Stamey

WOW! You sure have quite a system. I guess I am so amazed because I only have 3 batches under my belt. All turned out well, but took a course of 3 days because my wash barrel is also my drying barrel, and I am using bubble wash, predominantly. I have not really been looking for a mister yet, but perhaps I should.
So, you are saying that hot water washes the BD better?

What kind of heating element do you use in the wash tank? Is it specifically a submersable element, of did you adapt something for this purpose? I have a plastic one also, a white plastic 55 gall drum, and don't want to melt it. I have heard of people talking of elements but I have not seen much detail on them.

I hope to have some more WVO soon, so I can try out some of these new ideas you have given me. I actually had to go to the pump Saturday, for the first time since before Katrina. I was 300 miles from home though, so I guess that's excusable, until I get an in-bed tank.

Oh, BTW, I'm TORQUIN, instead of Stamey, on Infopop BD forums.

Thanks,
Chris

kd460

For heating the water see this:

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/groupee/...51/m/941103188

For a nice standpipe wash barrel see this:

http://www.veggieavenger.com/avenger...opic.php?t=333

The standpipe is the piece of 3/4 inch pipe inside the barrel.Mark the outside of the barrel as to where the standpipe level is, and allow your fuel/water line to drop about a half to 3/4 of an inch below that before draining the fuel.

For a really nice setup see this:

http://www.veggieavenger.com/avenger...opic.php?t=394

Mine is very similiar except I use a propane tank (24 gallon) for my processor. If you can find a used (freebie) electric hot water heater, you are golden. If you look at the pic of the green wash barrel, you will see the foggit brand misting head. It screws right on the end of a hose. I want to adapt it to the hot water supply from the house, and hook it up to a timer. That can be purchased here:

http://www.bonsaiofbrooklyn.com/sefo...OVMTC=standard

If you are using your wash barrel for drying as well, you should make sure you get every last bit of free water out of there before trying to dry. It makes a world of difference.

I like the separate dry barrel, so there is no chance of getting free water into it. I use a short standpipe for that as well. Just in case any water does get in there, and all the debris can settle to the bottom. The third drying barrell will increase your production as it now frees up your wash barrel for the next batch (one batch is drying while one batch is washing).

Those websites are a great source of info, so surf and search them both. They are a big help. Kevin

SHARPMACHINE

Hopefully I will began to grasp this.

My dumb questions


1. Can bio be ran in cold weather conditions?
2. Should the first step in making bio be to find an oil source?
3. How many gallons of fry oil to make a gallon of bio?
4. Are their any waste materials produced, and if so how do you get rid of them?
5. I am pretty sure that I understand that most vehicles newer than 92? can run on bio, but will more fuel filter changes be required?
6. Where could someone get a book with a step to step on how to make bio?


thanks alot for any help = I am a sloooow learner, but it is starting to sink in.

akghound

SHARPMACHINE, ... Here is an interesting thread over on Frybrid Forum that might help to clear a couple of questions up.
http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1663
Ken

kd460

OK, I'll try to give a quick answer:

Temp: It does gel at a higher temp. Depends on the type of oil you get. The stuff I am currently using clouds at 32 and is useless at a few degrees below that. B50 (50% bio with 50% dino diesel) gets me down to 20F. You can play with the ratios even more, you can add kerosene (like they do when they winterize dino diesel) and you can use additives. Need to know your fuel and your temps in order to be able to predict temp ranges.

Oil Source:Yes, securing a source of oil is a good first step. I need to add, secure a source of good oil. Some cooking oil is really used up and will give you low returns and allot of headaches getting it to be useable fuel. Stay away from animal fat. Veg oil is the one to get.

How much product:About 80% becomes useable fuel and 20% is glycerine waste (sort of waste as there are things that can be done with the glycerine).

Filters: Initially your fuel filter may clog sooner because the biodiesel is an excellent solvent. It will clean out your entire fuel system and build up of junk from years of dino diesel use. I think this is a slightly over stated problem. How many out there have pulled a fuel tank and it looked really good. I guess it boils down to the quality of fuel you have purchesed over the long haul. It also cleans your pump, injectors and combustion chamber, but that is over a long period of time. Once the fuel system is clean, filter changes are the same.

Book: Do a search on google for a biodiesel book by "Girl Mark". It will put you in the right direction. Also see the biodiesel infopop link for great information.

Also do a search here, there have been tons of links posted by myself and others. I make bio, and have run it for awhile now, so the links I have posted have been the ones I have found most usefull.

Brewing is not for everyone, but it works for me. I have had NO problems with my truck since I started making and using it. See my profile, it works well for my truck, you need to decide if it will work for you or your truck.

There is a learning curve with making bio. I have been frustrated many times and gave up making it many times, but, I kept going back. Now I make good quality fuel. Even my methanol supplier asked to see a sample and commented that it looks better than the biodiesel that he buys in bulk and then turns around and sells it to stations.

It's not hard, just takes dedication and lots of learning to get it right. But, the pay off is .70 cents a gallon for fuel, a truck that runs better, smoother, quite, less knock, less smoke, less smell, less wear and tear on the fuel system (the lubrication qualities of bio are better than any other fuel). Just 1-2% bio added to your fuel far exceeds manufacturers requirement for lubricity in fuel. Something to think about with the mandated ultra low sulfer diesel just around the corner.

Kevin

SHARPMACHINE

Good reading.

1). In West Michigan it gets very cold in the winter. It sounds like b100 can be ran above freezing b50 above 20* and probably b20 bellow that (of course using anti gel).

2). Good first step is to find a suppy of used oil.

3). 4 gallons of fuel can be made from 5 gallons of oil.

4). The 5th gallon becomes glycerin (waste product, unshore of how you would get rid of it?)

5). More filters (1or2) are used only untill the fuel system is cleaned out from the use of regular diesel (scale and build up).

6). "Girl Mark" wrote a book about bio diesel, or look under biodiesel infopop link.



thanks-again

infidel

Glycerin isn't considered a hazardous waste, you can throw it in your trash can.

kd460

Glycerin:

Need to remove the methanol from it as there is a residual of unused methanol. Some bio-brewers will even recliam this methanol by heating the glycerine up to above methanols boiling point (about 64 degrees celcius), recondense the methanol, and reuse it in the next batch of bio. Others just leave the glycerine exposed to outside air and let the methanol evaporate.

Once that is done, it can be used for hand cleaner (murphy's oil soap is glycerine), grease cutter, fuel in a waste oil heater, garage and concrete cleaner, fuel for a turk burner (do a search on google), and can be composted. I have heard of a few brewers giving it to the local auto detailer for an engine degreaser. I used it on old motorcycle engine that was totally nasty with years of grease and grime. It did a good job. I also use it as a grass killer along the fence and decorative rocks as they are a witch to weed whack. It is my garage floor cleaner as well.

Bio can be made using sodium hydroxide (lye) or potassium hydroxide. Most of this gets used up in the process, but some residual remains. I have experienced that the glycerine from sodium hydroxide leaves your hands feeling a little dry, and many soap makers add lanolins or conditioners to the glycerine to prevent this. Not sure about potassium hydroxide. I do know that the glycerine from potassium hydroxide, when composted, provides lots of potassium for the plants which is a good thing. Plants love it. I am switching over to potassium as soon as my supplier gets it in.

Once again, before you go using this stuff as described above, the methanol needs to be removed for safety reasons. You never know what the guy you give it to is gonna do with it. I can just imagine someone using it as a floor degreaser in a closed up shop, smoking a cig. Not a good thing.

Or you can do like infidel suggests and just pitch it. Not sure what the garbage man is gonna say, but give it a shot.

BTW, cold weather bio, gotta be carefull, antigel does not work as well with bio as it does with dino diesel. Infidel offered a great formula: Use what ever percentage of bio as a guide to HOW MUCH MORE antigel you need to use per volume. If you are running b-25, then use what the antigel manufacturer recomends PLUS 25% more (per volume of fuel). I assume that is with dino diesel that has been winterized as well. Hope this helps.

herb

i was talking to a guy in California a couple days ago who has a 24v with 235,000 miles on it. Claims he has never put a dime in the truck and never replaced a lift pump or injector pump
Say's he has from the time he got the truck kept a jug of 1/3 used motor oil 1.3 power service and 1/3 mystrey oil in the truck. says he dumps about a 1/3 of a gal in everytime he fills his tank.