Nothing is ever easy!!

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Hi bio forumites!

Imagine my delight when unexpectedly I scored 120L of WVO from an unexpected source who found out I was WVOing and extended good will!

Anyway - this arvo I did a random water (so called smear) test.

It failed!! It has a fair few bubbles!

To cut a long story short - I'm not asking how to get rid of water because there are enough threads here on that topic to kill an army. What I'm on about is:

1. Has anyone tested this?
Vegie Cars - Filter Powder

2. I have four weeks to try to get at least 100L ready so I can go on tour with a decent amount of oil to help pay the trip. Any advice to fast track the dewatering? (Or am I going to be working round the clock heating and blowing bubbles through it?)

Many thanks,
Soc.

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Re: Nothing is ever easy!!

120L of wet oil would take me 10 Min to load into my processor, 3 hours to dry and filter it and another 10 Min to pump it into drums ready to use.

Personally I don't see the need for something like filter powder and from what I have read of many things on that site, they are over priced and equally over hyped.

I believe the powder does work but if you are aware of the many threads to do with de-watering, I am wondering why you think drying a little bit of oil like that will be such a task and why you are interested in the powder?

This is how I filter and De-water.

I was hoping you'd say that Dave!

What do ya drink mate - I'm comin' over!!

Seriously, I asked because last time I dried my oil I did it 5L at a time!

And - it took all day to do 20L.

Cheers mate.

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Re: Nothing is ever easy!!

This is how I filter and De-water.

Is that you???

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Re: Nothing is ever easy!!

Where are you going on your Tour?
If your coming through Sydney and need any ready to go oil , I can fix you up with any amount you need. If you want more than about 300L though, let me know in advance so I can process a bit more so I don't run too low.
Maybe I should do some extra anyway in case any Christmas travelers are looking to buy any on their way through.

Drying the oil even in the most basic way with a bubbler in a drum should take no more than a week from what people say and if you stick a spotlight close to the drum to warm it up a bit, it should be a lot faster.
Just get a 44 gal drum, cut the top out, throw the air stone in and put a small fan over the top. Check it 3 days later and see where it's at. Id think you should be pretty close if not there already. By then you ought have collected another 50L of oil at least and be ready to process that!

From there, just put the oil through your filter bag or whatever you use and your there. If you only got a few bubbles in your HPT, the oil you have is pretty good as far as things go so you shouldn't have much trouble with it.

Have you been processing any oil yourself so far ( apart from the 5L batches?) and if so, how have you been doing it?

Dave - thanks a million for this offer. We wont be passing through Sydney but still, what you have offered is gratefuly appreciated.

Thanks too for the advice. I'll keep you posted as to how it goes. You've given me confidence to get it happening.

I have been processing oil but haven't had a worry with water. (Except for the huge batch I raided from the back of the Belconnen markets which had water in it.) I'm getting a small supply from across the road which is in really good nick. I'm filtering through a pillow case inside a 5 micron sock. It then goes into a 200L drum to sit for a while. I then turn on a tap which is situated 30cm or so from the bottom and it goes into 20L drums. I never have a water problem. Pan tests are really good.

Yes.
But fortunately for all concerned I'm BEHIND the camera and you can't see my ugly dial.

It was great!! A picture tells more than what you could write.

I was just thinking, In regards to your thread title, with oil drying, it is actually very easy especially when you set yourself up to do it and have decent oil to start with which sound like what you have.

yeh - I reckon I can do it. Thanks mate.

PS. Heading off for Christmas to Brisbane hopefully on 100%. Coming back down the Nth coast then inland to Gulgong for new years. We are performing at the festival there.

From canberra!!

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Re: Nothing is ever easy!!

I have yet to be lucky enough to get oil with NO water in it. I have had some that was nearly dry, so much so that it a pinch I would have used it with no worries, but unless you have good reliable sources, I think the safest thing to do is to presume ALL oil is wet.

If you are going to be widening your supply source and also want to make the most of any maybe "one off" opportunities that come along, I suggest you set yourself up with a drying system of some sort. As you saw in the vid, With mine I also have it do the filtering for me. I have found that even though the bags I use are absolute rated, the oil is much cleaner after multiple passes rather than just the normal once through most people give their oil as I did.

My setup was cheap and simple ( like its creator ) to make up but with the addition of a timer a few months back, I can now load the oil, press the button and walk away from it. It will switch itself off and I can come back when I'm ready and pump finished filtered and dried oil into my drums ready to use. With minimal effort, I can do more than 600L a day.

One chap here did a variation on my system and just uses a small marine Bilge pump in the bottom of a 60L drum and recirculates the oil with that and uses a computer fan over the top for air circulation. He runs it off a small 12V SLA battery and when the battery is geting flat, ( about 2 hours) the oil is dry!

The advantage of this system is you could easy take it on the road with you and dry oil in the middle of no where as long as you had a charged 12V batttery or could run the pump from a vehicle.

I personally think an oil drying/ filtering system is a very worthwhile thing to invest in if your going to do WVO and as you get down the veg oil track, would be something to look at.

Right. I'm onto this Dave. This afternoon in fact. I will start with the "variation" system in a 60L drum if I can find one. (Will look around in a few places!) Otherwise I'll just use a plastic 20L. I have a spare 12V pump floating around so I'll just run a hose through I guess rather than submerge it. I can also rig up a 12V fan easy.

I was previously heating up oil 5L at a time and then letting it settle.

Cheers!!