A Modest Proposal WVO/Biodiesel forum interest

[strelnik]

No, this is not Daniel DeFoe's comic proposal to resolve problems of starving children in Ireland by bringing them to England and eating them, this is something more serious.

There are many smart guys I know who brew biodiesel, but because there's no biodiesel forum around here, they don't spend time on the Peach Parts forum, even though most of them are MB owners!!!

I'd like to get support to change that.

Some of these guys have developed other new solvents and others discovered different things in the course of their " brewing "

One of the most successful biodiesel producers lives fairly close to whunter and I bet he doesn't know it!

These guys hide well.

I am thinking of setting aside a small corner of the enclave/mancave to brew bio.

I would be happy to sell the excess to people at cost. I'm not planning to become a biodiesel magnate.

So...reactions? Regional chapters? Stickies on what's good and bad in the bio-d market? current prices in regions? Local suppliers across America?

Your thoughts please.

[tarnbarn]

(cough cough)... that's be Jonathan Swift, not defoe...

[strelnik]

There are many smart guys I know who brew biodiesel, but because there's no biodiesel forum around here, they don't spend time on the Peach Parts forum, even though most of them are MB owners!!!

I'd like to get support to change that.

Some of these guys have developed other new solvents and others discovered different things in the course of their " brewing "

One of the most successful biodiesel producers lives fairly close to whunter and I bet he doesn't know it!

These guys hide well.

I am thinking of setting aside a small corner of the enclave/mancave to brew bio.

I would be happy to sell the excess to people at cost. I'm not planning to become a biodiesel magnate.

So...reactions? Regional chapters? Stickies on what's good and bad in the bio-d market? current prices in regions? Local suppliers across America?

Your thoughts please.

[Rooster300SD]

Strelink,
If I were closer, I'd definitely be interested.

Yeah, Swift wrote A Modest Proposal, Defoe wrote the one about
the guy stranded on an island who ended up making a palm tree car
and biodiesel out of coconuts with his Man Friday......no, wait....I think that's Gilligan and the Professor.......

[John Schroader]

I am thinking of setting aside a small corner of the enclave/mancave to brew bio.

I would be happy to sell the excess to people at cost. I'm not planning to become a biodiesel magnate.

So...reactions? Regional chapters? Stickies on what's good and bad in the bio-d market? current prices in regions? Local suppliers across America?

Your thoughts please.[/QUOTE]


A couple of thoughts on this matter might be worthy of consideration. First -----different states view brewing bio differently, but my experience is that it is best to keep a low profile. My home state (KY) would require me to register as a fuel producer, be bonded, inspected, etc.
Secondly-----most states want their fair share of any highway fuel in the form of taxes. I've heard of folks selling bio under the canopy of 'home heating fuel' but I'm not sure how well that works.
That said, I would like to make bio and sell it to several friends- good for them and a little pocket change for me, but if I do then I would either be a lawbreaker or have to play in the big league. And that's not what I want to do.

[dagObx]

I'd be interested in some sort of bio-learning, chat, etc. forum. I can't make it now since I'm in a rented house with no outbuildings, but when I move I will definitely be making bio.

There's a guy out here that's making it "under the radar". He has a grading company & runs all his diesel equipment off of it. He has quite the bio operation in his equipment building & has promised to show me the ropes. His bio looks as good as anything I have seen commercially; he's a stickler for doing it right. He even gives me a little of it from time to time.

Yeah, I'm interested!

Count me in...

[ForcedInduction]

Originally Posted by strelnik

but because there's no biodiesel forum around here, they don't spend time on the Peach Parts forum

For good reason. Biodiesel is a huge can of legal worms. "Biodiesel" to some people = WVO/SVO, which is clearly illegal. Not to mention there are many people against home brewing because of the ease of violating tax and insurance laws as well as safety regulations (putting their neighbors lives at risk from fire and chemical poisoning). An example of one such person stealing from the government and knowingly operating illegally is given in the bottom quote.

These are the kind of people that give BioDiesel a bad reputation and do far more to hold it back than advance its use.

These guys hide well.

Given the above, you can understand why they hide. The honest people don't hide.

Originally Posted by John Schroader

My home state (KY) would require me to register as a fuel producer, be bonded, inspected, etc.

[Zacharias]

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

"Biodiesel" to some people = WVO/SVO, which is clearly illegal.

How is WVO/SVO illegal?

[vstech]

Originally Posted by Zacharias

How is WVO/SVO illegal?

any untaxed fuel burned in a state that does not allow it to be burned is illegal, unless you pay quarterly taxes on the miles driven.

NC IS NOT one of those states. I don't know which states have exceptions for wvo other than NC.

[netboy]

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

An example of one such person stealing from the government

STEALING FROM THE GOVERNMENT - did you really say that?


Given the above, you can understand why they hide. The honest people don't hide.

"Honest people don't hide", better check your history.

[retmil46]

Many states allow you to make up to XX number of gallons per year for YOUR OWN USE with little or no hassle, but it would be a whole 'nother can of worms when it came to selling it to others.

[dieseldan44]

strelnik,

I have produced ~1000gals of biodiesel. I fabricated a 55 gallon Graham Laming type distillation processor in the summer of 2008 (timely). It made a lot of ASTM spec biodiesel from WVO.

I no longer use it: I run a two tank WVO system instead. The two tank rig is so so so much better in so many ways.

Producing biodiesel from WVO as a 'way of life' is really time consuming, expensive and above all, dangerous.

Making biodiesel is tantalizingly easy. You can do it in a mason jar in 20 minutes. Making *quality*, oxidatively stable, ASTM spec fuel at home in 50 gallon batches is really, really difficult.

I could write a paper on why it's a bad idea based on my own experiences and those of many others.

I dont think as many people are doing it as you think - and those who say they are successful may be not doing as good of a job as they think or may be ignoring safety precautions.

Sorry to be a debbie downer about it, but as I said, Ive been there, done that, and have the methanol vapor detector :-)

dd

[ForcedInduction]

Originally Posted by dieseldan44

I no longer use it: I run a two tank WVO system instead. The two tank rig is so so so much better in so many ways.

Not by any standard.

Making biodiesel is tantalizingly easy.

aka, lazy.

Originally Posted by bgiovan

But may I ask, how is the Prius driver similarly taxed? How about the Volt driver.

Fuel. Neither of those cars get good enough gas mileage to be of any concern, many cars from the 70's and 80's get significantly better mileage without any electronics let alone $5000 in batteries and computers. Electric cars have no future, the current "hybrid" cars alone strain the worlds supply of raw battery materials, there aren't enough resources to make enough cars to displace IC engines.

I prefer to not support Chavez, Ahmedinejad and the other dooshbags out there who gladly take our money and use it to kill us.

Thanks for letting us know you don't know where most of our oil actually comes from.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

[thayer]

I have been flirting with alternative fuels ever since I bought my 617. Never actually did it until tonight. I was talking to a friend of mine who I wrench with about it, and he poured my waste motor oil in my tank without specific direction from me. I laughed...I figure it will be ok. I did plug the block heater in tonight just to be safe.

There was a NC government official who was burning straight wvo in his VW and he pretty much nipped in the bud that for NC, its cool to burn whatever you want in your diesel. I have never been stopped and dipped. I know vstech has, but that was in charlotte.

My cousin got stopped and dipped, his farm truck had farm diesel in it and he got a ticket. If you dip a two tank system, you get whatever is in the tank, not the trunk.

Do it, and don't advertise. Once you save about 500$ in fuel, you're golden, even if you blow the engine (you can get a 617 at the pullapart for about 500$)

The diesels don't run at their tip top on anything but diesel, but they will get you there on a ton of different fuel. Dale got home on lawnmower gas once.

[WDBCB20]

Originally Posted by thayer

The diesels don't run at their tip top on anything but diesel, but they will get you there on a ton of different fuel. Dale got home on lawnmower gas once.

Found no discernible difference in startability or performance between straight diesel and 90%WVO 10% Diesel blend.