Common signs include dark or cloudy fuel, sludge buildup at the bottom of the tank, clogged filters on the generator or engine, and equipment that struggles to start or runs rough during test runs. Florida's heat and humidity accelerate fuel degradation, so we recommend testing stored diesel every 6 to 12 months, or after any extended period without drawdown. Call (305) 900-6725 to schedule a fuel quality test.
What contaminants does fuel polishing remove?
Our process removes free and emulsified water, microbial growth (bacteria and fungi — commonly called diesel algae or diesel bug — that thrive at the fuel-water interface), sediment, asphaltenes, rust particles, sludge deposits, and other particulates down to 1 micron or finer. When microbial contamination is detected, biocide treatment is included as part of the polishing cycle. After polishing, the fuel meets or exceeds ASTM D975 standards and is suitable for immediate use in modern Tier 4 engines.
Do you polish marine fuel tanks on yachts and commercial vessels?
Yes. Marine fuel polishing is a core service for the yacht, charter, and commercial fishing fleet operating out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach marinas. We perform dockside polishing using portable processing units that connect through the vessel's existing fuel lines or dedicated polishing ports. Depending on contamination level, we offer in-tank polishing (recirculating through the original tank) or transfer polishing (filtering fuel into a secondary tank while cleaning the first).
Is fuel polishing done on-site or do you need to transport the fuel?
All of our fuel polishing is performed on-site with mobile processing units. We come to your location — whether it is a data center, marina, construction site, or hospital — and filter the fuel in place. There is no need to drain or transport your fuel, which minimizes downtime and operational risk. The tank stays in service throughout the process in most cases, with the polishing loop running parallel to normal operations.
Do you provide lab analysis before and after polishing?
Yes. On-site field testing (water content, visual clarity, particulate load) is included with every polishing job. For compliance-critical applications — hospitals, data centers, NFPA 110-regulated generators — we also arrange ASTM D975 batch lab analysis that documents sulfur content, cetane number, microbial count, and water content pre- and post-treatment. This documentation supports your facility's compliance records and helps determine whether the polished fuel can be kept in service or should be replaced.
Protect your generators, vessels, and equipment from contaminated fuel. Call Exigo Fuels at (305) 900-6725 to schedule a fuel quality assessment and polishing service at your facility. We serve Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
Service Areas
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