How important is washing your bio?

mongo75 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-15-2007, 06:45 PM

The guy I buy bio from doesn't water wash his bio, and it looks a bit cloudy. Is this bad? It does a decent job of clogging up a 2 micron filter after a 100 miles or so too....

fabmandelux · #2 (**permalink**) 06-15-2007, 10:26 PM

"Raw" unwashed biodiesel will run your truck.................short term. It will eventually ruin the IP and injectors.

"unwashed" biodiesel has water, methanol, lye, glycerol, and glycerides [ mono, di, and tri] and is not good for any engine.

If his biodiesel doesn't look like this:

or this:

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK !!!

I do not water-wash............ long story.............I use Magnesol Dri-wash, and my biodiesel meets all ASTM specs.

I use a 1 micron absilute final fuel filter before my main storage tank. My present filter has had over 2,500 gallons and hasen't plugged up yet!

Biodiesel is easy to make........Good biodiesel takes a little more time and care, but is well worth it.

mongo75 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-16-2007, 07:17 PM

I'll see if I can get a sample pic of what I get, but you can't see through it- now ya got me all concerned. If I gotta take drastic measures, like trying to water wash 140 gallons I have in my main and aux tanks, I'll never hear the end of it from the wife. UUuughhhhh.....

Thanks for you help Don- I'm glad I can trust ya

fabmandelux · #4 (**permalink**) 06-16-2007, 09:52 PM

If it's not crystal clear [ not talking about color] it's most likely low conversion biodiesel. Cloudiness is one of the first signs of low conversion fuel. it will have lots of FFAs, glycerol, methanol, water, lye, etc. None of this is good for your diesel.

mongo75 · #5 (**permalink**) 06-16-2007, 10:26 PM

I just filled a 12oz water bottle about 2/3rds ,and then added about 2 oz of water and shook the hell outta it, kinda like in the Dr. Pepper method. I'll check it tomorrow morning and see how it looks.

He says he filters it through some kinda ionization method or something unheard of. Now I question why I bought this in the first place (save now, pay later)

monsterbaby · #6 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 12:18 AM

Danny if when you put the water in it didn't immediatly settle out clear then you hve a problem with it and I personally wouldn't run it. here is an example first picture I added water to mine after washing this is immediatly after shaking it up.

This picture is the same jar 5 minutes later

Basically i wouldn't run anything that didn't settle like that in 5 minutes or less.

mongo75 · #7 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 10:56 AM

Mine didn't clear up in five minutes- I know it took longer than 4 hours to clear up. I guess it doesn't really make a difference how hard you shake it up. UPDATE- I just check my sample bottle, and there is no clear water at the bottom- there is a milky white layer. WHat is that stuff??

fabmandelux · #8 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mongo75

Mine didn't clear up in five minutes- I know it took longer than 4 hours to clear up. I guess it doesn't really make a difference how hard you shake it up. UPDATE- I just check my sample bottle, and there is no clear water at the bottom- there is a milky white layer. WHat is that stuff??

Soap, Lye, free fatty acids,etc.............

mongo75 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 12:56 PM

Fabman- so like you said in the other post, should I just run through the 130 gals I have left, or try to clean it somehow?

fabmandelux · #10 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mongo75

Fabman- so like you said in the other post, should I just run through the 130 gals I have left, or try to clean it somehow?

Nope, not falling for that one

YOUR CALL!!

Personally, I myself would not put it in my truck...................

But maybe if you filtered the @#^% out of it?

monsterbaby · #11 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 08:45 PM

Personally I am going to go along with Don on this one. I wouldn't put it in my truck until I did something with it, maybe in a oil burning heater of some type diluted but not in my powerstroke.

mongo75 · #12 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 10:47 PM

I already have about 50 gals in my main tank, and 100 in an aux tank

Wondering if I can try to get him to buy it back....

mongo75 · #13 (**permalink**) 06-17-2007, 10:57 PM

Hey Guys- this is what "my guy" has been doing. Still isn't getting washed though. I'm thinking I can dump about 40 gals into a 55 gal drum and then mix it with 10 gals of water, and let it settle, then do it again 1 or 2 more times?? Jeez- I try to save a buck and it bites me in the ....

http://www.jobwerx.com/news/lnx_resins-biodiesel_biz-id=948628_018.html

fabmandelux · #14 (**permalink**) 06-18-2007, 08:38 AM

You could try it, but you'll have to heat it up to drive off the water.......

This is one of many reasons that I use Magnesol instead of water-washing.

monsterbaby · #15 (**permalink**) 06-18-2007, 08:57 AM

maybe not an idea solution but rather than put the water in try bubbling it with air and letting it settle for a couple of days. I just bubbled my latest batch for 6 hrs and before I turned it off there was most of the soaps in the bottom of the barrel and the fuel was crystal clear, I do that before using the magnasol (I know Don you don't like the idea of air in the fuel, but in his case it might be a better than nothing solution and should get most of the crud out)