making biodiesel at home com-Bio-diesel home heating

Bio-diesel Home Heating

The recent upsurges in the price of oil and natural gas and the uncertainty of supply have now made the topic of alternative fuels for home heating at the forefront of discussions around the country. Fuels that only a few short years ago that were seen as marginal, oddball, or strictly for rural use are getting a second look. What is clear at this point, is that our way of life, our fossil fuel dependent way of life, is going to come to an end, sooner rather than later.

More and more people are taking a new look at biodiesel, an organic fuel manufactured from vegetable oils, primarily soybean oil but it can also be made from many others as well, including waste restaurant oil. Most furnaces can use B20, a fuel made of 80 percent traditional heating oil and 20 percent biodiesel, without any adjustments; some people are getting their furnaces adapted to be able to burn biodiesel, a fuel made entirely of vegetable and/or animal oils. The biodiesel burns much cleaner than traditional heating oil, but has its own problems (for one thing, biodiesel tends to cause rubber gaskets to erode), this can be easily fixed however, so be sure to check with your furnace supplier or manufacturer before you opt for biodiesel.

If you choose to start making biodiesel, and your furnace will handle it, you have a couple of options. Biodiesel is becoming more available around the country; check on the Internet to find a supplier near you.

Also, waste oil - that is, used vegetable oil discarded by restaurants - can be filtered and used in some furnaces. Several furnaces on the market are designed to burn waste oil.

Commercially manufactured biodiesel has an additive that keeps it liquid at low temperatures, which recycled vegetable oil doesn't contain, so do your research - and check again with your furnace service - before you attempt burning used vegetable oil.

The new world we are facing has lots of challenges in terms of how to heat our homes, especially in colder winter climates. Luckily there are technologies like wood and biodiesel, available today which can help us move away from our addiction/dependence on petroleum based fuels.