Anyone here burn Bio-diesel, or vegetable oil?

[airhead2]

With the cost of fuel at insane levels clearly this is having adverse affects on travel plans, and on a larger scale the overall RV industry including our beloved Airstreams. I am curious where Airforum members weigh in on alternative fuels.

Are any of you using bio-diesel? Are any of you burning Vegetable Oil? If so what’s it costing you? If not, then why not?

Here are a couple of links to some very interesting information on the subject of bio-fuels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_oil_used_as_fuel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel

Google “bio diesel kelp” and “bio diesel algae.”

[InspectorDread]

With the price of vegetable oil at $7.15 a gallon for the off brands, I'm wishing that I could deep fry chicken wings and fish in diesel oil.

[airhead2]

Originally Posted by InspectorDread

With the price of vegetable oil at $7.15 a gallon for the off brands, I'm wishing that I could deep fry chicken wings and fish in diesel oil.

Yes, but what about reclaimed (used) vegetable oil from restaurants etc? Also, I have heard that some people are brewing their own bio-diesel for much cheaper than what we pay at the pump. It would be great to know if any Air-compadres have any experience with this stuff!

[lsinclair]

If your diesel engine is still covered under manufacture's warranty, I would think twice. Ford, for example performs oil and fuel analysis prior to authorizing any internal engine warranty repairs. In fact, using anything greater than B5 will void the engine warranty (Ford). Larry

[Tom Nugler]

While I have no experience with Bio in full sized TV’s, I’ve had plenty with VW diesels.
Last winter was pretty rough with gelling and waxing of the fuel. We add Standyne One-Shot additive when doing a maintenance.
There are also issues with whatever the black sludge is that can plug up the pick-up screens. Some think its algae, some a carbon based derivative of some kind. Google "black sludge in diesel fuel".
I believe that quality control is the greatest challenge to the bio diesel industry. Bio Willie seems to have a following among the truckers and meets the ASTM standards. When you ask one of our customers with a fuel problem where they’ve been getting their Bio you never seem to get a straight answer. There’s a lot of "Home Brewers" out there. It also seems to be a bit of an underground economy.
The best advice i can give to Bio users is installing a better than stock fuel filter and doing more frequent changes. Keeping ahead of your maintenance schedules and searching for the best fuel in you area.

Tom.

[74"Twinkie"]

I have been using waste vegetable oil (wvo) from a local resturaunt for about 5 months. After some growing pains and learning curve things are working great. I drive my truck on a daily basis and find that I use 25% diesel and 75% oil. (I start on diesel until the oil is warmed up and switch back to diesel two miles before I turn the motor off to purge the system of oil.) We just took our trailer on a 200 mile trip and only used about 3 gallons of diesel. The oil is free but a set of filters cost about $50. They are supost to filter approx. 800 gallons per set (I will find out if that is true or not soon enough) and I use a small amount of electricity to heat the oil to aid in the filtering process. The TV is a 1950 GMC Suburban on a 1982 GMC chassis with a 6.2 deisel.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by airhead2

veggie/biod?...

covered here including posts from the inventor of frybird....

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...ers-24246.html

cheers
2air'

[airhead2]

Originally Posted by 74"Twinkie"

I have been using waste vegetable oil (wvo) from a local resturaunt for about 5 months. After some growing pains and learning curve things are working great. I drive my truck on a daily basis and find that I use 25% diesel and 75% oil. (I start on diesel until the oil is warmed up and switch back to diesel two miles before I turn the motor off to purge the system of oil.) We just took our trailer on a 200 mile trip and only used about 3 gallons of diesel. The oil is free but a set of filters cost about $50. They are supost to filter approx. 800 gallons per set (I will find out if that is true or not soon enough) and I use a small amount of electricity to heat the oil to aid in the filtering process. The TV is a 1950 GMC Suburban on a 1982 GMC chassis with a 6.2 deisel.

Your 50' GMC TV takes the cake. It would be great to see some more pictures of it (perhaps you'll post some), very cool .

Thank you for describing your experience. It sounds like you can drive around with a feeling of satisfaction few drivers experience these days (it is motivating). Please let us know if you run into any unique maintenance related issues.

[airhead2]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

covered here including posts from the inventor of frybird....

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...ers-24246.html

cheers
2air'

Thanks from one 'air' to another

[safari 28]

No diesel, but e85. overall it is usually about .75c/ gallon less than unleaded and about 1.30 less than diesel. I have in the states of iowa and colorado bought it from 1.99 to an average 2.75/gallon depending on the retail outlet. independent fuel c0-ops the lowest, oil company stores the highest.

[74"Twinkie"]

Originally Posted by airhead2

Your 50' GMC TV takes the cake. It would be great to see some more pictures of it (perhaps you'll post some), very cool .

Thank you for describing your experience. It sounds like you can drive around with a feeling of satisfaction few drivers experience these days (it is motivating). Please let us know if you run into any unique maintenance related issues.

I've added a couple of pictures to my members photo list. Unfortunately I doubled the pics that I added- Does anyone know how to delete photos from the members photo list?

[Foiled Again]

Vern Townsend (53FlyingCloud) and I met a man who had converted two older Suburbans to grease cars. He gave us a very thorough tour and told us a few of the upsides and downsides. First, you definitely DO NOT want to mix veggie oil in with your diesel. You start and run on diesel until the engine reaches 160? degrees, then switch over to the filtered oil. You switch back to diesel about 2 miles before you plan to stop, to purge the system. Secondly, you can be pulled over and inspected for using improper fuel - i.e. heating oil diesel which isn't taxed for road use. Seems the home use has a dye in it, and if they catch you running a car with it, big fine!

He was pulled over because he had a big sitcker in his rear window proclaiming Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems. In his case, the mechanic who installed the second tank had rigged up the fuel supply lines incorrectly and the grease was being pumped into his diesel tank, blending the fuels and turning them a sort of ugly brown color. Net story a big fine from the state of N.C. $1000 - which he DID get refunded after the guys that had converted his car admitted that there was an installation error and that they had corrected it.

Also, and as always - the tax man has caught up with the grease car industry. In Virginia you are required to pay state and federal taxes on the miles you run on grease. The reason - a grease car puts the same amount of wear and tear on the highways that a gasoline or diesel car does. Apparently you're supposed to send the state your mileage every quarter and your conventional diesel consumption - they bill you so much per mile 19.5 cents I think, that you travelled on grease. Comes out to about $1200 per year? Oh, well we all should pay to maintain the roads I guess.

Nothing is ever easy .... or if it starts easy, it doesn't stay that way.

Paula

[Pick]

I run biodiesel when ever I can get it. Closest place is 30 miles away. I also run propane fumigation, too. I can save around $45 per tank of diesel and propane together, over just a tank of diesel, IF you can find the propane for 2/3 the cost of the diesel. Otherwise it is not really worth the trouble.

[munimula]

bio diesel reactors can be bought pre-assembled on ebay for $1100-$1500 plus shipping ($350+/-). i would be brewing my own - just don't have the available footprint for the reactor and associated mess at my house. airstreaming cost me almost three bills this past weekend and i never left new jersey.

[airhead2]

Originally Posted by 74"Twinkie"

I've added a couple of pictures to my members photo list. Unfortunately I doubled the pics that I added- Does anyone know how to delete photos from the members photo list?

74' Twinkie; thanks for posting the photos of your custom GMC, very cool. I like your Argosy as well, but I guess that goes without saying given the subject matter on this forum . They look great together!

[Davis]

I have run Chevron biodiesel B20 for most of this year and have had no ill effects nor have I seen any mileage improvements either. We only have have one station that sells the biodiesel. I have read on other forums that the biodiesel has more lubricity for the engine parts and that is why I buy it when possible. When I buy petro diesel I add stanadyne fuel addittive to help with the lubricity.
As for the used or waste veg. oil systems or WVO bio diesel I have also read on other forums that the salt from deep fryers is not 100% removed during refining to make the biodiesel. Which can cause corrosion with your fuel system. I am sure someone can chime in and may have run across this and no how to remove it. I would be eager to hear any replies on that myself. Also when using higher concentrations of the biodiesel you will need to use synthetic fuel hoses/lines where applicable on your vehicle and change your fuel filters more often.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by airhead2

Your 50' GMC TV

Gee with a TV that big you could tow something like a 85 foot Airstream! Talk about room for full timing!

[Aerowood]

When ever we have to do tank maintenance on one of our airplanes the diesel drivers here at work are like hawks circling their prey waiting for the sumped fuel. Each tank on the Herc has about 30 to 40 gals of fuel we can't legally put back in and there are 8 tanks.