AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Hertford: What Now?
Has your motor turned over since the AdBlue was put in? That one question settles nearly everything else from here. Out in Hertingfordbury or here in Hertford, an unrun engine should remain unrun. Keep nothing on, ring 0333 366 0103, then expect a proper flush after a drain, carried out right where the vehicle stands around Hertford. If it's run, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off. Step one remains unchanged, even if the job grows.
Below: the cases our technicians meet, anywhere across Hertfordshire. Choose the one that fits.
At the pump in Hertford: AdBlue in a diesel
You are at the pump, the nozzle or the bottle still in your hand, and you have just noticed the cap you opened was the wrong one. It might be the Esso, or the BP, or a different station in Hertford.
The point: of every spot to find out, the forecourt is the best. The AdBlue is in your tank and nowhere else. Nothing has sucked it in.
Your move: keep out of the driver's seat, however much the pump needs freeing. Have the attendants to lend a hand rolling it into a bay, save the receipt, then phone us from there. Emptying it right at the petrol pump is fine when it can't be shifted, because the equipment is explosion-proof.
AdBlue in the diesel tank at home around Hertford
On the dash, a warning had shown for days. A bottle bought at the garage, tipped in at the driveway — and it's only by the bin that the cap got a second look. Drives near Railway Street see it as much as anywhere.
Meaning? Provided your vehicle hasn't moved since, it is close to the pump case. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight doesn't change that.
What to do: leave your keys inside the house so nobody moves the vehicle in the morning. Then ring. Hartham or Hertford: whichever your drive is, that is where it gets drained. The pumping kit runs quietly enough not to disturb the street at night.
AdBlue in a diesel and already driving in Hertford?
A mile or two beyond topping up, the engine started misbehaving: roughness, smoke, less power, lights on the dash. Possibly it was on Bircherley Green, perhaps on the way out towards St Albans, under 15 miles away.
What it means: your fuel system has drawn the AdBlue in. The high-pressure pump and each injector get it as well on a bigger trip, once the filter and pipework have had it. Each mile and each restart takes it further.
What to do: pull over where it is safe then switch off. On the A1(M), under 10 miles from Hertford, that means the next junction, not the services further on. Restarting it to test gets nothing — AdBlue doesn't clear on its own. Call, saying how far your car was driven.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
It's a car you have had for a week. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel filler, which you did not know, because your own car either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. Throughout Hertfordshire, nobody is immune.
Meaning? Whichever applies above counts here — run or not — and one further step. Plenty of hire and company contracts want the owner to approve work on the vehicle.
What to do: call the hire firm or your fleet manager first, then us. That's quicker settled before our engineers get there than after. Waiting for a reply in the car park outside Hertford East, or near Brothership? Leave the engine off meanwhile.
AdBlue in the diesel tank? Not sure, around Hertford
Now and then, "I think so" is all you can honestly say. A faint ammonia smell hangs near the filler, the bottle feels too light, and the cap you took off is a blur. A hurried top-up by the gates of Abel Smith School, or a visit to a friend in Broadoak End: either fit.
Put simply: spillage near the filler does your motor unharmed. Inside your diesel tank, however, AdBlue harms it. Any AdBlue in the tank would be drawn in by turning on the car, and the start would not settle which it is in any case.
What to do: treat it as if it got in. Don't fire it up. Call us and describe what you saw; we'd rather check a tank that turns out clean than drain one that has already been run.
Each AdBlue drain around Hertford shares these stages
Whichever situation you are in, the job starts the same way. Forecourt, driveway, The Hertford Bell's car park or a road by Hertford Museum — our van reaches your vehicle, and three answers follow: what liquid, which amount, and whether it ran. Replies shape the job; the price follows on the call whilst no one has set off yet.
Draining your tank comes first, followed by a careful flush — more vital with urea than after petrol, because crystals and corrosion will not go on their own, no matter how long it sits. The filter is flushed, or replaced where it needs to be; clean diesel goes in; and the vehicle is tested. Most unstarted vehicles are a half-hour job after the moment our technicians get there.
Our technicians start the car last. With fresh diesel in, it runs while our engineers check it is running properly, and then we head off. We do the entire job where the vehicle is, and long-term damage is very unusual if it has been caught soon. Paying is on the day, never upfront. For the insurer, there is a VAT invoice and a written report from the engineer. It is worth knowing: many insurers include misfuelling cover, so a quick look at your documents as you wait pays.
About Hertford
Hertford is a town situated in the eastern part of Hertfordshire, on the banks of the River Lea. Hertford sits at an elevation of 44 metres, with its riverside location influencing its development. Hertford is close to several nearby places, including Hartham, Bengeo, and Pine Hurst, and is a short distance from the city of St Albans. Hertford has a population of approximately 20,027 people, predominantly living in terraced housing.
AdBlue drains in Hertford, and across Hertfordshire too
Being a riverside town, Hertford shares its vans with the nearby towns — Pine Hurst, Bengeo — all the way across SG postcodes. Your location is quickest from a postcode that starts SG14 1.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Castle Grounds or in a car park in the middle of Hertford, it doesn't need to move. The van empties it where it stands. If you are somewhere hard to explain, close to Quaker Meeting House or close to a boundary, ring and ask instead of assuming.
The one-line version
Engine not started: ring, leaving it switched off. Run by now: pull over, power down, ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel takes over the rest, within Hertford or wherever across Hertfordshire.