Wolverine Tech. Centrifuge review

[Yohan]

I purchased a 10" centrifuge from Tim at Wolverine Technologies prior to Christmas in order to take advantage of the $100.00 discount he was offering at the time. My observations are as follows:

* Tim answered all of my questions prior to the purchase in a timely manner.

* It arrived in the time-frame he said it would and was packaged well.

* The valve on the lid is not like the ball valve pictured on the web site. This is NOT a problem at all that I can see. It came with a gas valve rather than the ball valve. It shouldn't make any difference which type is on there.

* The little On/Off switch on the unit was broken when I unpacked it and I couldn't find it in the packaging (I could have missed it as it was shredded paper packaging). I emailed Tim about replacing it and sent a picture of the broken part. It took some time, but he did send me a new switch plate at no charge (Thanks, Tim!). I wasn't in a rush for the new part and he had family obligations, which is understandable.

* The bolt that holds the bowl onto the motor shaft was on finger-tight. I would suggest that no matter what kind of centrifuge you get, make sure everything is tight before you start it or use it EACH TIME. That's just a safety thing and may be unnecessary after you know it's on tight to begin with. I plan on putting a lock washer on the bolt or one of those nylon lock nuts unless Tim or anyone advises against it for reasons I am yet unaware of.

* The aluminum bowl is very nice with only a small portion inside (maybe 2"x4") where the anodizing didn't cover all the way.

* I have plugged the unit in and fired it up. It runs smoothly and it's quiet.

* Over-all, the fuge is well built and Tim has been great to deal with. I'm really glad I saved a hundred bucks to boot!

I have not used this cetrifuge yet since I have not completed my set-up and lack some things. I have yet to get a barrel band heater and have looked at several sources. I've decided to buy one from PA Biodisel since their price is comperable to others on the market and the one's PA Biodiesel has are MADE IN AMERICA! (Ohio to be exact) The other barrel band heaters I've found are made in Communist China.

PA Biodiesel also has bulhead fittings, which I will get from them as well. I have my barrels and my brother in law will be helping me fabricate some sort of stand that safely mounts two WMO drums up high enough as everything will be gravity fed. The only pumping will be with a hand-cranked fuel pump with a NAPA in-line fuel filter attached to transfer the cleaned oil to my Deuce or fuel cans.

I am going to make a drill driven pump to get the WMO from my sources to the barrels in my truck to my WMO drums in my "plant". I found plans to make one from a '77 Chevel small block oil pump that's about $20.00 from NAPA.

When I have it up and running, I will post more on the Wolverine Tech. fuge and how it performs. I'll also post pics of it when I get my camera figured out again (it hasn't let me post pics on SS the last few times I tried and I've posted them here before with the same camera). It will likely be spring before I can add more to this thread due to a remodeling project at home that always takes ten times longer and 100 times more money than you planned on.

To sum it up- I am happy with Tim's service and his product. His price was considerably less than Simple Centrifuge's unit, which may be more refined in certain aspects, but I'm not rich and just want something that works. (I got a John Deere green fuge, by the way.) Hope this helps some for those interested in purchasing a centrifuge. More later...

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I will be sending out some samples of the cleaned WMO to CAT for analysis to see just how clean the oil gets.

 

[area52]

Thanks for the info.

Here is a thread about the Chevy small block oil pump conversion, cheap and easy.

DIY, How to make a SBC veg-oil pump for cheap - Forums

 

[roscoe]

Thanks for the review. I plan on setting something up eventually.

 

[Yohan]

No sweat! And that's the thread on the oil pump. I was too lazy to search it out and link it.

 

[ElkHunter61523]

I got my WT fuge last Thursday. UPS did bang it up a tad, but I just cut the hose and shortened it up 3 inches. The box looked like he kicked it off the truck at 55.
Just piddling around with it and it does a very good job. I am not able to heat the oil just yet, but running it at 3.5 to 4 gal an hour is working fine. I even ran the wmo through a 1 micron paing filter with the oil going right through it. If it is like a computer on dial-up, it is an excersize in patience. I do not see how you can go wrong with one of these units.

Matthew

 

[stampy]

I am so glad that somebody from here (avengeusea...ie:Tim) is making a quality centrifuge. If I ever have to buy another it will be from him. Don't forget to raise your heated barrel up high enough that it will gravity feed through the centrifuge and then into your recovery barrel. I had lots of luck doing 55gal heated barrel to 55gal recovery...Let it run and walk away!

 

[Yohan]

OK boys, with help from my brother and my little guy, I got the set up going. Here's how I put it together.

Materials I used were as follows: 55 gallon metal drum (free). From PA Biodiesel supply I ordered a barrel drum heater (made in the USA), 1/2" poly bulkhead fitting, and a 1/2" ball valve. From the hardware store I picked up hose clamps and all the fittings to mate up the 1/2" drum fittings to Wolverine Tech's 3/8" fittings for less than 18 bucks. I already had plenty of hose that I inherited, so that was free. Thread tape I had on hand, too.

I took one 55 gallon gear oil drum and cut the top off with a pair of barrel shears (no sparks or heat involved). There was a good bit of new gear oil in the bottom of the drum, but I left it there.

I located and drilled a 1.5" hole two and a half inches from the bottom of the drum, then inserted the bulkhead fitting I bought for $16.00 from PA biodiesel. He even called me back on a Sunday to answer a question I had about the fitting!

I attached the ball valve to the bulkhead in the drum, then I cleaned the outside of the drum of oil and any crud before hooking up the barrel band heater. I installed the barrel band heater in such a way that the metal spring was over the ball valve and the heating band was just below the bottom rib on the drum so as not to have direct heat too near the poly bulkhead fitting.

With that done, I wrapped the drum in regular rolled insulation, just like the video shows how to on PA Biodiesel supply's web site, making sure to cut out a window for the temp control on the band heater so you can get to it.

I framed up an old window screen so it sets over the top of the waste oil drum so it will catch dead bugs, grass clippings, dead mice and various bits of trash that I have found in my WMO.

Most of my WMO is in gallon or 15 gallon containers, so I dumped it into my WMO holding tank by hand. The window screen worked great and caught a fly and bits of grass. I situated the drum above the centrifuge as this is a gravity-fed operation.

I plumbed the WMO drum to the centrifuge and let the drum heat on almost the 200 degree F. for four hours. After four hours, I returned with a stop watch and set my flow rate by timing how long it took to fill a gallon jug while running the WMO through the fuge. I wanted it at about 8GPH, so that's where I left it- one gallon in about 7.5 minutes will get you 8GPH.

Since I'm not sure how long my oil has to remain hot to evaporate any water that may be in it, I just recycled the three gallons it took me to set my flow rate, back into my WMO drum.

I left the ball valve on the WMO drum where it is and just use the valve on the lid of the centrifuge to turn the flow ON and OFF.

*********************************************

A couple things I noticed about the centrifuge that anyone using this particular model should take note of.

First, when I turned it on to test run it, the motor would barely turn the shaft. I unplugged it and took the bowl off to find that the collar that holds the bowl up off the centrifuge houseing had slid down so the collar was rubbing on the centrifuge body, causing it to bind-up. I loosened the collar's hex key and looked it over to make sure everything was OK. It was, so I located the collar slightly higher on the shaft so it was not rubbing on the centrifuge body, and then tightened it up really good. Then I put the bowl back on and tightened the nut down as well. I plan on installing a lock-washer under the nut for an added bit of safety, but one should check that it's tight anyway before each run just to be safe.

Another thing I found was that I snugged the three bolts down pretty good on the lid before I started. When I ran the fuge, I noticed I could feel air coming from under the lid and some oil seeping out enough to cause a drip to form under the lid. I got eye level so I could just see under the lid and noticed that I could see light coming from the other side of the lid! What happenes is the bolt holes are located outside of the rim of the centrifuge housing, so when I tightened the lid, it caused it to bow slightly in the middle, thus leaving a gap on opposite sides of the housing for oil to seep out. I loosened the bolts so the lid leveled out and I haven't noticed the problem since. Perhaps some thicker and softer gasket material around the lid would make a better seal if the lid bows from tightening it too much. I might do this since the bolts were only finger tight and I'd rather they be a little more snug without worrying that oild would be leaking out.

When I get my WMO drum permentantly mounted and the modified electric hand-drill oil pump made (see link in an above post), I will run a full barrel and post the results of the cleaned oil analysis for everyone. i ain't no expert on any of this, but if I can help anyone with their set-up, let me know and I'll pass on any ills or cures I have run into or been helped through by someone else. Overall, it's very satisfying to get this little jobby going. I have no complaints with Tim's centrifuge and hope that he may find any quirks I've brought up helpful in future design changes.

 

[TexAndy]

Cool, can't wait to see the analysis results.

 

[ElkHunter61523]

I have run close to 150 gallons through mine. I replaced the gasket under the lid with a washing machine hose. No leaks now. I am not running a heater in my barrel, just running it close to 4 gallons an hour instead. I have the time. I run samples through a 1 micron paint funnel and it goes right through. The truck loves it too. Very good unit.

Matthew

 

[frodobaggins]

 

[woodywood]

this is what im ordering tomorrow from pa diesel.com

 

[Yohan]

Woody, I'm interested to see how this performs compared to the bowl type centrifuges. I think I read somewhere, but I could be wrong, that one has to run the material through this type more than once? I guess for ANY kind of centrifuge, it ultimately depends on how dirty the material is that's going in and how many G's the fuge is making. And if you have time, who cares how long it recurculates.

I was sent the formula for calculating G's and as I recall, Wolverine technologie's fuge makes 1788 G's or very close. Do you know how big your cup is going to be and how many RMP's it will make?

 

[ETHOS]

I have seen the newer units he is making, he has a better seal for the lid, and 6 bolts to hold it down, he also has better looking bowls, the anodizing on the inside looks better with no air bubble, they are looking better, i seen the 13 inch one he has, nice

 

[Yohan]

A LITTLE WARNING!!!

I left about two or three inches below the top of the barrel for expansion of the oil when it heats up. I had the temp set at almost 200 Deg. F and let it heat for two full days. When I checked it again after work, the oil had expanded and spilled over the edge. Maybe less than half a gallon, but it left a mess. Now I have to tear off all of the insulation, and clean the drum and the heater before I use it again. In the future, I will leave at least six inches below the top of the drum for expansion.

 

[avengeusa]

A LITTLE WARNING!!!

I left about two or three inches below the top of the barrel for expansion of the oil when it heats up. I had the temp set at almost 200 Deg. F and let it heat for two full days. When I checked it again after work, the oil had expanded and spilled over the edge. Maybe less than half a gallon, but it left a mess. Now I have to tear off all of the insulation, and clean the drum and the heater before I use it again. In the future, I will leave at least six inches below the top of the drum for expansion.

yohan, send me pics of your setup, and get me your addy, i have a new seal for the top of the unit, the oil doesnt need to be at 200, i run mine at 150ish

 

[avengeusa]

yohan, i read your posts, and it is interesting that the shaft collar had slid down..... the unit must have been handled rough in shipping, this would also explain the loose nut.... i am thinking it may have been dropped, inertia from the weight of the rotor must have slid the collar down.....

the nut does not have to be too tight, if it is overtightened it could push down the shaft collar, I have changed the collar type so we will see what happens there

I have changed the lid mounting a couple of times, now it has 6 bolts to hold down the lid, and I have enlarged the hold down bolts, I did this for a safer unit, but it also makes for a better sealing lid

I have increased the inlet and outlet port size also
I have also increased the od of the whole unit to fit larger rotors, 13 inches
the newer units as of the end of the week will have a different ring setup so that one can be removed by removing a couple small welds with a grinder, this will allow the end user to simply swap the motor and rotor for a 13 inch unit
we have also changed the drain hoses we use to a better material
Larger brass inlet valves to flow more oil for those wvo guys
I have most of the anodizing issues worked out as well, no more bubble inside of the rotor from the air getting trapped inside, i know this was only cosmetic, but it drove me nuts
The newest models will not have tabs to thread the lid bolts into, but will have a ring with threaded holes to hold down the lid, I only have one tabbed housing left
the weight of the machines has increased a bit by 5 lbs or so
I have added blot down tabs to the unit to secure it to the table, they run smooth and all, but for safety they have been added
I am working on getting a better paint finish, that has been a big pain for me, dust dirt, etc, and whatever else can go wrong, I may be switching to automotive body paint, base/clear, but i am not sure about that yet, i am also trying to get a deal made to have them powder coated, but they want 50 bucks a pop to do that, and i do not like an increased cost as my goal is a 750 dollar machine...

I have had a ton of issues with aluminum prices, it doubled on my end, and when i increased the diameter of the rotors the machine time and cost went through the roof, but 10 inch rotors work very well, so that will be the standard

My personal unit is just like yours yohan, still works great, I have not sent out the oil to be analized, but i have ran a bunch, like 1000 miles on wmo and have had no filter plug up issues, and the wmo works great in the winter, i just added 10 gallons of gasoline for every 50 gallons of wmo to thin it for the winter, started a little harder, but the stuff works, just crank, hammer the preheater and she fires right up

I am looking for any feedback, improvements, or whatever i can do to make this a better unit

next stop 8000 g's on a 13 inch unit

 

[Yohan]

Thank you, Tim. I'll PM you w/ my address.

I wasn't sure about oil temp, but didn't want to go over 200, so I set it just below that. I'll turn it down and heat it for a couple days. I don't think there is a lot of water in my WMO, but want what ever is there gone before I use it.

I have to clarify that when I got the fuge, that the motor ran fine and didn't bind up. The nut was lose when I got it, so I tightened it. I had the bowl off more than once however, and I believe that the last time I tightened the shaft nut, it probabaly pushed the collar down on the shaft enoght to contact the housing and bind up because it ran perfect on "dry runs" in the house.

I like the idea of welding or bolting flanges on the base to secure it. My unit sits on a fuel tank from a tractor trailer and I was wondering if it would vibrate around on it. I placed the fuge over the fixture that the hand pump will go into when the tank is full, so the fuge won't fall off. However, when I ran the fuge, it purrs like a kitten and doesn't vibrate at all. If it weren't for the hum of the electric motor, you wouldn't know it was running.

I've got about 5 gallons of diesel and 5 gallons of cleaned WMO in my deuce and you hardly have to touch the starter and it fires up! The sound of a Deuce running is for another thread I guess, but the point is, I'm not worried in the least to run cleaned WMO in her.

Thanks for all the time you're taking in R&D on the fuges, Tim. I'm very pleased with mine and I know I made a good investment. Getting the little details down (like oil temp ) is part of the fun and satisfaction of these kinds of projects. I reccomend Wolverine Techlonogie's centrifuge to anyone in the market and it sounds like they're only getting better!

 

[stampy]

I too heat only to about 140-150. Its great to be back to my 80/20 blend! Tim Pm me info when the 8000RPM fuge is ready! I would love to test it!

Gus

 

[stampy]

a single bolt or a snap to shut lid would be awesome also.

 

[TexAndy]

what's up with their website? Are they still in business?