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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Fuel help from a friend



Ever since spring I've had issues with my van's ability to burn waste veggie fuel. Eventually the problem was narrowed down to my main veggie source changing their cooking oil. They went from a light canola to a hydrogenated soybean. Through much trial and error (and a number of fuel pumps) I've had to resort to cutting the veggie with some diesel. That seems to do the job.

Because my van was in the shop so often I didn't use nearly as much veggie as I normally would. My fuel storage racks are full and there's little room for more.

When I leave for the winter a friend of mine picks up the waste oil for me. Fortunately, he has expanded his storage space. He plans on doing a lot of trips with a diesel dump truck to build a road and expects to use a lot of veggie fuel. I'm glad he's been able to take my overflow.

That's a big load off my mind. I was afraid I'd have to write a letter to the restaurant and tell them I can't use their veggie anymore. My friend bought me time to figure something else out. My wife's car needs to be replaced. If we replace it with an old diesel we'll be able make use of the soybean oil.

There are improvements that can be made to the van to lessen the strain on the electric fuel pump. A few of my blog readers have provided some helpful suggestions. I'm sure there will be plenty to do once I get home in the spring.

It's good to have other people to rely on. Sure makes life easier.

-Sixbears

5 comments:

  1. And then there's always the horse and cart option...

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  2. Interesting about the light canola vs a hydrogenated soybean and the soybean not burning like the plain canola oil. It's the first time I've heard about it and good to know for the future. Do you have a diesel to soybean ratio figured out yet? Thanks for the education!

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    Replies
    1. About 20 - 30 percent seems to do the job.

      Hydrogenated oils are tough to use.

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