# Waste oil heater



## maverickxxx (Jan 25, 2011)

Anyone make one out of a oil fired furnace.i heated up some ATF an fired up the furnace no problem.i got a centerfuge coming next week to filter WMO for using in it. I was going to try hooking just a block heater for an engine to pre heat oil. Anyone do this


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

No but you will want to open up the air a bit as waste oil and even veg oil will have more available carbon to burn. Expect the nozzle to plug. ...... of course any changes you make to the furnace or fuel you use will be contrary to the certification the furnace has so your insurance won't pay if it burns the building down. Just know that. Setting your fuel up as a two line system might help keep the supply tank warm and keep the fuel pump from gumming up so fast. You may need a by pass plug .... depends on what pump is on there. You may have to fool with pump pressure and nozzle types to get a clean reliable burn, but again..... you're in invention mode so it is both dangerous and could be costly.


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## maverickxxx (Jan 25, 2011)

I've been reading that about nozzles. I'm heating shop with it so ill be able to monitor it as I tweak things.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

So some suggestions then. Nozzles come in many many different configurations. Basically three types. Solid hollow and semi solid. Waste oil is high in carbon which is a great heat source but hard to burn. So a hollow spray pattern will mix air into the middle. On a Delavan nozzle these are nozzles marked with an "A" The furnace will designate the spray width likely 70 or 80 degrees. Follow that as it suits the combustion chamber, or maybe go a little narrower. On a flame retention burner (most likely what you have unless its real old) it needs the heat reflected back from the chamber to burn clean and without impingement. Nozzles are also rated for GPH @100 psi. Here is where it gets tricky-er. Most furnaces have the pump set for 100psi (its on the furnace rating plate or should be) To reset the pump pressure you need a gauge (which you can make) and while you're at it put in a ball valve so you can shut off the oil to the drawer assembly for testing and safety etc. it goes where the little copper line leaves the pump going to the drawer assembly. The suggestion is to drop the nozzle size and boost the pressure to prevent gumming up. That gives you the same GPH burn even if you're technically already over firing the furnace with the hotter burning oils. There are charts online to size them. So to re-cap the nozzle is rated as follows. Say .75 80deg A or .75 GPH in an 80 degree spray pattern making a hollow flame. (just a WAG for your furnace) You adjust the fuel pump with a small slot tip screw driver but you need the gauge to know where you are and where you've adjusted to..

Adjusting air is best done with a smoke tester, smoke is unburned fuel so it needs more air (if the burner is running OK) Most waste oil burners use compressed air too so its touchy if you'll get enough with out. Some burners have whats called a low fire baffle plate in it too. You won't want that installed.

Remember you are running the furnace hotter so for both safety and getting all you can out of the heat you need to check the stack temp before you mess with the blower fan and after to see the diff, and taking a temp rise on the shop air you're heating also helps. A stack thermometer is pretty pricey as it gets very hot on that chimney sometimes!! You may need to completely replace the fan with a bigger one and as a min and its better only have a cheapy filter (no tight ones that restrict air) and make sure the fins are clean on the fan! Then set your fan switch to come on sooner and run longer. Some fans use timers for the fan. 

All done that? A combustion analyser will fine tune the settings and ensure you're burning clean (most efficient) and safely (under 200ppm of CO) Not that any of that is really very safe as the fuel is not consistent. Changing fuels, changes everything.


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## maverickxxx (Jan 25, 2011)

I was seeing on the delavan nozzles. N one hvac guy I talked said on dropping nozzle size n turning pressure up. I got a point n shoot temp gauge. For monitoring. I'll be storing everything blended in a two seventy five gallon tank so that should keep a consistent blend n could just recycle back to itself to keep mixed.do u know of any websites


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

This one should help explain things better. 


http://nakco.com/Heating_Tip/Nozzle Knowledge.pdf


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

A two line system will help keep things mixed too as the pump is returning un-used oil to the storage tank


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## maverickxxx (Jan 25, 2011)

That site was very helpful understanding nozzles. I'll prolly fool with it more later on this week


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

We use a standard water heating element in a 55 gallon barrel, in an unheated garage, to get the veggie oil thinned down for filtering in the centrifuge.
The centrifuge will not do its job on cold oil.

There is also available band--like a belt-- heaters that go on 55 gallon drums.....

Also an outfit called 'Artic Fox' has 12vdc heaters for those who use a two tank system for their veggie oil diesels.

Our 'blend' of veggie oil for diesels does not require a heater or engine modifications.


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## maverickxxx (Jan 25, 2011)

I got a extra water heater kicking around. But Was going to save it for something else. What's your blend that u use? I am going to be using veg oil but not yet


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Not an injected oil, but a neighbor of mine rigged this up in his shop. He runs 5-6 dump trucks locally, and has a lot of waste oil from them.

He mounted a 55gal drum high up on a wall, pumps into that from 55gal storage drum on the ground, then from the wall mount, he ran a pc of 3/8" copper tubing to his wood stove, drilled a hole in the top of the stove and tapped it for a fitting. He simply lets the waste oil drip on the wood fire, using a valve in the 3/8" for the drip control.

Works pretty good.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

A friend does the same as Andy described, but he put his supply tank right on top of the big wood furnace.
All the used veggie oil from their restaurant deep fryers goes in that tank . . .so of course the heat makes the oil viscus enough to drip on to the fire.
Once a year or so he has to *attempt* to clean out that tank . . .the old french fries etc. etc. . . . . .lots of fun . . . . .


to 50 gallons of highly filtered veggie oil (centrifuge) we add 3.5 gallons kerosine or off road diesel, 1.5 gallons reg gas, a quart of cetain booster, some water eater stuff.

Thats the same blend that I used when I drove from northern MI down to TnAndy's place in TN.
With that blend my Chev diesel never missed a beat when driving through those mountains, hauling 2800 lbs of dead weight batteries.
Andy saw all the 5 gallon containers of fuel that I hauled . . . . . . .lol


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

And my place smelled like french fries for several days......


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