Coolant in oil, can it be separated?

[oddshot]

The easiest way I've found to separate oil form water or antifreeze is to mix in little gasoline ... perhaps as little as 10% ... and let it sit overnight.

You don't even need to agitate it ... just pour in the gasoline and it mixes by itself.

Batch size doesn't seem to matter.

Yesterday, I took a sample of a pink milkshake I got from a trans shop in the and put some in the two jars below. In the first on I poured a little gasoline... I didn't put anything in the second jar ... and I let both jars sit over night.

You can see how the batch with the gasoline in it separated out the water and antifreeze.

As a further experiment ... today I poured the two jars together ... I'll let the mix sit overnight and post the pictures tomorrow.

 

[russ132]

Very impressive. I will have to give that a try.

 

[DeucesWild11]

I bought a bunch of bucket filters from dudadiesel from 600 to 75 micron for my WMO filtration system I am setting up. What I didn't expect was for the filters to catch water droplets, I should try pouring some antifreeze through it and see if it does the same.. I figured the water would just run right through the filters.. ha! The one in the pic was 400 micron.. It would be interesting to see which one catches the antifreeze if at all..

 

[Norseland]

Hmm?

Ok, I'm thinking I'll try this.
Ive got a 55 plastic drum. I'll make a spicket on the bottom.
I'll pour all my UMO in there, maybe a tad of gas, let it sit as Mechanic said,
drain from the spicket until I see cleaner oil coming out.
Then maybe I'll get a container for my mix and put a 5 micron sock under the spicket. And let'er rip.
Or if I have to I'll extract from the top and ditch the bottom stuff, neighbor still needs UMO for his gravel road.

Not as good as some, but think that should be sufficent?

john

 

[oddshot]

Hmm?

Ok, I'm thinking I'll try this.
Ive got a 55 plastic drum. I'll make a spicket on the bottom.
I'll pour all my UMO in there, maybe a tad of gas, let it sit as Mechanic said,
drain from the spicket until I see cleaner oil coming out.
Then maybe I'll get a container for my mix and put a 5 micron sock under the spicket. And let'er rip.
Or if I have to I'll extract from the top and ditch the bottom stuff, neighbor still needs UMO for his gravel road.

Not as good as some, but think that should be sufficent?

john

That would work fine. ... But I would install TWO spigots. The first would be about 5 inches from the bottom, the second would be about 2 inches higher than that one.

Here's why ... when two liquids, like oil and water separate ... they actually form 3 layers ... the oil on the top, the water on the bottom ... and right in the middle is a layer called a "slurry". You want to make sure that you don't drain that with the good stuff.

Also ... if you think on it ... if you drain out the crap using one spigot, you will only be able to drain junk off ONLY to the very bottom of the spigot hole. The water and crap will be just right there ... and you run the risk of draining some off with your good stuff.

If you have 2 spigots ... you can drain down to the bottom one ... shut it off when you see it running good stuff ... and when you go to drain off the good stuff from the higher spigot, you can be 100% sure that you are not picking up any water/crap.

oddshot

 

[oddshot]

AS for your gasoline question ... you should pour in about 7 gallons of gasoline to about 43 gallons of waste oil in your drum ... this would give you the 85% mix that everybody seems to use, so you'd be de-watering the fuel AND thinning it out all at one shot.

Up there in the UP ... you might want to consider 10 gallons gasoline to 40 gallons of oil, just to compensate for the cold temperatures. I hear it gets VERY cold up by you.


Edit:
Remember to let it sit overnight ... at least 24 hours. And Stampy is 100% right when he says that heating the oil will help drop the crap out. I use a 240VAC water heater element ... and plug it into a 110VAC outlet. Just drop the element into the oil and let it go ... I do my batches in 20 gallon drums for ease of handling. It heats up in no time at all ... I let it heat for about 3 - 4 hours. Works GREAT.

oddshot

 

[stampy]

I did what oddshot is talking about with my setup. Mine has a 55gal drum turned upside down with a drain on the 3/4 bung hole and a valve on the barrel 2" above the new bottom of my barrel. I cut out the old bottom and have a larger barrel top to cover that hole and keep out rain. My barrel heater will heat it up nicely. The water separates out and I drain off the bottom. I am NOT sure that you get all of the antifreeze out in that step but I know a centrifuge will remove water(in small amounts) and heavies. So anything that is heavier than the oil will remain in the rotor untill it fills completely. I have Never had a problem with trash or water as long as I run 55 gal (heat and drain off water) and clean the rotor every time, I have run WVO and WMO as fuel only thinning with diesel successfully for years

 

[russ132]

Might I suggest using an old water pressurization tank. I cut a hole in the top sized to fit an old party sized helium tank. I then cut out the rubber diaphragm in the pressurization tank and welded half of the helium tank with a hole drilled in the bottom into the hole. The advantage of the pressurization tank is the rounded bottom which funnels all of water to the bottom outlet for draining and the half of a helium tank acts as a nice funnel.

 

[stampy]

The main advantage for the 55gal drum is portability. I collect and transfer to 55gal drums and once set up the fuge runs without me being there and a full 55gal run tank = a full 55gal finished tank but the rounded bottom is cool!

 

[Norseland]

Thanks Oddshot and Stampy,

Well I come and go quite a bit here so Unfortunately I'd have to do a batch when I think Ive collected enough Oil, I wouldnt want a barrel of Gas and Oil sitting outside for 2 long, heat, expansion? I dont know, so I'll be stuck storing it all in the barn till I'm ready.

I thought I was going to do this and leave it sit in the barn, but now that I'm considering using the gasoline to help seperate the pre mix, I better do this in one 2 or 3 day deal.

I could also re-seal the barrel but then I gotta worry about having a destrution device in the barn and I dont need that.

Yes it does get cold here but honestly not as bad as everyone thinks, I'm close to superior and the lake keeps us warmer than those a little to the south and west like MN, winds howl through those places. Advantage also is the truck is in the barn full time.

Thanks again!
john

 

[russ132]

The longer you allow the oil to sit the better it will separate on it's own. No additives needed if allowed to sit long enough.

 

[max1008]

I am new at filtering wmo, and I have a question/recommendation.
I had a leaky fuel cell on a gas truck and after it would rain the truck never ran. I went and got some anti water additive from autozone and I believe it separated the water from the gas. Worked great.
I read the ingredients and all it was is isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Isopropyl was much cheaper then anti water.

What would happen if i dumped a bottle of rubbing alcohol into my 55 gal of wmo? Would it make the water rise or fall?

 

[wdbtchr]

Ok im an aircondidioning tech. and we use a vaccume pump to get the moisture out of a cooling system especially after we opened the system up and changed something, any way if you could get a 55 gallons of UMO under a verry low vaccume(100 microns or less) wouldnt you be able to extract the watter out? Thats how we get the moisture out of the compressor oil and the refregerant.....just a thought.

You would need a pressure vessel to build enough vaccum to pull the moisture out. A 55 gallon drum would just suck the sides in and you'd wind with oil in your vaccum pump.

That would work fine. ... But I would install TWO spigots. The first would be about 5 inches from the bottom, the second would be about 2 inches higher than that one.

Here's why ... when two liquids, like oil and water separate ... they actually form 3 layers ... the oil on the top, the water on the bottom ... and right in the middle is a layer called a "slurry". You want to make sure that you don't drain that with the good stuff.

Also ... if you think on it ... if you drain out the crap using one spigot, you will only be able to drain junk off ONLY to the very bottom of the spigot hole. The water and crap will be just right there ... and you run the risk of draining some off with your good stuff.

If you have 2 spigots ... you can drain down to the bottom one ... shut it off when you see it running good stuff ... and when you go to drain off the good stuff from the higher spigot, you can be 100% sure that you are not picking up any water/crap.


oddshot

The layer you speak of is called the "rag layer". In the chemical industry it is common to use a cone or round bottom tank to decant water layers.

Might I suggest using an old water pressurization tank. I cut a hole in the top sized to fit an old party sized helium tank. I then cut out the rubber diaphragm in the pressurization tank and welded half of the helium tank with a hole drilled in the bottom into the hole. The advantage of the pressurization tank is the rounded bottom which funnels all of water to the bottom outlet for draining and the half of a helium tank acts as a nice funnel.

Curiously the best way to separate oil from antifreeze is to add water( know sounds counter intuitive) stir it to mix well(one of those propeller type paint agitators works well) then allow it to settle. The antifreeze depending on the concentration will be harder to separate depending on the specific gravity. Addin water raises the specific gravity of antifreeze and makes it easier to separate, and as a bonus will wash the acids out of the mix if there are any. I've separated this way even without heating the WMO.

 

[islandguydon]

Good thread..! opcorn: opcorn: