New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Hi!

I have been researching BioDiesel and SVO for about a YEAR now.
(reading books, watching documentaries and talking with people)
Im really interested in single-tank SVO because I honestly dont
have the time yet alone the space to get into BioD. Plus being
on an island I dont do much long distance driving.

I have recently talked with a guy who has a 1982 MercedesD.
He makes his own BioD and pours a 50/50 mixture of BioD and WVO
directly into his gas tank. Aside from having to change/clean
the fuel filters every so often he has not had any problems whatsoever
for over a year.

Although Hawaii doesnt get very cold and NEVER falls below 60F.
(Normally 80 during the day and 70 at night)

Single-tank SVO research tells me that stronger fuel injectors
are used plus longer glowplugs which get hotter and last longer.
Then possibly a tank/line heater of some sort.

What are my options when it comes to filtration?
Are onboard fixtures any good? Home filters? Plantdrive?
My back yard is small so I could probably fit a drum or so.

It seems you guys know your stuff so any input is welcome.
(specifics especially so)
My goal is a medium-sized truck running on single-tank cooking oil.

Thanks!

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

anyone?

[Captain Echidna Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Captain Echidna]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

You are in an Australian site. If you talk in degrees C we may have an idea on temperature. Anyone under 35 years old probably hasnt a clue to what the conversion is

What seems to happen here we dont use a kit as such, but get bits and pieces from wreckers, home brew heat exchangers, plumbing and industrial shops. And of course, often start off with a few bits of copper pipe and an oxy set.
The excetion is the number of people who use Elsbett kits as one tank setups, probably what you may be after.
For on board filtration, I believe it is like meeting an attractive, funny, inteligent, no hangups, single girl in a pub. Technically it is possible, but I have never met anyone who has achieved it. Most people get the oil put back in the delivery drum, filter it at home, generally using the following. Gravity filtering (takes time, but the easiest) tshirts, jeans, (cheap) through a 5 or 1 micron filter (of through a company called sefar, look in the australian yellow pages under filters in Victoria, but cheaper if you buy 50)

If you want to go single tank, either go for an elsbett kit (expensive but good) or use an electric / and coolant heaters.

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

You are in an Australian site. If you talk in degrees C we may have an idea on temperature. Anyone under 35 years old probably hasnt a clue to what the conversion is

hehe... kinda funny how everyone says that first-off
because it only says "australian" right at the top there
(do people really make that mistake?)

anyway... input is input... and id join a japan forum
if i thought it would help expand my svo knowledge.

heres the temp conversion:
Hawaii doesnt get very cold and NEVER falls below 15.5C.
Normally 26.6C during the day and 21C at night
(hope thats accurate... i used this site for help: Fahrenheit to Celsius Converter)

Im 25 btw.
Aloha!

[Captain Echidna Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Captain Echidna]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

No dramas. another thing to note is the temperature you filter at. For a single tank conversion, dont heat the oil to filter it, or if it goes solid in the fuel lines, you wont go anywhere

And as I come from a cold part of Australia where it rains quite a bit, I think I was happier before I knew your average temperatures!
That temp should keep no overly used canola liquid. Probably the most important thing is selection of where you get your oil from. "higher class" restraunts use it less, fish and chip shops use it more.

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

No dramas. another thing to note is the temperature you filter at. For a single tank conversion, dont heat the oil to filter it, or if it goes solid in the fuel lines, you wont go anywhere

And as I come from a cold part of Australia where it rains quite a bit, I think I was happier before I knew your average temperatures!
That temp should keep no overly used canola liquid. Probably the most important thing is selection of where you get your oil from. "higher class" restraunts use it less, fish and chip shops use it more.

Well it rains here too... but falling below 15.5C is extremely rare
(and most likely, record breaking)
But I should be fine pouring wvo into a diesel gas tank?
And I was thinking about getting my oil from a Japanese restaurant.
The research ive been doing tell me that Japanese cooking is
relatively clean with high quality oils. Almost like a cleaner version
of fish and chips.

Fast Food = burgers/fries
Mexican = tortilla chips
**Japanese = tempura**


thanks for the help Chris
anything you (or anyone else) can add would be great

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

anybuddy else?

[aussie bloke Member Find all posts View Profile Close aussie bloke]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

giday mate,
I would recomend heating your oil and return back to the tank, even if this is a simple system, i live at 27 degrees south, you are somewhere between 18 - 28 degrees north, if you check out my new conversion on page 3 you will see i have heated the tank and lines, also electric start up heating is installed.
My powerstroke runs cleaner on wvo than diesel, this is because of the design of the engine and a good heating system, i would heat your oil and shut down the engine on diesel, make sure you purge every last drop of oil from your fuel system.
It is not a good idea to start on cold veggie, this will lead to coking and all sorts of problems, i have run 33,000kms trouble free and i would say the powerstroke runs better on the veggie when its hot than the diesel, it idles better and the exhaust is cleaner.
cheers mark

[Tony From West Oz Vice Chairperson of WARFA Find all posts View Profile Close Tony From West Oz]

Re: Have Questions!!! New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast stu

Hi!

I have been researching BioDiesel and SVO for about a YEAR now.
(reading books, watching documentaries and talking with people)
Im really interested in single-tank SVO because I honestly dont
have the time yet alone the space to get into BioD. Plus being
on an island I dont do much long distance driving.

I have recently talked with a guy who has a 1982 MercedesD.
He makes his own BioD and pours a 50/50 mixture of BioD and WVO
directly into his gas tank. Aside from having to change/clean
the fuel filters every so often he has not had any problems whatsoever
for over a year.

This can be done with some diesels. The Mercedes OM616 and OM617 diesels in the 240D and 300D vehicles are possibly the most forgiving diesels when used with unheated vegetable oils and animal fats. This in itself does not say much, as these engines have been reported to have usable lifetimes of >500 000km before overhaul. So a few years of 40 000km per year is not much in the life of such an engine, especially if you do not have the history of that engine. I know of one which has done in excess of 200 000km with no problems on 100% hydrogenated palm oil, but that vehicle had a comprehensive fuel heating system fitted.

Although Hawaii doesnt get very cold and NEVER falls below 60F.
(Normally 80 during the day and 70 at night)

Single-tank SVO research tells me that stronger fuel injectors
are used plus longer glowplugs which get hotter and last longer.
Then possibly a tank/line heater of some sort.

I recommend heating the vegetable oil with a Flat Plate Heat Exchanger, with a target temperature of >70°C at the IP inlet.

What are my options when it comes to filtration?
Are onboard fixtures any good? Home filters? Plantdrive?
My back yard is small so I could probably fit a drum or so.

I have been using a 5 micron bag filter for several years, using a 25 litre drum (with a bung in the side) as the filter holder. The clean oil is piped into my fuel containers. My in-car filter is a 15 micron rating and so, rarely catches anything.

It seems you guys know your stuff so any input is welcome.
(specifics especially so)
My goal is a medium-sized truck running on single-tank cooking oil.

Thanks!

"On the Road" filtering is something of a "Holy Grail" of vegetable oil use, as this would allow you to drive to a "dumpster" and refuel.
As the quality of the oil in these containers is unknown in most cases, and if in the open can contain significant amounts of water, I would not trust any on-board filter to deal with the contaminants without my input and monitoring AND final inspection before using it in my car's engine.
Tony

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

thank you aussiebloke and Tony From West Oz!
all that info is really helpful, i am very appreciative
cheers!

I was also thinking about a diesel vanagon (early 80s)
that way I can travel and have a bed, etc
not sure about the svo tank as it would have to be somewhere in the middle
as its rear engine with the "hood" actually being inside the back of the van

also found this system for filtering/de-watering
i like it! what do you think about it?
YouTube - waste vegetable oil filtering & dewater

[Tony From West Oz Vice Chairperson of WARFA Find all posts View Profile Close Tony From West Oz]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

After viewing the video, I can state that the author was relying solely on the water settling out of the oil. He did not mention anything about testing for water, so he would have no knowledge of how well it works (unless he is getting water out, in which case he may still have a lot in the oil).
Heating the oil and settling is only part of a dewatering process. Allowing the water to evaporate out of the oil is an option which relies on having a moderately large surface area, which could be provided in a number of ways,- eg pumping the warmed oil thru a shower head and ensuring good ventilation to prevent high humidity.
Small amounts of water can also be removed by mixing in some byproduct from the biodiesel reaction and allowing it to settle out. This can also reduce the level of free fatty acids in the oil due to residual caustic in the byproduct.
The main thing to do, is to TEST for water in your oil (before and after your dewatering process). If you do not know if you have water or not, how will you know whether your dewatering process is effective of not?

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

i look forward to any input so everyone please post

[fantom Member Find all posts View Profile Close fantom]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

i look forward to any input so everyone please post

So gen-erix what would ya like us to post????

[Gen-Erix Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gen-Erix]

Re: New to the forum and to SVO. But a quick learner and fast study!

So gen-erix what would ya like us to post????

anything that'll help 'mate