WMO Sources

[ARYankee]

For the past 2 months I have posted WMO want ads on Craigslist. I have picked up about 300 gallons of WMO. I have even made some good contacts for future pickups when they have enough stored up. I primarily pick it up within a 50 mile radius of where I live and it has to be a substantial amount if it is a good distance away. I include what I am looking for in the ad along with some specs as far as not being really contaminated and if they need it pumped or take containers. So far it has been really good. I use the anonymous email that they have and wait to be contacted. I then reply to any emails. I usually just give my first name and if they give me a number I call them and arrange the pickup. So far it has really worked out. Usually I don't pick it up alone. I just thought I would share this with you all because there are alot of people out there with WMO and don't like the hassle of bringing it to local stores for disposal. Plus I have found that alot of the people I have been dealing with are glad to give it to a local that is going to put it to good use.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Yup, thats how I started. SOmetimes you'll get a load that has coolant in it anyway, but more often its good free fuel.

 

[Kalashnikov]

Yup, I started that way too. I must have gotten 400 gallons in like a month and still had another 400 to get!

 

[bkwudzhom]

I have been looking into this as well. I do have a question though. How can you tell it has coolant in it and what damage would it do???

 

[gimpyrobb]

I could only tell there was coolant in it when my filters clogged up and I had to change them. When I opened the canister(I was using deuce stock filters at the time) the bottom of the cans was green. Pretty obvious it was coolant. You don't want water in your combustion chamber. Do a search for hydro-lock to see why. Also water wil destroy your injector tips too.

 

[paulfarber]

I could only tell there was coolant in it when my filters clogged up and I had to change them. When I opened the canister(I was using deuce stock filters at the time) the bottom of the cans was green. Pretty obvious it was coolant. You don't want water in your combustion chamber. Do a search for hydro-lock to see why. Also water wil destroy your injector tips too.

The hydro lock is not specific to water/coolant, just any large amount of fluid that would have leaked from the injectors and pooled into the combustion chamber.

You can hydrolock your engine with pure diesel (remember diesel is a liquid.. but when finely misted it will burn).

Water in the combustion chamber is actually a good thing. It turns to steam and cleans the top end of carbon. Its a quick way to clean your top end without taking it apart.

But again... its all about proportion.

Another good tell is water in oil makes is look very brownish... like coffee with cream in it. Used oil is typically jet black (carbon).

 

[Atomic]

I don't have a multifuel yet but I have stopped by a few of the mid size farms in the area and inquired as to the disposal of the WMO. I was told to drop a drum and come back in a month. I was thinking about a couple of the larger farms around here but I think they may have to document it as they are under a bit more observation from the state EPA.

But I will ask this question for you that all ready do this, do you provide any kind of reciept for the exchange? I use to hual waste oil for the big yellow parts washer company and waste oil documintation is big and sore subject. From end to end use to be selling point for us. Not trying to start a complaince thread.

 

[Kalashnikov]

I have been looking into this as well. I do have a question though. How can you tell it has coolant in it and what damage would it do???

I pour all my oil into a drum if it's in a 5 gallon bucket or something of similar size and look for water/coolant. Then I pump into another drum leaving maybe 6" in the bottom. Then I pump into a 250 gallon IBC and only pump from the upper half so I minimize the chance of getting water since it all settles to the bottom.

I don't have a multifuel yet but I have stopped by a few of the mid size farms in the area and inquired as to the disposal of the WMO. I was told to drop a drum and come back in a month. I was thinking about a couple of the larger farms around here but I think they may have to document it as they are under a bit more observation from the state EPA.

But I will ask this question for you that all ready do this, do you provide any kind of reciept for the exchange? I use to hual waste oil for the big yellow parts washer company and waste oil documintation is big and sore subject. From end to end use to be selling point for us. Not trying to start a complaince thread.

I just take it and that's the end of it. If you were buying/selling then you'd probably get a receipt.

 

[wreckerman893]

Will the coolant not boil out, or settle with heat? Thanks Jim

In the summer I set my WMO and WVO out in the sun and let it settle out......if the oil and water are emulsified it is harder to get the water out. If it looks like liquid brown mud I usually don't bother with trying to save it....not worth the potential of clogging filters or damaging an IP or having a tip blown off an injector.

If it is contaminated with coolant it may be better to let it ride......I know the big recyclers will pump everything out of waste oil tanks but they have the equipment to re-refine the oil.

 

[ARYankee]

Yeah I usually inspect the WMO before I take it and if it looks like coffee, I don't take it. I have a clear suction hose that I use to help me gauge the coloring that I am pumping. Once it has been transported I let it set for a couple weeks, that way it can settle out and also let the nice Arkansas heat warm it up. I just do the WMO during the warmer months.

 

[eric_banks32]

A good idea would be to use one of the large clear plastic totes. Pump the oil your trying to refine into the tote. Leave it sit over night and if there is water or an emulsion it will settle to the bottom and you will see a definite line on the side of the tote where it seperates. Pump the oil off the top and dispose of the water. Also the emulsions will usually seperate out if you leave them sit for long enough.

 

[jsthnt@gmail.com]

I have only had my deuce for about 2 months now. And have just resently got my filter set up. The first batch that I did it was cold here below 45 or 50, so I was having to heat it in a turkey fryer. I had a mix of WMO and WVO. I ran it threw a water blocker, but it still came out like coffee with creamer. I thought that it was because of the WVO in the mix.
So I guess my question is. Is coffee withe creamer color always an indication of water in the fuel?
Thanks

 

[eric_banks32]

I would say no. The water will seperate itself to the bottom of the fuel unless it is emulsified. Emulsions are usually caused by over agitation. The water should first be drained fromt the bottom of your collection tank. Then you can heat the oil to a safe level to "burn off" the whatever water is left.

It could be that the wvo and wmo will not completly mix giving it a weird color. I would only run one or the other until you get some experience with it.

Keep in mind most of my experience is taking wvo and making biodiesel but should work the same for all oils reacted or not.

 

[hedgehog69]

I did a Craigslist ad...so far one call. Was from a Dump truck outfit...sounded good...until we started talking $$. He told me last time he got a check for $875 OUCH!!!!!!!!!

 

[ixpacman]

Patiently awaiting my centrifuge from Numeric controls I have aquired most of the components for my waste oil recycling system. One item of interest to this post might be the use of a small electric water heater for the purpose of heating and dehydrating waste motor oil. This is what I intend to use and there are some interesting ideas on their website concerning these issues.
check it out
Harry

 

[paulfarber]

I have only had my deuce for about 2 months now. And have just resently got my filter set up. The first batch that I did it was cold here below 45 or 50, so I was having to heat it in a turkey fryer. I had a mix of WMO and WVO. I ran it threw a water blocker, but it still came out like coffee with creamer. I thought that it was because of the WVO in the mix.
So I guess my question is. Is coffee withe creamer color always an indication of water in the fuel?
Thanks

Used motor oil is black.. jet black. The black is carbon from the combustion chamber. You can filter it out but the carbon is sub micron and a 'fuge is the only practical way to QUICKLY get it out. You could keep passing it through filters and at some point get it back to honey color.

It takes more than a day to get the water to settle. If you heat it it will speed up the process... but gravity alone is a waiting game.

I just got 200+ gallons and its all get black. Does it have water in it? I bet it does. There are tests that can tell you down to .01%.

 

[eric_banks32]

Some moisture is acceptable. There are limits though. For the most part water will fall out of the oil VERY quickly. Doesn't matter if its wvo or wmo. We do 4000-5000 gallon batches at work and only wait 2 hours and sometimes less to pump the water off the bottom of the wash tanks. Then it gets centrifuged, sent though a dryer at 160* and filtered and is good to go. All this at 13-15gpm. It is thouroughly tested before it leaves the building.

If there are other chemicals in the oil thats another story. Gas or antifreeze will act differently from water. But a centrifuge will still seperate it.

 

[paulfarber]

Some moisture is acceptable. There are limits though. For the most part water will fall out of the oil VERY quickly. Doesn't matter if its wvo or wmo. We do 4000-5000 gallon batches at work and only wait 2 hours and sometimes less to pump the water off the bottom of the wash tanks. Then it gets centrifuged, sent though a dryer at 160* and filtered and is good to go. All this at 13-15gpm. It is thouroughly tested before it leaves the building.

If there are other chemicals in the oil thats another story. Gas or antifreeze will act differently from water. But a centrifuge will still seperate it.

This sounds a lot like biodiesel processing of animal/vegetable oil (drying, washing). So you really do waste motor oil? I don't know of anyone (granted, I don't know of many ppl doing WMO) who wash and dry WMO.

FYI 'drying' is the process of removing water from biodiesel. Washing is the removal of fats/glycerine/methanol etc. This is not done in WMO 'processing'.... just filtering.

 

[eric_banks32]

This sounds a lot like biodiesel processing of animal/vegetable oil (drying, washing). So you really do waste motor oil? I don't know of anyone (granted, I don't know of many ppl doing WMO) who wash and dry WMO.

FYI 'drying' is the process of removing water from biodiesel. Washing is the removal of fats/glycerine/methanol etc. This is not done in WMO 'processing'.... just filtering.

It is. But the process of removing water from the oil is the same. Your just not "washing" the wmo. Just removing the water and filtering. Everybody has their own way I suppose. I prefer to use the same method of "drying" for both. I'm also a bit biased. I make biodiesel for a living so I use what I know works for me.

The meaning of my previous post was just to show that it doesn't take days or weeks for water to seperate from the oil. Overnight (10-12 hours) is more than enough time especially if its going to be centrifuged or heated.

 

[oddshot]

I did a Craigslist ad...so far one call. Was from a Dump truck outfit...sounded good...until we started talking $$. He told me last time he got a check for $875 OUCH!!!!!!!!!

Craigslist is a good idea ... but I bet you'll run into a lot of people with LARGE quantities ... who are looking for BIG money.


I got my pick-up pump done ... now I'm starting on my drum lift for the back of the bed ...

When I get that done ... in addition to the ad on Craigs list ... I'm going to be knocking on the doors of small Mom and Pop Auto repair shops ... and small motor repair shops ... out of the way shops too ... the kind of places that the big pickup guys don't want to be bothered with.

I've asked at a couple of scrap yards and auto junk yards ... they all tell me that the EPA watches them pretty close ... so they would be wanting paperwork .... and money.

If I can find it in other places ... I sure would like to avoid contact with the EPA.

oddshot