boi-diesel+home furnace=??

[sluggermn]

My home uses #2 diesel (fuel oil) in an inside tank down in the basement. can I produce bio-diesel and use that in my furnace?
is there anything different I would have to do to my furnace or in the making of the bio-diesel to be able to use it that way??

slugger

[SoucetoSea]

I know several folks have reported that biodiesel works fine. You may have to tweak the orifiace, but other than that you should be good to go. Also, biodiesel is a great solvent, so your filter may get clogged up with some of the junk that accumulates in a tank over time.

[ffd430]

I've used off road deisel in place of #2 fuel oil before in a pinch and it worked just fine... Idont see why bio deisel wouldnt work... i'm thinking of trying it myself... let me know how it works out for you.

[The_HVAC_man]

Hello all. Here on Vancouver Island one of the local fuel companys is really pushing bio-fuel. Now, having a heating buiness here for the last 14 years, I have noticed more plugged nozzle's and oil filters. Now I am not saying it is bad, not at all, just as a service man, this is what I have noticed. I have spoken to a couple of friends of mine who are in the business here on the Island, and they have said the same thing. I am thinking that if you mix it with old dirty oil (ie all the crud at the bottom of the tank) I think this is where alot of the problems are. Now, if you put bio-fuel into a new tank, then I think you stand a better chance of having less problems. Just remember, if you get a fuel delivery, let your tank sit for 20 min's or so, just to allow all the crud to setlle back down to the bottom of your tank, that is if you have an older tank, before fireing up your furnace.
Just my experience passed onto to you guy's. Nice forum by the way. The HVAC Man.

[annabella1]

the hvac man figured out the problem but just letting the biodiesel sit will not solve it. Biodiesel is such a good solvent all that gunk from the petroleum diesel will suspend itself in the biodiesel. You will need to install a filter and change it frequently until all the gunk is gone or start with a clean new tank.

[JAK]

Somewhat off topic, since biodiesel can come from wvo or svo, but if I was to grow something like rapeseed myself I look into using the biodiesel for transportation fuel, or combined heat and power, and perhaps using waste product from that process for home heating, unless it is better used as compost.

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html#ascend

Anyhow, the yields are something like 2 tons per acre, which probably ends up about the same net energy yield as cordwood or coppice wood. The land probably has to be better quality however, and it is likely more labour intensive also, and higher capital and operating costs, but you end up with a transportation fuel of course. The other thing to consider is that you can better combine wind farms with rapeseed production, and crop rotation with rapeseed production, though again the capital and operating costs are higher.

[AlchemyAcres]

They call those oil yileds 'conservative'.....they may be conservative for solvent extraction, but they're very liberal otherwise.....figure about half the posted yield for heated oilseed pulp....and about 1/4 the posted yield for unheated....again very rough estimates!

Having produced some oil (sunflower)...I can tell you that it's extremely labor intensive.

Not trying to rain on anyones parade...it's just the reality of it...but...as always...I'm open to new ideas and others experiences...I'd love to be able to produce oil in an efficient and sensible way.

~Martin :)

[kawalekm]

You should note that 2 ton figure is for harvested seed, not the oil itself. The oil pressed out of that harvest amounts to 127 gallons of oil, which is still quite a bit though with an energy output/input ratio of >3. The good news though is all that pressed meal can be used for animal feed, compost, or other uses. If it was pressed soybeans, the meal could be used for human foods like tofu.

[woodburner]

I would like to convert my house to a fry-baby too so I can smell frenh fries, chinese, donuts all the time but have heard the issue with too high a percentage of bio or used fry oil is the viscosity of the fry oil is such it needs to be a higher temperature than normal. I burn wood and coal as primary and use oil as a backup but hate spending that kind of money for oil. Trouble is I am afraid to mess with my heater too much. Any thoughts out there?
wb

[machinemaker]

Just a thought, a true swag (scientific wild ass guess), I don't think that you would have to convert the wvo to bio diesel to burn it in an oil furnace. You would need to strain / filter it well to not plug the orifice in the burner. I would think that by not trying to get an explosive mixture under compression in a diesel engine, but burning an atomized spray in a hot refractory chamber that straight wvo would burn well. It might have a tendency to burn a bit dirtier.
kent

[MadTripper]

If you were to try and burn straight wvo, I'm quite sure you would have to preheat it at the very least. *Additionally, part of the process of moving wvo to biodiesel involves removing the moisture that accumulates from cooking food in it. *I wonder if there is an old unit around that could make a good test device. *

I'm gonna check google and if I find anything, I'll post back.

Tripper

I found this link which seems like a good start.

http://bullsheet.wordpress.com/2005/08/17/wvo-for-home-heating/

[jott]

To run an engine on WVO you start it and shut down on regular diesel the main reasons is that when you make oil very hot it makes a gummy to hard film, just like when you burn oil in a pan on the stove. So I would say the problem would not be in can you get it to burn, it would be the small amount left in the nozzle turning in to gum and clogging it up. I do know some people that have not had too much trouble with cutting in about 25% WVO with the heating oil. I would say it would be worth playing with if you have an old oil burner around.

[rich554]

You have to be carful too with your seals in the furnace. BD will break down natural rubber products and cause them to disinigrate (and leak). Most furnaces are only UL listed for #2 not BD. Not sure how that would effect home owners insurance.