Making your own

Golf87

Active member
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Location
Maine
TDI
2001 Golf TDI
Alright, so there are all of these systems for producing your own fuel, and then there are these websites that are basically selling you a fuel thinner that will make waste oil into a useable fuel. Has anyone tried this or have any experience at all with it? They really preach the low cost approach, makes me curious if its been tried at all?
 

naturist

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2001
Location
Bro Jerry's hometown, Virginia
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 2005 Jeep Libby CRD, 2012 BMW X5 35d
You might want to do a search, read a few posts here, and you will find your question has been discussed to death.

Search on "fuelmeister," "appleseed," and "diesel secret;" other keywords will suggest themselves as you read. Prepare to learn far more than you ever thought you wanted to know.
 

McBrew

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI, 5 speed, Silver/Grey
Don't try to thin down veggie oil and use it in an unmodified diesel. You would be taking a pretty big risk.

If you want to make your own biodiesel, the best solution is an 'appleseed' processor. You can make one for somewhere between $100 and $600, depending on whether you buy a new water heater, and what size it is. Mine is an 80 gallon water heater, which can product about 55 gallons of biodiesel at a time. Even so, I make 2 to 3 batches a week!

All told, I have about $2,500 invested in my system. That includes the Appleseed processor, an 85 gallon conical wash tank, a 275 gallon holding/dispensing tote, and lots of other gadgets. It could be done a lot cheaper, but I have other family members pitching in, so there was no need to be cheap. We are set to save about $10,000 in fuel costs this year.

Do a lot of reading over at biodiesel.infopop.cc and biodieselnow.com. Both of those are really good sites. Be careful with journeytoforever.org, they have someoutdated (or just plain wrong) information.
 

p06781

Active member
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Location
pdx oregon
TDI
2003 jetta sedan auto
Any recommendations on easy place to start.? I am going in with a coworker of mine to buy a setup. I have a old 50 gal water heater and was thinking of buying a kit from utahbiodiesel slupply? My work (a hospital) is able to provide a source of wvo.

Any recommendations.....

Jim
 

MrErlo

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2006
Location
Omaha, NE
TDI
2003 Golf 4dr 5sp
i just got my copy of Biodiesel Homebrew Guide by Girl_Mark. it's about $18 and i haven't gotten a chance to make it all the way through it yet, but many people consider it the gold standard. she'e been at it for a long time so this 10th edition is good stuff.
 
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MrErlo

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2006
Location
Omaha, NE
TDI
2003 Golf 4dr 5sp
there is another thread where we were trying to locate someone who'd actually used a BioPro 190 and see how good the product was. so far no one has turned in any actual results.

i would be interested in getting a group of people together to purchase one if i knew it would a) make ASTM spec Biod b) last long enough to pay for itself c) actually work as well as claimed. if anyone has any personal experience with either the BioPro 150 or 190, please post so we can all find out about it.
 

McBrew

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI, 5 speed, Silver/Grey
Yes, as I mentioned above, biodiesel.infopop.cc is a great resource. GirlMark, the author of the Homebrewing Guide is a regular contributor.
 

homebrewtdi

Active member
Joined
Mar 12, 2006
Location
Marquette, MI
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Good suppliers

B100supply.com is the supplier of the kits to utahbiodieselsupply.com, just so you (joe) know. I bought the "full system kit" with the "deluxe titration kit" and have not had to make any sort of modifications. I simply followed the instructions, and it has made perfect batches every time. I haven't made all that much by many people's standards, but I have made over 200 gallons. Utahbiodieselsupply.com carries the only things that need to be added to the kit: an aquarium bubbler kit, 1 or 2 stainless steel aquarium heaters, and maybe a couple of transfer pumps. I can very much reccomend these two companies.

Cheers,
Matt
 
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