WVO Processing

[SpyderCS]

So what steps does a person take to process their WVO?

I saw a bag filter and standing funnel that would filter the oil to 10 micron. Is that enough?

http://www.plantdrive.ca/shop/product.p ... 254&page=1

What about water removal? What does a person do for that? I saw a few vague posts about heating it, but I haven't been able to find out what a good process is from start to finish. I have a very small amount of space to work with, Just a little bit of room in my storage room. I was kind of thinking that I could bring the collected oil in buckets, dump it through a bag filter into a larger drum and then pump it into my tank somehow.

[Adam]

There more info than I know what to do with on the BIODIESEL & SVO DISCUSSION FORUMS: http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/ ... /898605551

I'm filtering my oil by pouring the collected buckets/cubes through a 100 micron drum filter, sucking it up through a PVC tube with a 70 micron sieve on it, pumping it through two 10 micron GoldenRod filters in series using a Redline pump into a storage drum. I'm looking at adding either a pleated 5 micron water filter to the end of this system, or trying out some of the filter bags.

Those Plant Drive filter bags seem really pricey. You should check the interwebs for cheaper options. Here's a good primer on filtering veg oil : http://www.plantdrive.ca/Used_Cooking_O ... -10-07.pdf

[SpyderCS]

Right on!! Thanks Adam!

I'm just perusing the plantdrive one quickly before I go to work, it says that many of their customer just let their oil settle for a few weeks and then use their wands to suck the oil up. Most stuff settles out. Of course using the wand ensures that the stuff at the bottom, stays at the bottom. I am just thinking about the cheapest way to start without taking uneeded risks. I have a pretty clean source of oil, I just need to filter out the chunks.

http://www.plantdrive.ca/shop/product.p ... 255&page=1
There is an okay deal on that filter and pump.

There is the water test..... Just for checking for moisture, heat the oil in a pan. Okay. Now I know what that is about.

Okay, my eyes are going to be bleeding after all of the reading I will be doing in the next little while.

Thanks again Adam, you have been very helpful!!

[SpyderCS]

So, the plantdrive site says that if you have the Vormax coolant two stage filter then you can just pump settled oil straight into your tank, through the pipeline pump with the 70 micron filter of course. Does anyone do this? Is the Vormax filter really that good?

The kit with that filter is 200 dollars more than the vegimax.

Kind of worth it, if All I have to do is let it settle for a couple weeks and then pump.

[Adam]

I chose the VegMax filter because of the cheaper up front cost, the cheaper replacement filter costs, and smaller size of the VegMax. You should look into to the replacement filter costs and how long they are expected to last. If you are using the 70 micron wand to pump directly into your tank there is going to be far more debris to deal with than the 10 micron filtered oil I'm sticking into my tank.

I would be interested to know how long the Vormax Racor S3201T filters last, and where users have mounted their units.

[SpyderCS]

The Vormax R90T are the new filters. They are double the cost of the Vegimax. $129 for 3. So.... just using the 70 micron wand, there are probably more frequent filter changes, however with time a person could set up more of a processing system and less filters would be required. Of course, with a week settling time and carefully taking only the oil that looks clear, not the stuff from the bottom, one would assume that this would be enough. But the added security of the Vormax just lets a person rest soundly knowing that it will stop almost anything.

One post on the biodiesel forum that you gave the link for states that one user gets 2800-3500miles on a filter and another user saying they get over 20,000km. I think that it really depends on the quality of oil.

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/ ... 8951065411

How many clicks do you get with the Vegimax?

This other guy, Dieselrover, says that it should last 4000-8000 miles if you follow the plantdrive directions. But he sounds like he speaks for the company, so take it for what it's worth.

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/ ... 6051064811

[Adam]

But the added security of the Vormax just lets a person rest soundly knowing that it will stop almost anything.

I think the real advantage of the VorMax is that you can use dirtier oil without clogging your filters as quickly. I'm not worried about anything getting through my 5 micron VegMax filter elements, so it's not a piece of mind issue for me, but a cost benefit analysis. Will the Vormax make up for the higher cost by reducing the hassle/cost of changing filters and reduce pre-tank filtering time/costs.

[SpyderCS]

Good question. It's funny that the Veg is a 5 micron, but the Vormax is a 10. I guess the expectation is that the pre filter will catch a lot of stuff.

So what mileage do you get from one of your vegmax filters?

I have googled "Vegmax filter life" and can't seem to find anything useful.

[Adam]

So what mileage do you get from one of your vegmax filters?

I'm on my 3rd filter since late August, about 10,00km ago. I changed out my first two filters quicker than I thought I should have, while trying to trouble shoot a fuel starvation issue when I was running on veg. I saved the 2nd used filter and I'll put it back in the van after this filter gets clogged to see if it has any life left in it. I turns out the fuel starvation issue was caused by some plastic shavings that I didn't fully clean up when I drilled a hole in my tank for a filler cap. The plastic shavings clogged the prefilter to my aux fuel pump which is before my VegMax filter. I emptied the tank on the weekend and cleaned it throughly, now everything is running smooth I can get up to 130km/h on the highway without any loss of power, previously, I'd loose power at much over 70km/h. It runs so smooth now I'm looking for place to drive on veg, the more I drive the more I save. It is a philosophy I borrowed from brewing my own beer, th more I drink, the more I save. I'm still trying to find the upper limit of this philosophy.....

It looks like I might have to change my veg fuel filter about as often as my oil filter, 4-5 times a year. Not bad when you consider the filters are only $22 each shipped from Plant Drive.

[SpyderCS]

Nice philosophy! I love it! Maybe I'll get into brewing after this!!

So at 100 dollars a year for vegmax filters, plus whatever replacement filters in processing (Such as the barrel filters for 4 bucks). I think that is my monthly gas bill for my 2005 Civic!

As for the Vormax, it will be hard to say. I'll have to make the call in a bit here when I order it. The prefilter seems like a good idea, especially if I am on the road and am only able to settle the oil for a few days before putting it in my tank. I think that the initial cost is the high one, the replacements seem to be twice as much, but if the estimates off of the forums are right, then the actual cost will be similar to the vegmax as the filters will last almost twice as long. Of course, filters will last longer if more preprocessing is done, such as bag filters, etc.

If anyone on this forum has personal experience running the vormax I would really appreciate the feedback!

[delicat]

Hey guys, gals.

For anyone interested in doing the WVO conversion anytime soon, especially if you're from Vancouver area, we should really get together and check our options. We should see if we can get group discount for the system purchase and consider a group install as well. SpyderCS, Adam, others?

I just got my bus so I still want to drive her a bit to learn her habits (get a benchmark), then I want to establish WVO donors (local restaurants).

I'm aware of EricN that is local and has a system install, anybody else running on WVO in the city? Definitely want to look/touch one before going ahead.

And from the WVO users, putting ego aside, are you happy with your system or do you wish you went with another kit (ie. Plantdrive vs Frybrid...)

Thanks!

[Adam]

And from the WVO users, putting ego aside, are you happy with your system or do you wish you went with another kit (ie. Plantdrive vs Frybrid...)

Hard for me to compare with other systems, but I'm happy with my Plant Drive kit. It was relatively cheap (under $1000 installed) and it works. You could spend upwards of $3,000-$5,000 on a high end installed kit. Just look very carefully at the components to see what they do and is there is a cheaper alternative. I can't recommend the Ray Holan's book "Sliding Home" enough. For $30 you get an overview of all the major commercial kits, their components, the pros/cons of each and nice little extras you might want to consider.

I'd lend you my copy, but it is already lent out and I have another potential converter waiting for it. I know EricN installed a VO Controller which I'd like to have,but can't really justify the extra cost: http://www.vocontrol.com/

[loki]

I'm really like the look of these systems these guys have been doing this a LONG time and I like the idea of being about to put whatever I want in my tank just have to mix in 10% or so Dino when the temp will be below 0.

[Adam]

I'm really like the look of these systems these guys have been doing this a LONG time and I like the idea of being about to put whatever I want in my tank just have to mix in 10% or so Dino when the temp will be below 0.

ELSBETT kits sure aren't cheap though, 1,534.37 CDN shipped versus $448.28 CDN shipped for a Plant Drive Kit. If is it going to be 3.5 times more expensive this kit better install itself I'm sure there are some major component differences between the 2 kits, but I'll have to wait until I get my copy of Sliding Home back before I can point them out.

Plant Drive does offer 1 tank kits as well, I'm just not sure if they would be suitable for a BC climate.

[loki]

one of the things I like about the ELSBETT kit is the flexibility and ease of use. Also I was thinking of still mounting a 3rd tank where the spare tire goes for added range on what ever fuel or mix of fuels I'm running. The fact that the kit comes with new injectors that have a spray pattern that allows the engine to run WVO better is a major plus in my mind as well.

The site says that the kit should be able to be installed easily by a mechanically inclined person with regular tools. I'm still not 100% but I'm really leaning towards this system. With all the costs I don't know if I can afford to do the conversion and get the stuff I want for the filtering I'm going to be doing at the same time but don't really want to do one with out the other. Guess I'll have to get an investor as I hope to make a small business of selling the filtered oil to those that want it but can't or don't want to filter it themselves. :).