Is there a difference between Virgin (shop bought) Veg
OIl and Waste Veg OIl (WVO)?
As long as your WVO has
been properly cleaned
/ filtered, there's no difference
as far as your engine is concerned. It will run just as well on WVO as it will
on virgin oil.
Where can I get WVO locally?
It's getting harder to find Waste Veg OIl as more people are
looking for it, but be persistent and invest time. I'd ignore
the big companies (McDonalds, KFC, etc) as they'll already
have outlets in place for their WVO, as will the big brewery
chains and hotels. However local independent pubs, local restaurants,
independent hotels, care homes, recreation centre's, etc,
are all worth a phone call.
My WVO is cloudy. Is it okay to use?
Cloudy WVO is usually dirty
WVO. It's cloudy because fats and water are all mixed up within
the oil. Let it settle to separate
the fats and water and it will become clearer. After fine
filtering,
it's then ready to use.
Why filter WVO?
WVO is usually full of all manner of debris that will ruin your engine including
fats, water, food chunks and anything else that got tossed in the waste (like
cigarette butts). If you don't filter this junk out, you could kill your engine.
Filter your WVO and avoid hefty repair bills. This story might help you.
Is darker / lighter WVO okay to use?
The colour of the WVO is fairly irrelevant. Usually it's darker than shop bought
veg oil and the colour variance is largely due to how much cooking has taken
place and what's been cooked. As long as it's well filtered, it will be fine
to use.
Why filter WVO in stages?
If you take your WVO and pour it straight into a 1 micron filter sock, it will
clog in seconds. There will be loads of good quality oil trapped inside the
clogged filter that just can't get out. Filtering in stages avoids this issue.
Gradually reduce your filter stages, getting finer and finer until you're left
with something your engine will be happy with.
Shall I heat the WVO?
Some folks heat their WVO to remove water and help it pass more easily through
filters. I don't. There's two main reasons for this.
1) Heated oil will break
down fats and pass through filters more easily, yes, but afterwards it will
cool down and the fats congeal again. So you've still got fats it your oil.
2) I strive for a green approach and using electricity or gas to heat oil not
only costs money but invariably uses fossil fuels.
Keep it simple. It will settle all
on it's own in just a few weeks - no heat and no energy required.
Is the filtering process messy?
Yes. Whichever way you dress it up, it's a smelly, sticky, slimy process. You'll
spill it, get it on your clothes,
skin, etc. Some WVO can smell pretty nasty (depending on the source) and
sludge is a constant problem. You're dealing with a waste product, so it's
not the nicest of jobs, but eventually you'll get into your own routine and
learn how to minimise the mess.
Does the filtering process take up much space?
Yes, a fair bit. My two tanks are 220ltrs and measure roughly 2 foot x
4 foot each. Plus you'll always need to have containers nearby to move the
oil from one spot to another, etc. Basically I have a small garden shed and
whilst it's a squeeze, I can manage (though I often wish I had a larger
shed!).
Is your filter set up the best one?
I'm sure my filter set up is far from perfect. Doubtless there's MANY better
examples on the net. I believe my set up is an EASY and fairly CHEAP one, and
that for
me is
enough.
It's certainly a good place for the novice to start and if over time you find
a better way of doing things, please let
me know. I'd be happy to hear from you.
Do you sell your WVO?
I sometimes have a little surplus waste vegetable oil
(WVO) cluttering up my garage which I'm happy to sell on to others who are willing
to collect from Wolverhampton. Click
here for more details.
Can you recommend other sellers of WVO in other areas?
Sorry, I don't know of any. I don't sell WVO professionally. I occasionally
have a little surplus, that's all, so I'm afraid I have no knowledge of other
purveyors of WVO in any other location. Try looking on eBay.
