Keep your fingers crossed

[dickegler]

Hi,

just color me a bit confused. 

Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, I don't see how water will settle if the veg oil weighs 9 #/gal.  Is the 9 a typo, or is there another explanation?

Thanks

Dick Egler

[Kevin]

Congrats, Wal, on your successful first run on WVO.

I have begun collecting oil and am setting up a "cold-upflow" settling/dewatering system. I have not yet begun to collect the bits and pieces (not the least of which is an aluminum tank) such as valves, heat exchangers, etc, for my 4104. 

Have you any pictures of your system? Do you switch manually, when engine and WVO temps are good? Would love to know what valves you are using, how you purge prior to shutdown and a system-flow diagram.

Anyway, good on you that you're up and running! That has to be a great feeling being able to travel about for pennies! (well, once the fuel savings pays for the cost of conversion components anyway, and that won't take long at current diesel prices ).

Kevin

[LesBerg]

Hi,

just color me a bit confused. 

Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, I don't see how water will settle if the veg oil weighs 9 #/gal.  Is the 9 a typo, or is there another explanation?

Thanks

Dick Egler

The numbers are close, but that is why it takes so long fro the water to settle out naturally.

[happycamperbrat]

This is also one of the hardest things about making the stuff, is making sure ALL the water is out. If the water is not completely out it will kill your engine! My brother boils his out because settling just doesnt cut it for him.

[happycamperbrat]

What I'd like to see is bus nuts who collect and sell in each state for when others are traveling thru....

[Charley Davidson]

Veg oil is actually lighter than water I think about 7lbs oil 8lbs water these are approximate weights so don't anybody puff up their chests to correct me.

I run a 22 gallon tank and have to stop every 100 miles or so to pump more oil but at least mines electric pump 

If you have the convenience of being able to settle your oil for long periods a centrifuge is just a convenience, if you need to pump and run it's a necessity. I had some oil (about 400 gallons) sit at Gary Labombards (sp) house for about 3 years, talk about nice and clean

Glad your up and running,

As far as electronic engines I run it in my ddec II engine just fine, I did take some precautionary measures and removed the fuel temp censor. 

[Charley Davidson]

A bit of a warning/headsup on oil used for fish fries, some use corn meal which is very light and floats on top or stays suspended in the oil, it is very hard to deal with but can be managed.

[wal1809]

Hi,

just color me a bit confused. 

Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, I don't see how water will settle if the veg oil weighs 9 #/gal.  Is the 9 a typo, or is there another explanation?

Thanks

Dick Egler

I really don't know the weight of veg oil.  A 4.5 gallon box weighs 35 pounds so lets see.  I just hit it with a calculator and it says 7.7 lbs per gallon.  Well that is good to know, I can carry more oil now.

[wal1809]

Congrats, Wal, on your successful first run on WVO.

I have begun collecting oil and am setting up a "cold-upflow" settling/dewatering system. I have not yet begun to collect the bits and pieces (not the least of which is an aluminum tank) such as valves, heat exchangers, etc, for my 4104. 

Have you any pictures of your system? Do you switch manually, when engine and WVO temps are good? Would love to know what valves you are using, how you purge prior to shutdown and a system-flow diagram.

Anyway, good on you that you're up and running! That has to be a great feeling being able to travel about for pennies! (well, once the fuel savings pays for the cost of conversion components anyway, and that won't take long at current diesel prices ).

Kevin

Wonderful Kevin.  I say go for it.  I will post some pics tomorrow.  I use the SV200 valves from greasecar.com  They were $320 after shipping.  They run on 12v through a toggle switch at the driver seat. 

I robbed Neoplans idea of a surge tank at the rear of the bus.  The 100 gallon tank is in the bay.  The surge tank is only 22 gallon.  I can hit a toggle switch at the driver seat which is wire to a relay switch, opening a 110 volt circuit.  That circuit runs a clear water pump, the blue one from Harbor Freight.  It feeds oil from the large tank to the small surge tank.  So when my fuel gauge from the surge tank is down to half I flip the switch and pump it up again.

The surge tank in my opinion is the only way to go.  Easier to heat and if you get air int he system it will be gone when it hits the surge tank.  The loop systems have to be bled off if air gets in there.

On purge I just switch the one valve back to diesel 10 miles before I get to where I am going.  THe other valve (fuel return) I leave on.  It is OK if diesel gets int he WVO surge tank but you don't want it the other way around, WVO in the diesel tank.  You can literally watch the  fuel gauge climb in the surge tank.  When I stop I just turn off the return fuel toggle, back to diesel.

I have been talking to some heavy hitting WVO guys and they like my idea of planning ahead and emptying the surge tank, back filling it with diesel as you drive, switching back to the surge tank and running on diesel through the WVO system to purge the whole WVO side with diesel.  This will combat WVO becoming polymerized by repeat heating while driving on Diesel and WVO just sitting in the heat exchangers.

I will try to draw it out some time soon.  Hooking it up was not hard at all.  Getting all my parts and waiting on a DA bother in law is what has taken so long.  If I had all the parts laying there I could hook it all up in less than a day. When you get ready hollar at me.  I already converted a buddy to a bus and now WVO in his bus.  It is a catchy tune, all you got to do is start whistling it.

[wal1809]

This is also one of the hardest things about making the stuff, is making sure ALL the water is out. If the water is not completely out it will kill your engine! My brother boils his out because settling just doesnt cut it for him.

Your brother is probably getting some hydrogenated oil.  It is a pain in the buttocks to get water out of it.  Water wants to get out of the oil but it needs a little help.  Heating to 110 degrees, circulate spraying back to the top of the drum will drive the nastiest clinging water out of oil.

[wal1809]

Thank you Charlie.  I mounted the heat exchanger parallel with the exhaust pipe.  There is .5 inch clearance twix the two.  It gets absolutely smoking hot from the water going through it.  The heat is not allowed to escape it because it is hotter on the outside because of the exhaust pipe.  After a run I can't even touch the heat exchangers.   If your ever blowing through Texas just stop by.  I'll send you packing with some more juice.

[pabusnut]

Not that this will ever happen, ....but...

If you're significant other ever gets in the driver seat while running on WVO---make sure you have the clear instructions laminated on a card in full view and readable while driving.  Just going over the directions verbally multiple times just doesn't suffice.

I made the mistake of letting the wife drive my WVO powered Jetta without such instructions on a short 50 mile jaunt by herself.  About an hour later I get a near-frantic call that there is something wrong with the car, and something is leaking out of the rear of the car. 

So, I load the tow dolly onto the back of the Suburban, and pack a small toolbox with metric tools, etc and head out.  I get there, and discover that she had it on the purge cycle the whole trip, and now the WVO tank is full, and pushed WVO and diesel mix into the trunk, almost completely filling the area around the spare tire, until it leaked out through the hole where the heated lines enter the trunk.  Didn't save a dime on that trip, and had to fill both vehicles up again before heading home.

Steve Toomey

[Kevin]

Thanks, Wal, for the information on your system!

That is an interesting concept using the surge tank. I agree that it makes alot of sense, particularly in regard to quickly heating the WVO prior to switching. I had planned on just a two-tank set-up and wondered how long it would take to get the (probably 100 gallon or so) WVO tank heated sufficient for switch over.

Looking forward to any pics/diagrams you may share. I am very anxious to begin my conversion. I hope to find a used aluminum 18-wheeler fuel tank as primary WVO tank. I can possibly fab-up a smaller surge tank. Are you content with the 22 gallon capacity of the surge tank? What type of heat exchanger do you use? Are you also heating the supply WVO line from surge tank to engine via a hose-in-hose (fuel line within engine coolant hoses) set-up?

Thanks for any/all information you might share!!!

Kevin

[Kevin]

Hello again Wal,

Saw your pics on other post and as you remarked, that post was more of a poll. I wonder if you might share your pics and, if at all possible, a rough fuel-flow diagram with explanation of what valve does what, in terms of switching from diesel to oil, purging cycle, etc on this post. Hope that's not too much to ask!

I have been studying Chris Goodman's Frybrid site/system for the past five years. It seems that your system is very similar - and you are obviously aware of the dangers of polymerization due to reaction with mild steel, copper, and the fact that the oil must be a minimum of 160 degrees F prior to introduction to engine. So many are not.

Anyway, thank you very much for so generously sharing information (and necessary cautions!) on WVO systems in general, and your system in particular. Photos are great. I love photos! The more the better!!! (hint, hint!!!)

BTW, are you using the "hot pan" test to check for water content? As mentioned in my first post, I will rely on a cold-upflow set-up to settle/de-water my oil pretty much exclusively. It will be interesting to see how successful I am.

We will be taking our trusty '04 on a 400 mile round trip next weekend to visit the out, er inlaws. Sure wish I was up and running already, dangit!!! I've let her run down to about a quarter tank. Gonna cost a small fortune to fill up!

Anxiously awaiting more pics and a diagram if possible.

Cheers,
Kevin