Bio-diesel Conversion
10 Steps to SVO or WVO conversion.
1.The first thing in biodiesel conversion is to determine if you have a ready and affordable supply of vegetable oil
available.
2.Secure that source.
3.Determine what configuration is most appropriate for your vehicle, climate, and budget and which components will be required.
4.Decide if you want to make all or some of your own components and then install them...or buy the components as a "kit".
5.Make or purchase a pre-filter/dewatering unit if your vegetable oil source is WVO..
6.Determine if you are capable of making your own components. If in doubt reconsider your decision in step 7.
7.Order your kit or gather your parts/materials.
8.Fabricate your components and preassemble the conversion, marking connections.
9.Install your vegetable oil conversion.
10.Test your vegetable oil conversion.
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Finding a diesel vehicle is part of step 3 for those that do not already have one. Here is a discussion with links to help you.
Steps 1 and 2.
Determine if you have a ready and affordable supply of vegetable oil available and secure that source.
If you don't have a ready supply available you probably do NOT want to convert to vegetable oil. Usually the most "available" (read as
inexpensive) vegetable oil is wvo (waste vegetable oil) so this is the option I usually recommend investigating first. You cannot simply TAKE wvo
from the dumpsters sitting behind restaurants. It usually BELONGS to somebody else. In most cases wvo in a dumpster BELONGS to the
rendering/grease disposal company that owns the dumpster.
Removing wvo from these dumpsters is THEFT unless you have permission. and often the
restaurant owner/manager may not have a clue that the contract with the grease disposal company takes full legal ownership of "grease" once it is
poured into their dumpster. Having "permission" from a restaurant that does not legally own the wvo will not be a defense if you are caught and
prosecuted/sued by the grease hauler whose dumpster you are removing wvo from. And such prosecutions have already taken place.
Even if there are just drums or cubees of wvo sitting out back of a restaurant it may not be OK to simply take the wvo contained.
It may belong to another person making biodiesel or collecting for their own vegetable oil converted diesel. Best to thoroughly reconnoiter
the restaurants in your area to see if they all currently have grease disposal company owned dumpsters "out back". If so you will need to
convince the restaurant to pour their fryer oil into a container you provide to "stay legal". Some are willing to pour the fryer grease
back into the containers it comes in (Cubees) for you. It never hurts to ask. The benefit to them may be that they save money on grease
disposal costs since most grease disposal companies charge for each time they pick up grease and an alternative way to dispose of the fryer
oil may cut their bill by several hundred dollars a year.
I suggest starting with any oriental restaurants/buffets in your area. These usually have the
easiest to process (filter and dewater) wvo. Burger places usually have the hardest to filter/dewater and use wvo...check these last. If possible
look in the prospective sources existing disposal container first.
High quality wvo looks clear at temperatures above 50*F. It may be from golden colored to
as dark as Coke...but if it appears creamy it should not be your first choice. In weather colder than 50*F you may have to take a small sample
home and warm it to 50* to determine its quality. If you can find a source of high quality wvo it will make your life much easier than if you
only have a low quality source available. So take your time. this step is important. It IS possible to use high fat or hydrogenated wvo in a
conversion as long as that conversion is designed to deal with its tendency to turn to "pudding" at temps where diesel fuel is still quite free
flowing. Most conversion kits are not designed to do this. but can be relatively easily upgraded to do so.
Once you find a possible source or two it is time to approach the owner/manager about the
possibility of taking some of their "waste fryer oil". Don't show up too well dressed. or at a time they are likely to be very busy. But don't
show up greasy either. I have usually approached restaurants in as follows with good success:
At a time in the early afternoon when the restaurant is nearly empty I order a small meal
and ask to speak to the manager "when he as a few minutes" as I order. Normally he/she will come to your table half expecting a "sales pitch"
since restaurant supply salesmen use this approach occasionally. So it may take a few minutes before they understand that you are asking to take
something off their hands (saving them money) rather than sell them something.
Go slow at first and if you get a blank stare go slower. Expect them to look at you as if you are asking a very unusual question.
You are. and this is good. Explain that you have found a group of individuals experimenting with using waste fryer oil as a fuel for their
cars and trucks with only small modifications to the fuel systems. You are planning to try this experimentally and are looking for a
restaurant that would be willing to let you take some of their waste fryer oil to see if it really does work as fuel.
Eventually you might want all of their "fryer oil" but for now you're just interested in some for initial experiments. If they say NO ask if
they have a policy against this. some chain restaurants do. If so. it is best to simply thank them for their time and forget this as a source of
wvo. It isn't going to happen...and arguing won't change that. Managers do not risk their job questioning or breaking "corporate policy". Go on
to your second choice.
If they look skeptical let them think about it while you eat you meal. Offer to provide a something as a collection vessel. Ask if they foresee
any problem that you may have to overcome or have any rule you may need to comply with.
Be sincere and co-operative. If they say they need to think it over. or talk to the owner say that you will be here for lunch next
week, thank them for their time, leave them your telephone number...and don't forget to tip the waitress after you finish your meal. Don't try to
tell them everything you know about vegetable oil fuel. unless they ask. It won't help. If they give you the same "I need to talk to the boss"
line next week ask if it would be more convenient for you to contact them by phone rather than when you come for meals. Use you best judgment. I
prefer the "soft sell" and patience to being pushy when asking for wvo access. And if I have to come back a second time, I usually bring in a
table full of friends when I do. It helps...
That is in fact both step 1 AND 2. See this is easier than you expected!
But a word of caution...two actually.
1.Once you have secured a source of wvo try very hard to maintain a good relationship with the managers and cooks. Keep the grease
disposal area clean and be unobtrusive. I rent a pressure washer each fall to clean the greasy back areas as a "perk" the grease haulers never
provide. In a few case I have gone back to the restaurant that said they "were not interested" originally and ask if they would like me to
pressure wash their grease disposal areas for free. Except for the corporate policy restaurants this results in about 50% changing their minds
about allowing me to pick up their grease. You may not need this, but I use thousands of gallons of wvo fuel each year.
2.Never load grease when it might in any way create more work or trouble for the restaurant. Don't "gab" with the cooks, they may be busy.
Just be friendly and efficient and as invisible as possible.
And finally...
If possible bring in "business" in the form of restaurant customers whenever you can...it will help secure the source of wvo more than
anything else.
And leave decent tips. Waitresses are paid lousy wages and tipping creates "good karma". Really!
Steps 3 and 4.
Determine what conversion configuration is most appropriate for your vehicle, climate, and budget and which components will be required for
that configuration. Then decide if you want to make all or some of your own components and then install them...or buy the components as a
"kit" .
(Finding a diesel vehicle is part of step 3 for those that do not already have one.)
For a description on all the possible components in a modern conversion look HERE
Now you know essentially which components you are going to need.Time to consider what configuration you want/need. If you already KNOW you are
going to buy a kit rather than make your own it is time to go to each kit makers website and decide
which kit you can afford.
To see a plethora of conversion configurations go here .
Find one with all of the components you have determined you will need using the Kit Calculator and begin to search out the individual components.
If you can afford to purchase all of the components great. If not consider making them yourself to save 30-50%. If you cannot afford to buy or
make the components maybe you should consider NOT converting to vegetable oil.
After all this is still considered experimental. So you may not want to experiment on your expensive diesel. Dont have a diesel? Then
before you go further you will probably want to get one, since vegetable oil will not work in gas engines.
For a link on finding diesel powered vehicles in the US go here .
Ok...lets assume you have your conversion components and configuration chosen, and have discovered where to most economically purchase them. You
have secured a source of wvo and are poised to convert your diesel to vegetable oil fuel...but before you do I suggest you may want to make you
prefilter/dewatering unit first, so you actually have some fuel on hand to use when you get you conversion completed. I usually recommend that
customers considering fabricating their own components fabricate their own prefilter first to make certain that it is realistic to believe they
can do so, even using my simple plans.
Hey...at this point you are almost halfway through the process of converting to vegetable oil. Lots of work is ahead of you ..but often the
planning is the hardest part. And that part is pretty much done. On to step #5.
Steps 5 and 6.
Make or purchase a prefilter/dewatering unit if your vegoil source is WVO
If you have a source of unused vegetable oil which is inexpensive enough to use as fuel you can probably skip this step. Filtering should
be a very simple matter of running it through a fuel filter since there should be very small if any particulate load in it. If you live near a
oil "pressing" plant you may be able to buy contaminated svo (not suitable for food use) or "purge oil" (mixed oil from different feedstocks
which occurs as they switch from one feedstock to another) at a very low cost. This is relatively rare but worth checking into.
In the US most available and affordable vegetable oil suitable for fuel use is in the form of already used food grade "waste vegetable
oil". Often called "fryer oil" it is mainly composed of vegetable oil which has been used in deep "fat" fryers and can be any one or a mix of
soy, canola, peanut, or other vegetable oils. Sometimes it is hydrogenated or has lots of grill grease in it as well.
Generally these last two are to be avoided if possible but can be used by a well designed conversion. The cleaner and more liquid your
wvo is at room temp. the easier it is to filter and use, but if you are stuck with wvo with either high fat or hydrogenated content it just makes
the processing and use a tiny bit harder, not impossible.
Similarly in other areas of the world (Asia) palm oils are commonly the least expensive vegetable oils and have low temp characteristics that
are similar to high fat or hydrogenated wvo. It CAN be used as fuel, one just needs to treat it the same way one does less viscous svo in colder
temperatures.
There are two components in wvo which one must remove in order to make it suitable for fuel use, particulates and water. The filter units
used to accomplish their removal from wvo are commonly referred to as "prefilters" since they are filtering the vegetable oil before it is
introduced into the fuel tank after which it passes through at least one more final filter before flowing through the Injector Pump (IP) which
has a very low tolerance for even very fine (10 micron) particulates. and even less for free water. Either one will scratch or pit the mirror
like inner surfaces of an IP and ruin it in fairly short order. And normally IPs are very expensive to replace. For a more in-depth explanation
look here
One of the simplest ways to dewater wvo is to allow it to settle for a few weeks at temperatures it is fully liquid at. A high particulate
load may cause poor settling though so filtering out particulates first generally speeds up the process dramatically. Usually a combination of
settling and filtering is the best way to ensure that good vegetable oil fuel results with a minimum of equipment. At the very minimum water must
bellowed to settle out...which can take as few as four hours if the right conditions are present. But using only settling as a form of
pre-filtering generally results in quickly clogged on board "final" filters.
A common technique is to collect vegetable oil from the top surface of any collection container and "follow" the surface down as it drops
during the "pumping" process. This essentially uses the collection vessel as a primary settling unit. Other techniques are to allow any wvo
collected to settle for a few hours at temps it is fully liquid at and then decant/pour off/siphon the wvo off leaving any sediment behind. These
techniques will allow any pre-filter unit filters to process many more gallons of wvo prior to requiring cleaning or replacement.
Several vegetable oil conversion makers has developed their own prefilter units.
You can purchase Neoterics "Vormax" onboard pump/filter/wand prefilter unit at near the bottom of this page (Around $400)
Greasecar has a description of their DIY prefilter units here. No estimate of cost is included.
Greasel does not sell a prefilter unit but does sell some prefilter components. Select the products tab from this page.
Each of the above sites provides some direction on prefiltering as does "Fatmobile" here
I sell two well tested prefilter/dewaterer designs which have proved to be adaptable to nearly any wvo source. Both are described and sold
here. The "simple handpump unit" is suitable for most non-commercial situations and costs from $75 to $150 to fabricate.
It can easily be converted to the much higher capacity semi automated vacuum prefilter unit which is best suited to commercial and co-op use
where wvo fuel amounts in excess of 140 Gallons per week is needed.
Regardless of how you pre-filter your wvo fuel there will always be some unusable wvo which is too dirty or full of water after
settling/filtering. A discussion on getting rid of this "junk" wvo or dregs is here
Since before you can use wvo as fuel it must be prefiltered/dewatered this is a logical place to begin the fabrication/conversion process. Since
I offer the lowest cost option for those considering converting to vegetable oil (fabricating your own components) I usually suggest to new
customers that they make their own pre-filter unit. This saves them a lot of money allowing them to purchase or build a much better conversion
and allows me some way to advise them on if they have the skills necessary to fabricate their own conversion from scratch. Or go the more
expensive route of buying the components/kit ready to install. Once you have thoroughly reflected on
this you will actually have also completed step #6 as well.
: This is the first major investment in converting to vegetable oil fuel. Once you have
a wvo prefilter/dewatering unit you are halfway to running your diesel on vegetable oil. If you do not feel you have the skill required to
fabricate a pre-filter unit you should probably buy ready to install components and consider having a mechanic install them. At the very least
you should consider enlisting the help of friends with mechanical skills.
Step 7.
Order your kit or gather your parts/materials.
Ok, it is time to either lay out the cash for a complete conversion kit or begin to gather the
components for you own.
Regardless of whether you are buying all your components or making them you should make a complete list of what you are going to need for you
conversion first.
If you are buying a kit determine if it includes all of the needed components or if you will be
responsible for finding some of them elsewhere. Not all kits come with everything you need.
Get firm prices on each component including shipping which can add a substantial amount to the total. Basically, shop for the best deal.
Once your list is complete with all the costs/prices determine if it is still affordable and if so, order them or go pick them up.
Step 8.
Fabricate your components and preassemble the conversion, marking connections.
If you are fabricating your own components the parts list will be longer but the cost significantly lower. I suggest getting all the parts
together and THEN beginning on the project one component at a time. It will save time, fuel, and frustration.
Most of the sub components used to fabricate my conversion components are commonly available at hardware and plumbing stores, auto
supply stores, and furnace repair shops. Of course a better deal can often be found at the various internet supply and "salvage" vendors on such
items as DPDT switches, relays, filters, remote fuel (solenoid) valves, and fuel pumps. Don't forget Ebay as they often have unbelievable deals
on the sort of odd stuff we use for conversions.
In order to keep errors during final assembly I recommend preassembling the components in the order they will eventually go after checking
each to make certain it will fit where you plan on installing it. Dont cut hoses yet, just lay them out and mark which goes where. I always use a
bit of colored tape to mark each hose connection on the hose AND the component it will be hooked up to but a few wraps of masking tape and a
magic marker will work just as well. Taking the time to do this will avoid the most common and time consuming problem with hooking up all those
hoses and component once they are installed. Believe me, its worth it.
Step 9.
Install your vegetable oil conversion.
This is pretty strait forward if you have followed my advice so far. I usually prefer to start by installing the tank and working my way forward.
If you can get the use of a lift at a garage it speeds everything up considerably...but otherwise just use common sense when jacking. Rent jack
stands if you don't have them and jack and brace on a hard surface so they cannot shift when you are under the vehicle running the fuel lines.
NEVER crawl under a vehicle just held up by a jack and Dont use cinder blocks to support the jack or car.. they can crush unexpectedly...and so
can you.
I normally lift the vehicle and drill/saw my one large hole for the insulated HOH fuel lines using a hole saw. remember to use a rubber
grommet or bit of spare hose as a buffer for the other hoses passing through the hole or you may find a hole rubbed into you fuel lines somewhere
"down the road". Alternatively I have used "foam in a can" to seal and secure the lines in the hole I cut. If you have planned everything
perfectly it should take less than an after noon to install your conversion. But it will take longer, plan on it! My first conversion took nearly
two days...about 18 hours.
My last conversion took less than 4 hours. Yours will likely take from 8 to 16 hours. have another vehicle handy to get things you
forgot you would need...and a second pair of hands can shorten the installation time down by way more than half!
Besides the individual components you may also need: Lots of Zip ties. 100 is a nice number.A few more hose clamps than you think you will need,
Get the proper size for them to work properly.
At least 30' of steel wire..for fishing hoses through and under the car and temporarily securing stuff. A 12v test light ro multi meter
(if you are installing 12v heaters or a heated filter)A flashlight or trouble light.
Screwdrivers, pliers, utility knife, wrenches
Before you hook up the coolant or vegetable oil fuel hoses have someone blow through the tank fill tube and make sure you feel a good flow of air
out of the vegetable oil fuel line. Even if you marked it you want to make sure you don't have any kinks in it. While they are regaining their
breath add a few quarts of filtered vegetable oil to the tank then have them blow into the tank again forcing the vegetable oil through the line.
When vegetable oil appears at the end of the line have them stop.
Then progressively hook up each inline component forcing vegetable oil through each one as you do. It may be a bit hard to force vegetable oil
through the filter so instead fill the filter element with clean vegetable oil before assembling it. Purging air form the system as you assemble
it will save you lots of frustration in the next step since it should shorten the time it takes to purge air from the system during your initial
test drive.
Only a small amount should be present once everything is connected and after a few initial peremptory purges any air present will
indicate an air leak in the system with little doubt. If you have correctly tightened all of your connections this should not be a problem at
all. If not it will be time to recheck all of your connections if you experience more than a few hiccups during your initial test drive.
One last thing to check before your test drive is that all electrical connection are working the way they should. Test the remote fuel
(solenoid) valve(s) before you start the engine. Turn on any 12v heaters just long enough to determine if they are getting warm. If you are not
absolutely sure that your electrical connections are correct fix them. Check your antifreeze level, you may have lost a bit during the tie in to
the tie in process. and don't forget to add some vegetable oil to the tank, two quarts won't go far.
Suddenly it time for....
Step 10.
Test your vegoil conversion.
Clean up first and take all of your tools as well as some rags and hand cleaner, just in case. Jumper cables may also come in handy.
If possible have the friend that helped install the conversion follow you on your initial test drive. Take along a jug of premixed 50/50
antifreeze mix just incase there is a bubble that works its way out of the new hoses you added to the system.
Start your engine as you normally would. Make sure that your vegetable oil switch is in the diesel position so you don't mistakenly start on
vegetable oil. Allow the engine to warm up with the radiator cap off if possible. If the level in the radiator or coolant overflow tank lowers
top it up with antifreeze mix. Once your engine is warm get in and drive normally for a mile or so.
Make sure you are not in traffic and can pull over without incident if the engine does quit unexpectedly. Best if you can be going at
highway speeds since if the fuel supply is temporarily cut due to air bubble your momentum may allow you to quickly switch over to diesel and
purge most or all of the air in the injector lines before all your momentum is lost.
As you are cruising smoothly down an empty road switch to vegetable oil for 5 seconds...then back to diesel for a full minute. Any hiccups?
If so repeat until you no longer feel any difference after your short switch over. If you feel no engine miss or sudden acceleration due to air
being purged through the injectors try switching over for 10 seconds. Still no hiccups? Switch for a full minute...breath normally.
Usually the test drive is pretty anticlimactic. If you have hiccups no matter how often you repeat the purge process it is time to go
home and look for air leaks. Are all the connections tight? Did you tape all the threaded connection on components?
In fact most people wonder if they hooked up the electrics correctly and if they are still running on diesel at about this point. After a
few more minutes of smooth running pull over and smell the exhaust...if it smells like a barbeque, your conversion is done.
*If you have chosen to use a tank previously used for diesel fuel as your vegetable oil tank you should be aware that waxy deposits
accumulate in them and tend to be loosened by warm vegetable oil. To avoid the possibility of these deposits clogging your main filter after a
few hundred miles of problem free vegetable oil travel you can:
A. Steam clean the tank before use...thoroughly drying it afterward. Or
B. Stick a small clear plastic outer shell disposable fuel filter in the vegetable oil line prior to the main filter and keep a
few spares in your trunk along with a few rags. It is easy to see if these are clogging with the dark tank crud and nearly as easy to swap a
clean one for a clogged one.
Welcome to the world of responsible and inexpensive non-petroleum fuel use. Have fun...but please don't forget that every activity has its
dangers.
See also:
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