How do you fill up your car?

[pangit Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close pangit]

I'm curious to find out how people transfer their home made biodiesel to their vehicle(s).

Currently I fill a 20L HDPE container which I put on the roof of my car with a hose from the bottom tap feeding into the tank. It's not ideal as it's quite heavy lifting a full container on to the roof of my 4WD, it's rather slow and it takes 3 containers to fill the tank.

My plan is to put a 205L drum on a stand with wheels, with a water pump plumbed to a bottom bung (something like the QB60) and an extension cable (I will only have to wheel it about 10 metres on a flat driveway out to the car), and a hose to the tank. I would wire a power switch near the hose so the pump can be turned on and off easily. The only problem I see is that even the QB60 is too powerful at 35L/min (I use the QB70 for my processor which is 43L/min), and would risk overfilling the tank and making a mess. Maybe I should salvage a pump from a scrap washing machine or something.

The other minor issue is that I cannot accurately measure how much fuel I'm putting into the car.

I would also be able to use this tank as a drying tank, with the pump recirculating the bio to help dry it, as well as transferring from the wash tank.

[gwalker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gwalker]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

Why not build a hand trolly that will hold 3 x 25 litre HDPE containers, with the upper most one sitting above the level of your vehicle's fuel tank.
Wheel it out, gravity feed the top HDPE into your tank while you do something else. Switch containers and repeat.
You will always know how much fuel you are adding.
G

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

Bugger that guys, go find an unused petrol ststaion about to be bulldozed and grab a diesel bowser while you can, works a treat, believe me? Well I can say its saved my elbows from tendonitis, I hate jerry cans!

Matt

[hdj80 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close hdj80]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

I use a 44Gal drum which I have a pipe pickup to the bottom and a car valve, I use a small compressor to push the fuel up through and out the hose.
These photos have a filter which I have sice removed as if that filter blocks then there is a big chance you'll put to much pressure into the tank and boom! I now remove the lid and using a 1m bag filter do the final filter as I fill this tank up.

[quesoburgesa Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close quesoburgesa]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

HDJ80,

This might be a dumb question, but you use the compressor to pressurize your 205l drum, which forces the bio up the pickup pipe, and into your fuel tank?

Thanks!

justin

[Slippery Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Slippery]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

For safety sake take a look at the Selecta range of diesel specific transfer pumps, flow meters and the like. Any rural or farm supply outlet should have a brochure or check out Home.

Slippery
Small steps taken one at a time.

[Jacka Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jacka]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

Bugger that guys, go find an unused petrol ststaion about to be bulldozed and grab a diesel bowser while you can, works a treat, believe me? Well I can say its saved my elbows from tendonitis, I hate jerry cans!

Matt

Hmm thats an intresting concept. Might have to keep an eye out for that

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

You may need a lttle assistance to get the thing primed and if you do get one make sure its diesel compatible and take the non return valve on the bottom of it too. They work well but watch the lift distance, they aregood to about 3.5 m, more than that and they suffer in delivery and will not auto shutoff. Repairs may be expensive but any current diesel bowser will work for a number of years as they are expected to do and its use will be very light in comparison to what it would have had.

All in all well worth doing,
Matt

[pangit Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close pangit]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

For safety sake take a look at the Selecta range of diesel specific transfer pumps, flow meters and the like. Any rural or farm supply outlet should have a brochure or check out Home.

Your link didn't work, but I found them here. I particularly like this one, although I daresay it will be out of my price range!

[shiner Donating Member Find all posts View Profile Close shiner]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

You could try this place for home bowser/pump equiptment

STM Australia

Just look at the "veiw full list" Of hand and electric Fuel pumps
Lots of good stuff

shiner

[mallcruiser Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mallcruiser]

Re: How do you fill up your car?

Hi Guys - the simplest method that I have found is the good old Macnaught rotary pump on a 205L drum.

I make and wash in one 205L open drum and then transfer to a second 205 open top drum. The drum pump sits in a lid which lift from drum to drum to transfer the fuel. eg after washing and drying I use the pump to transfer the fuel to the storage drum, then I put the lid and pump on the storage drum and use it to fill the cars. (it normally lives on that drum while the making tank has a lid without openings)

I also have a filter on the pump - thus the fuel is filtered twice before it gets into the car.

Simple - it works for me as I have small needs.

Cheers,