Thinking about running WVO from a local in a diesel. All my research points to the 2 tank system. Start on diesel because it's more viscous, heat the WVO tank, switch about 10 min into driving and continue on WVO. 10 minutes before shut down, switch back to diesel so it'll start the next day. The whole reasoning being the WVO needs to be heated in order to reach diesel like viscosity. Now my question is...could I not just get a tank heater, block heater, and wrap the lines in a heating wrap, all connected to the battery or an inverter? Sure it would take 10-15 min to heat up but it's wayyy cheaper than the $1,900 dual tank kit. I have a 10 battery bank so current draw isn't an issue, not that a couple hundred watts in heaters is much of a draw anyways. Is this reasonable?
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'88 6.2 Suburban on WVO?
- Thread starter terra
- Start date
Veg_Out
Walking J Designs
Just place a fuel temp gauge on it. As long as your veggie stays at 160 or above, but not much above, you are golden. Vegetherm is a nice product to integrate. The kits offer some real nice features and are many times worth it.
Veg_Out
Walking J Designs
I'd put the sensor right before the IP.
Awesome thanks! So if that reads 160, and I have line/tank/block heaters in place, it's safe to start on?
If you live in an area where the temperature drops below 45 degrees F, you would have less headaches and pay less for towing if you ran a dual tank system, i.e., start/stop the engine using dino-diesel. You can even use the stock fuel tank for your WVO and a smaller tank for the dino-diesel.
Heating up the tanks/fuel lines is relatively easy when you have a 110V/220V outlet to plug into (at home, at work, at friends', etc.). Heating them up after being parked for hours in a spot where no extension cord is going to do you any good will drain your batteries if using an inverter to do the job. Heat loss when the ambient temperature is "cold," and adding to that a breeze, is quite rapid.
The core component in a dual-tank system (other than the second tank) is the Pollak fuel selector switch (~$90 for a six-port at JCWh*tn*y). Use fuel lines/components that can be heated externally, i.e., metal. When using heating pads, use high-quality potting compound to "pot" the edges of the pads to prevent moisture/contaminant entry, then insulate the exposed parts with high-heat resistant insulation to increase their efficiency (I would even place a sheet of aluminum flashing over the heating pad before covering with insulation -- just make sure the edges do not cut into wiring).
Be careful with using inverters used to provide juice to resistance heaters (heating pads, heating cables, etc.) -- in-vehicle household voltage can kill. Follow proper grounding principles, water proof components, double/triple insulate.
Somehow, it sticks in the back of my mind that running WVO neat in a 6.2 or 6.5 will yield ~80k miles per injection pump because of the lack of lubricity of VO as a fuel.
Good luck! Once I get The Beast up and running, I'm doing the same thing...
Regards,
Franko
Heating up the tanks/fuel lines is relatively easy when you have a 110V/220V outlet to plug into (at home, at work, at friends', etc.). Heating them up after being parked for hours in a spot where no extension cord is going to do you any good will drain your batteries if using an inverter to do the job. Heat loss when the ambient temperature is "cold," and adding to that a breeze, is quite rapid.
The core component in a dual-tank system (other than the second tank) is the Pollak fuel selector switch (~$90 for a six-port at JCWh*tn*y). Use fuel lines/components that can be heated externally, i.e., metal. When using heating pads, use high-quality potting compound to "pot" the edges of the pads to prevent moisture/contaminant entry, then insulate the exposed parts with high-heat resistant insulation to increase their efficiency (I would even place a sheet of aluminum flashing over the heating pad before covering with insulation -- just make sure the edges do not cut into wiring).
Be careful with using inverters used to provide juice to resistance heaters (heating pads, heating cables, etc.) -- in-vehicle household voltage can kill. Follow proper grounding principles, water proof components, double/triple insulate.
Somehow, it sticks in the back of my mind that running WVO neat in a 6.2 or 6.5 will yield ~80k miles per injection pump because of the lack of lubricity of VO as a fuel.
Good luck! Once I get The Beast up and running, I'm doing the same thing...
Regards,
Franko