Author Topic: Been Makin Bio Diesel  (Read 20223 times)

Royal Oil

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Been Makin Bio Diesel
« on: December 16, 2012, 07:42:09 PM »
Hi All
Just started making bio diesel from 50 gallons of fairly clean fryer oil. It came in 2 gallon plastic juggs with all sorts of bits of "food" in it. Anyway iv filtered it through a bed sheet and left it in two blue plastc barrels to settle for a couple of weeks. Its a nice golden brown colour. After titration i found i needed 7.5 grams of lye to the liter. So i made 4 x 2liter batches and all seems well. I have a nice golden bio diesel on the top half and an almost black glycerin on the bottem.
I did 2x2 liter batches last week and left each batch in a cold room and the glycerin set like a dark brown wax on the bottem. I thought some thing had gone wrong with the reaction but no it was just the cold. This is actualy a bonus as it is so much easyer to get the bio diesel off the top as the glycerin is almost semi solid. Gave this small batch a couple of washes and fired up the house generator (Lister TR2A) on its main dino diesel tank and switched over to the bio diesel and switched everything on in the house This gave the Lister a very good load!!! Well, the exhaust smell was fantastic, like eggs and bacon frying !!! Needless to say i think this was a success followed by eggs bacon and beans for breakfirst!!!
The Lister generator set is new and not run in yet. We only have it as a stand by as the main supply is a bit er..... iffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will be making more bio diesel next week as i may now power the house with it.
Simon

Tom

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2012, 12:39:18 AM »
I've been buying B100 for mine as the local cost is lower than pump diesel. It does smell nice, but is a bit harder starting when cold.
Tom
2004 Ashwamegh 6/1 #217 - ST5 just over 3k hours.

BruceM

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2012, 02:16:47 AM »
My 6/1 ran on B100 for it's first few years of service.  Wish I could still get the B100, but there's source now.  Rural AZ is totally dino.




LowGear

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2013, 05:37:02 PM »
Hi BruceM,

Try an ad in craigslist.  I live in the rural part of Hawaii and the nearest commercial supplier is 93 miles away.  My B20 supplier converted to non meth gasoline so I must move my processor up on the chores to complete list.  CL got me in touch with biodieselers that are only a few miles away.

Casey
NPR Tipper/Dump Truck
Kubota BX 2230
Witte BD Generator
SunnyBoy 6000 + SolarWorld 245

LowGear

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2013, 06:57:57 PM »
glort is right.  My Seattle guru uses clean older tee shirts stretched over a 55 gallon drum for his filtration and then into the processor.  He heats his home, drives two Mercedes and a motorhome in the Summer. 

Casey
NPR Tipper/Dump Truck
Kubota BX 2230
Witte BD Generator
SunnyBoy 6000 + SolarWorld 245

DocDiesel

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2013, 02:15:35 AM »
I've made biodiesel for 10 years.  I only screen my fryer oil and collect in a 55 gallon drum.  I drain water and gook from a bottom drain and suck oil out of a standpipe into the processor.  I have nearly 200, 000 miles on the Ford diesel.  I burn it in a Dodge diesel, the Ford, my 83 Mercedes C, my Kubota, shop oil heater and my two Listeroids.  My only complaints are, it eats all rubber and it gels below freezing and where I live it freezes a lot.  There are a few months a year I burn dino diesel, Doc.

LowGear

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2013, 03:41:12 AM »
DocDiesel update.

I had a biodiesel "approved" fuel line.  It had a weep hole at a connection.  When it finally matured the outside rubber had turned to slimy gel and couldn't support the biodiesel resistant liner hose.

I run about 25% filter WVO blended with RUG with my biodiesel in the Isuzu NPR but the Kubota tractor is far more choosie.

Casey
NPR Tipper/Dump Truck
Kubota BX 2230
Witte BD Generator
SunnyBoy 6000 + SolarWorld 245

honda lee

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2013, 04:56:20 AM »
What is b100?

DocDiesel

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2013, 08:30:32 PM »
I removed all rubber hoses on all fuel lines and replaced with Viton.  it's way expensive, but doesn't weep, soften or dissolve.  If you look around, there are some kits out there for some vehicles.  I found a kit for my Mercedes 300 CD.  It was less than $100.  I've had no problems with any of my vehicles using biodiesel.  They all seem to like it.  I irrigate an alfalfa field and was using an old MM propane unit.  This year, I've taken an engine out of an old JD combine that is going to power my pump.  It certainly will be cheaper to irrigate with bio than it was with propane. Doc.

BruceM

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Re: Been Makin Bio Diesel
« Reply #9 on: May 04, 2013, 02:12:18 AM »
I was shocked at Viton prices so I got some reinforced urethane tubing from usplastics.com, and used it for several years on B100 biodiesel.  It did stain brownish inside which is a bit annoying for my fuel tank sight tube, but is otherwise unchanged; still strong and as flexible as new, but no more so.

I would use urethane tubing again.