Biopowered - vegetable oil and biodiesel forum

General => Chatter => Topic started by: Julian on October 13, 2012, 07:00:53 PM

Title: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Julian on October 13, 2012, 07:00:53 PM
It was my own fault!  I collected about 100 litres from a nursing home last week.  One drum was marked Shell Tellus, which from my days working on ships, I knew was mineral oil.  My train of thought was how the hell did a nursing home get hold of an empty Tellus drum, never mind the oil looks nice and clean.  It was only after I'd started pumping it into my settling barrel did I notice the different smell.  I've now got 35 litres of hydraulic oil / veg oil mix to deal with.

I therefore claim Muppet of the Month award!


It does, however, beg the question ... what the hell does a nursing home do with hydraulic oil?

Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: julianf on October 13, 2012, 07:27:15 PM
Re-animate inmates when business is slow?
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Tony on October 13, 2012, 07:28:49 PM
At least you didn't spill it all over your boot! What ratio to veg is it in your settle tank?
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: julianf on October 13, 2012, 07:29:18 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7zDebveHeM
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: julianf on October 13, 2012, 07:33:55 PM
I guess nursing homes have lifting kit?  Hoists, hydraulic beds etc?

You would have thought though, that any source would be serviced by a contractor, who would take away the waste also?
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: greasemonkey on October 13, 2012, 08:00:14 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7zDebveHeM

Jezuz fu"&ing Kriast! That is disturbing!

Probably something daft like the service contractor leaving the can of oil while he goes for a pee, and an over zealous cleaner picking it up and walking off with it, realises its oil and putting it by the kitchens. Only luck it didn't get used to fry chips with.
By the time the contractor came back, he'd forgotten he put the can there, and got another one from the van.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Julian on October 13, 2012, 08:06:53 PM
At least you didn't spill it all over your boot! What ratio to veg is it in your settle tank?

Well, actually I did ... not as badly as you, but the drum tipped on the way home and oil that was sitting in recesses in the lid ran onto then into the base speaker mounted on the rear door.  I mopped as much as I could but it's been dripping out into the door seal all this week.

Pure guesstimate about 6:1 in favour of veg.

Julian ... lifting kit and hoists, you're probably right, didn't think about that ... wonder if they want it back, I think it's new.

Balance of the replies are a complete mystery to me!
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Tony on October 13, 2012, 08:28:51 PM
6:1 may require further dilution to make it road legal as an additive but shouldn't affect the bio process if you treat it as an inert component.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Julian on October 13, 2012, 08:38:56 PM
I'd thought of two ways.  Feed small amounts into each batch or process as a contaminated batch then mix that with good bio.

Keith advises that he's processed contaminated veg and got most of the contaminate out with the first stage Glycerol, but mineral oil screws up the 3/27 test.

Based on that the one batch processing sounds favourate.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: julesandtash on October 13, 2012, 09:17:03 PM
I just processed a load of fats that were mixed with kero and diesel. I acquired 600 litres of this gloop from someone who was running WVO - this was years of dregs they had saved up. After two stage processing it gave a perfectly clear 10/90 so I guess your hydraulic oil should be OK. I'm using mine as heating fuel so I am not worried about the kero levels in the finished fuel.

I pick up a drum of shell hydraulic oil from a local community college along with 80 litres of used veg. I didn't want it but took it away to help them out and encourage them to keep supplying me with their veg.

It was knocking around for ages but I have now given it to Bob (Photoman290 on VOD) for use in his waste oil burner and he reports that it burns perfectly
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: julianf on October 13, 2012, 09:22:49 PM
As a side note -

If / when i eventually set up my lister, ill be on the lookout for WHO.  Its said to burn without the abrasive ash that WMO creates.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Glycer-rides on October 13, 2012, 10:18:17 PM
I guess nursing homes have lifting kit?  Hoists, hydraulic beds etc?

You would have thought though, that any source would be serviced by a contractor, who would take away the waste also?

They are all powered by D.C. motor driven rams these days.
The old hydraulic kit wasn't serviced on site, they'd swap the unit over for a new one.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: photoman290 on October 13, 2012, 10:31:30 PM
think i might qualify for muppet of the day at least. just topped up my wonderful waste oil heater. those at the BBB will know what i am talking about. i overfilled the can again!! poured a nice mix of thinners diesel and god knows what else all over the floor. this is not the first time either. its dark where the tank is and the oil is black. must remember to put a light over it tomorrow might be a good time. just sat down again after cleaning the floor, opening all the windows, and washing it off my feet. at least it didn't blow up.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: julesandtash on October 13, 2012, 10:48:11 PM
Why dont you put the tank outside with the pipe coming through a small hole. Then when you overfill it, the oil will just go on the grass not the floor
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: photoman290 on October 14, 2012, 12:08:47 AM
that is the next stage. now i know how much oil it uses in a night i can put a suitable sized tank outside. was a bit worried about it going out so made the tank smaller than the pot. no signs of it going out so will increase the size of the tank. will have to make it pretty wind and rain proof,and because of the height of the floor it will have to be about 7 foot up in the air. not a lot to secure it too on the side of the coach.might just move the tank to the front of the coach where it wont matter  too much if it  does leak. uses  around 3 litres a night.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Head Womble on October 15, 2012, 09:56:58 PM
I would like to lay claim to this award.

I've just pumped 200L of oil into my reactor ready to do a gly wash,
yes you've guessed it,
the valve to my bio settling tank was open,
I've pumped about 140L of damp oil into 40ish liters of finished bio, the last 40L I had, and my wife needs fuel tomorrow.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Julian on October 15, 2012, 10:08:29 PM
That's three contenders ... we'll have to have a poll.

Ground her for a couple of days while you make some more.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Tony on October 15, 2012, 10:16:09 PM
I would like to lay claim to this award.

I've just pumped 200L of oil into my reactor ready to do a gly wash,
yes you've guessed it,
the valve to my bio settling tank was open,
I've pumped about 140L of damp oil into 40ish liters of finished bio, the last 40L I had, and my wife needs fuel tomorrow.

The sad thing is we've all done that and know exactly how it feels - the pressure to get it sorted for a journey otherwise it's a trip to the pump...
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Head Womble on October 15, 2012, 10:17:28 PM
I'm hoping to try the titrated water wash tomorrow so maybe she can just use my car for the day.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Head Womble on October 15, 2012, 10:20:21 PM
otherwise it's a trip to the pump...

That's worse than saying J**p.

Wash your mouth out young man.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: julesandtash on October 15, 2012, 10:52:51 PM
Are you sure you can be trusted with strong acid after a lapse of concentration like that  ;D
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Head Womble on October 15, 2012, 11:05:50 PM
Are you sure you can be trusted with strong acid after a lapse of concentration like that  ;D

I'll use vinegar, I think I'll be ok with that.
Title: Re: Muppet of the Month Award.
Post by: Tony on October 16, 2012, 08:10:18 AM
Could end up pickling yourself 8)