http://biodiesel.tribe.net/thread/01db0b23-2228-4c53-b8b1-3268c64bee48?format=rss Tribe.net. Local Connections http://biodiesel.tribe.net/thread/01db0b23-2228-4c53-b8b1-3268c64bee48#437963f9-b227-4335-938d-68d3dcdb1ebd Now I dont want you to think I'm making fun of these people, because I'm really not. I think of it as more of letting you see these people making fun of themselves. What these folks are doing is simply demonstrating the relative genius and hardy nature of the diesel engine. This next video is one that I wanted to include with my original posting. This is representative of the least common denominator when it comes to biofuel or waste veggie oil systems. Just because you found it on the Internet doesn't mean its a good idea. While these guys don't have the spit and polish of some of the other systems on the market lets face it, they represent a very real segment of people who have no earthly idea of what they are doing, but they are willing to sell it to you in kit form. One of my major problems with this idea is the fact that the guy hosting the video repeatedly mentions that the system is clogged up right now, but that its ok because he just poured too much dirty oil into it and that he also needs to just change the filter. There is another barrel that just sits there with oil settling. No way to drain the filthy oil, no way to change it out when it becomes rancid. Points for being the first and only system that I've seen that was completely gravity based. Also points for not being a serious danger to life and property. This system uses no pumps or heaters or other energy consuming or carbon producing means. Points deducted for being almost completely ineffective for anything except storing mass quantities of oil for settling out. I wouldnt go so far as to say it a bad idea, just a mediocre one with poor execution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEbwK27YJIQ&NR=1 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:30:04 GMT http://biodiesel.tribe.net/thread/01db0b23-2228-4c53-b8b1-3268c64bee48#437963f9-b227-4335-938d-68d3dcdb1ebd doctor 2008-09-14T05:30:04Z http://biodiesel.tribe.net/thread/01db0b23-2228-4c53-b8b1-3268c64bee48#291fe578-4892-479c-b7c2-380a9822147f So I've decided that I've had enough of disposable filters and whatnot for cleaning my oil. And I've been doing a little casual research into either building or buying a centrifuge to separate out particulates and water from my base waste oil. I decided to flip through YouTube as it seems to be an endless source of ppl with hairbrained ideas on just about anything you can type into the search box. Well it turns out that a apparently popular way to dewater veggie oil has been heat the oil up. Now while this is a crude and quasi-effective means of evaporating water out of oil, it really is just taking one form of carbon savings and transferring it to another. (But I'll save the carbon emissions spiel for another occassion) I'm going to tell you my top 2 runners up for the Biodiesel Darwin Awards and leave you with links for your personal viewing pleasure. Just in case you havent figured this out. DONT DO THIS! High among my fave videos are of one subgenius using 12,000 kilowatt hours to heat his oil in a barrell. He had tapped a hot water heater into the side of his barrel. Besides the fact that these heaters will glow red hot if not completely covered with liquid, it just seems incredible to me that this guy would think it was a good idea to use so much energy to dewater his veggie oil. He was however very proud of the fact that he used toilet paper tubes to keep his gloves open so they could dry out while he wasnt using them. He also seemed rather proud of the negative ventilation unit that he built out of bathroom fan and some sort of flexible vent tube to sit over the bung hole. This was "to keep the smell down".... I'm not sure what that means but the fact that the water that he had trapped in the closed barrel was likely to just recondense on the sides and lid and drip back into the oil seems to have escaped him. Points for the toilet paper tubes, but minus those points for the fire marshals investigation into why he burned down his garage and scorched the neighbors house with the biggest grease fire since the one at the pit bbq 30 years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8DWsB8CAGQ ----------------------------------- My next fave comes from the timeless problem of how to dewater oil if you live in a apartment. This gentleman is limited by the fact that he has moved into a place with no garage. So he has decided to place a plastic barrel next to the laundry equipment and to heat the oil in a 5 gallon pot that he proceeds to heat up on his stove to "around 300 degrees" then he lets it cool down to "150 degrees", then he uses one pot to pour it into another pot and then pours that pot through a rudimentary metal strainer (sized to catch french fries and rat tails) and also a sock filter ONCE and lets it cool. Points for at least having a strainer / sock filter combo. Minus points for pouring scorching oil into a plastic container. My major complaint about this video is that you dont actually get to see this rocket surgeon potentially heating up the oil to its flash point in the largest canning vat he could find at the flea market. Thus causing him time in jail and his neighbors in a red cross supplied hotel because they didnt have renters insurance and didnt know their neighbor was heating up and had stored enough oil to cause the fire dept to call for the foam unit two counties away. The fact that he goes through all this labor JUST to pour the oil into his diesel Ford, tickles me. Besides being an enormous waste of energy heating the oil on a stove top the labor intensive process this guy invented leaves no doubt as to why the USA is #21 in the world for science. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCJqwK_aHFg ---------------------------------------------- I'm curious to hear how folks are dewatering their oil and if by chance you have any videos up on YouTube of your methodology. Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:48:01 GMT http://biodiesel.tribe.net/thread/01db0b23-2228-4c53-b8b1-3268c64bee48#291fe578-4892-479c-b7c2-380a9822147f doctor 2008-09-14T04:48:01Z