that is the question ?
i just started making my own bio , and it looks good and clean, i know the washing is for getting out soap, extra menthol ,etc but if i have a newer ford, with viton (?) o rings,etc do you really need to wash the fuel, it adds on a lot of time in making it.
anyone out there who does not wash, please give feed back
thanks
chad

 

Chad,

I have been making BD for sometime now. I do wash mine; however you are correct it does add to the time frame etc. What I would also like to know is the amount of miles folks are putting on with unwashed BD. It does no good for someone to say "No I do not wash mine and its fine" Yet they only have about 3000 miles on it etc. I want to see higher mileage like 50-60,000 miles or more. So I will bump this to the top for you and watch it.

 

Chad,

Fabmandelux has the most experience making and running Biodiesel.

his quote below....



"I've been producing Biodiesel for almost 2 years now. I tried washing and didn't like it, to many problems. I make approx 800 gal/week, and let each batch settle 1 week in my first tank, then for 4 weeks in a second tank. I've had two samples CG tested and both have met ASTM spec biodiesel. So far I've had no fuel related problems.FABMANDELUX "

 

Not knowing much about making bio....I would think that free methanol would be quite hard on HUEI injectors.

 

Cookie,

Yes some will argue that it is not. However it really is, and this is why I wash. But like fab has stated he lets his sit for weeks. This will allow all the methanol to evaporate and or be recovered. If you bubble dry which is one of the techniques I use to dry the BD after washing, only use it to evaporate the methanol it should work well and speed up the evaporation time rather then weeks, could be a few hours.

 

Making 800 gallons a week? If producing that much definately out selling the stuff. That's alot of oil collecting....

 

If you use the most recomended method, it call's for washing 3 times using 30 percent water each time. That means I would have 90 gal of waste water/100 gal of biodiesel! That's 750 gal/wk of waste water, a serious problem. As to miles using biodiesel; My 90 Dodge cummins has 42,000 miles on my biodiesel, my psd has 32,000 miles. The tractors,and irigation pumps have a total of 11,523 hrs on them. I have yet to experence my first fuel related problem. Before I started using bio in the Dodge I had the IP and injectors rebuilt, When it reaches 50,000mi I will send it back to the shop that did the rebuild and have it checked for wear. FABMANDELUX.