Are you thinking about winter yet?

[julianf]

Sadly, im already stressing about it!

Im determined to get better prepared for it this time.  Last winter i made it through on 100% bio, with no additives, but i was only able to do that due to some chance oil scores.

Still, its no fun processing in the winter at all, not to mention harder (due to heat losses, colder start points, longer settling, etc. etc.)


So, if youre planning ahead, what are you doing?

Im -

Currently not using any liquid oil - just stock piling it for the winter.
Processing all my solid oil whilst the weather is fine, no matter if i need it or not (easier to store when processed - and if i need it for the house boiler, itll be there)
Then ill move on to the liquid oil, process all of that, and store it for winter car use.

Not much of a plan, but id be interested if anyone else has any tips or tricks they use for getting through the varying seasons?

[Jmg]

I always planning to do winter better but so far I never have. Too lazy to filter any more often and too busy/cheap to get a few gallons of mis fuel/winterizer in stock.

[kamaangir]

Trouble with only using the solids and leaving the liquids for winter is that when you need to use it the liquid stuff will have turned solid in the cold.

Best way of doing it is if you start stockpiling all the good liquid stuff in the winter for next winter. Its probably not practical for most people due to storage or lack of a surplus.

[Jamesrl]

No, I'm still waiting for the last one to end.

[Tony]

Only with a sense of dread and uprated storage (and hopefully soon processing) facilities!

[julesandtash]

Other than getting central heating in the biodiesel end of the workshop and lining the roof with kingspan/celotex, nothing really.

The workshop is never that cold in winter but this year it should be a lot warmer. I will be buying a drum of Wintron around September I suspect and start introducing that as the weather gets colder.

[Rotary-Motion]

no worries here 

[greasemonkey]

Yup, starting to think about it now. Longest day today, a few weeks and the nights will be noticeably drawing in.  Won't be long before the mornings will be shrouded in thick fog.

Main ambition, fit thermal store for central heating. Get processing bio. Heat bio storage tank off thermal store, get heated and insulated tank on truck.
Once I've done that, I'll get fat and hibernate.
A coolant system heater would be nice, but if I get that far, it will be a big bonus.

[nigelb]

Maybe you could re-launch your winteriser offer Julian. Now seems like a good time

[Rotary-Motion]

Yup, starting to think about it now. Longest day today, a few weeks and the nights will be noticeably drawing in.  Won't be long before the mornings will be shrouded in thick fog.

Main ambition, fit thermal store for central heating. Get processing bio. Heat bio storage tank off thermal store, get heated and insulated tank on truck.
Once I've done that, I'll get fat and hibernate.
A coolant system heater would be nice, but if I get that far, it will be a big bonus.

be more worried that caravan is insulated lol
##
 

no it aint funny, i lived that life for a long time once...

[greasemonkey]

Caravan is pretty well insulated, only keep it warm. Two inches of kingspan in the walls, four in the ceiling.
The biggest problem is keeping a constant heat. No matter how hot the fire gets at night it is still cold in the morning. Its not my leccy supply, so I don't want to go down that route, and I used over £100 worth of heating oil last year. I can put the thermal store together for not much more than that, and heat with a turk burner running on WMO.
It will be nice to get up in the morning and have it warm. Hate stepping out the shower when it 3C..............

[Keef]

Funny, being a filterer, I work the other way.

I filter and stockpile as much as I can in the winter because I know I can use it at any time of year and in the summer I only filter what I'm going to use straight away in case it goes lumpy if we get a cold snap.

I've also learn't to write the temperature that I filtered at on the containers.

[julesandtash]

Maybe you could re-launch your winteriser offer Julian. Now seems like a good time

As you found out Nige, it is a real pain in the backside for no real gain or, if you do try to make a gain, you get slated for it.

I think I might just bite the bullet, by a 25litre drum for myself and then if a few friends want some then they can but I'm not sure I'll bother with trying to offer a bulk purchase again.

[Rotary-Motion]

Caravan is pretty well insulated, only keep it warm. Two inches of kingspan in the walls, four in the ceiling.
The biggest problem is keeping a constant heat. No matter how hot the fire gets at night it is still cold in the morning. Its not my leccy supply, so I don't want to go down that route, and I used over £100 worth of heating oil last year. I can put the thermal store together for not much more than that, and heat with a turk burner running on WMO.
It will be nice to get up in the morning and have it warm. Hate stepping out the shower when it 3C..............

i would guess your windows are single glazed maybe? as you loose loads of heat there...

i have sealed windows up in the winter with polythene, taped round

[Rotary-Motion]

Funny, being a filterer, I work the other way.

I filter and stockpile as much as I can in the winter because I know I can use it at any time of year and in the summer I only filter what I'm going to use straight away in case it goes lumpy if we get a cold snap.

I've also learn't to write the temperature that I filtered at on the containers.

i like you always watch the ambient temp and if filtered in hot weather try use it up...

but i filter half way (2x bed sheets + dewatered + settled 1 week + 50m with j cloth + 20m) and leave it in my tanks, so it still has 2 sets of filters to go through before out into car and can settle more.

 

i got 160 ltrs of oil thats still settling after 2 years! backup oil