Over the time i have been spreading fat all around the place i have had a go at several different approaches. Started off making 'proper' biodiesel with caustic soda, methanol, heat and fear. After a couple of small methanol 'incidents' (it's ever so volatile - ahem. Underpants clean now..) i gave that up and took to using used oil. For ages i had an almost limitless supply from a local KFC - until they came over all Health & Safety Jobsworth blah blah..
The method that works best for me with USED oil (as its SIMPLE) is - whatever oil you get pour it into a largish container (i use a plastic domestic cold water tank from local tip). Pour it through a mesh of some kind to strain out chips etc (really!). Old fine clean garden or large kithchen sieve would do. When the gunky stuff at the bottom of the container starts to come out STOP. This stuff may clear in warmer weather if you can store it til the summer otherwise have a bonfire!
You'll need to know how much oil you have roughly and then pour in about 5% by volume of ANY PETROL. dont panic it will be fine. Hey, i'm a doctor....
Stir it for a few minutes to mix it up then LEAVE it to settle for at least 3 or 4 days. You will find all the cloudiness, crud, water, scampi will fall to the bottom in a nourishing soup.
To skim off the golden liquid of destiny i made a simple floating siphon by fixing some clear tubing to a half filled 500ml plastic bottle so that the open end of t' tube is suspended about an inch below the surface. If you have some sort of shut off/clamp/tap on the output end of your tube you will only need to suck it once! When drawing off the fuel into clean containers keep an eye on the pipe. At the first sign of ANY cloudiness/gunk appearing stop the flow and thats your lot. You only need to remove this gunge every so often. If you use a 50 gallon tank it can be ages before it builds up too much. Cold weather will make more of the oil cloudy so wait for a warm day before chucking out the gunk as you will get more usable clear stuff out.
The car - The main problems will be :-
1
Cold starts. Gradually mix some of your Fatfuel in with the normal diesel up to the point where it is obviously having to crank more etc. I run 3 diesel vehicles.
Puegeot boxer 1.9 which starts
reasonably well even in cold weather on 100% Fatfuel
My wife's Pug 405 1.9TD which to make it more civilised and transparent we run on about 50-60% Fat mix in the tank.
1986 VW Transporter 1.6 non turbo. This currently has a twin tank system as it will NOT start on 100% fat which is what i prefer to use so it has a small tank with starting fuel in which i swithch over as soon as engine starts. Runs great on it once going.
2
FUEL FILTER (!!)
If you only use really clear fatfuel in a mix say 50% the filter probably wont be a problem. The usual problem (and almost always why a veg oiled car will stop!) is that a cold filter will bung up with thick, cold veg oil. Running engines on 100% fat really needs the fuel to be heated before it enters the filter. I use an inline electric fuel heater which i made (though you can buy them) and when i can be arsed to fit them a water/fuel heat exchanger to heat the fuel. I also put a throwaway inline plastic filter in the fuel line before the main filter so you can see if any crud gets through. Keep a couple in yer glove box. I have left many of these solid with lard in lay-bys over the years....
Also make really sure all your fuel line connections are AIRTIGHT. ANY air bubbles in the fuel line will at best make the thing run pathetically or more likely not AT ALL.
You will probably have a bit of trouble these days collecting oil as everyone has got really girly about it! If you know someone who works in a school, pub, cafe, chipvan etc chat 'em up.
Or, yeah you can do what loads of folk do and buy new oil. Not as cheap now as it used to be. Funny that.....
TAX
Well - i am registered and pay some (now
) but its too big and dull a topic to explore here. Loads of info elsewhere about it. Just DONT dilute yer fatfuel with household heating oil!!!! It contains an invisible red Euromarker and is the SAME as using red diesel on the road. Vehicle impounding, huge fine territory.. ask me how i know some day...
Smells great too!
Frot
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