| Author | Message | ||
| cgoodwin (208.12.29.127) Rating: N/A |
After months of research, speaking with those whom have done so, reading every paper I could find on both sides of the pond and my own experiments with smaller diesels, I have decided to install a WVO system in my Neoplan (6V92TA)and will keep everyone posted as to the outcome. I have outlined my system at http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/way/dj63/motorsport/cruiser.htm If anyone is interested let me know and I will be happy to share my research. Chris | ||
| Deacon (204.184.224.29) Rating: N/A |
Chris, keep us informed, if you need questions answered or just input give us a try at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/wvobus/ I wish I was ready to make the conversion! John | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior) (64.229.212.13)
Rating: N/A |
Hello cgoodwin. Good luck to you, and please post periodically to share your great adventure, and any misadventure too! It's always great when someone heads off into waters for which there are conflicting charts to put some order to things. You have my admiration, you are a braver busnut than I! happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| Mark R. Obtinario (Cowlitzcoach) (206.163.13.24)
Rating: N/A |
I was already to plunk down some serious hard earned $$ to install a WVO in one of my buses. That was the plan until I sat down and figured out the logistics of the system. In all that I have read about WVO systems,the majority of the conversions were on vehicles like VW's and M-B diesel automobiles. Most of which get in excess of 30 MPG. In order to keep my bus running on WVO I would have to process more per week than most of the conversions use per year. That would require me to outfit a truck with a tank and a pump to collect the WVO, a tank at home with some sort of heater to facilitate filtering the WVO, and most importantly find enough sources for WVO (the sources I contacted produce less WVO per week than I would be using per day). I also discovered that even though WVO isn't currently taxed, I would still be liable for state and federal highway road taxes for every gallon of WVO I used instead of diesel. After figuring out how much time and effort it would take to utilize WVO I decided that for me, WVO wasn't a viable option for me. Good luck to you. I hope it works out great for you. Mark O. | ||
| Airless in Mississippi (69.92.6.98) Rating: N/A |
My hat is off to you chris... I do however agree with Mark with everything except the road tax issue. I would still be buying diesel so I would be paying use tax for the roads.. | ||
| cgoodwin (208.12.29.127) Rating: N/A |
Mark O, The place across the street from my shop has an 800 gallon tank and that is picked up every two weeks, most places I have called report in excess of 200 gallons sitting behind thier businesses... Now I don't know how much fuel you are using but it seems like a lot to me. My plan is to install a preheat system using a 1/2 ton coolant fed heat exchanger from a commercial refer unit - $60.00 (see below) to heat the grease as it is being pumped (via 12v transfer pump), pass it through the filters and directly into the main bus tank at 3 gallons per minute. In addition I was given an old home water heater (electric) which I have cut the top off, grease can be dumped directly into the top and heated, the heated grease is then pumped through a filter system and into 55 gallon drums on wheels and rolled to the back of my shop for storage and later use. With a 144 gallon on board tank I will have a range of 1152 miles (@8mpg). If I need a greater range I can find a source in the field or simply fill the tank with diesel and continue burnign regular diesel. Heat exchanger - I needed to install a shower in a Land Rover 110 Defender for expedition work, I installed a referigeration heat exchanger (HE), ran engine coolant through one side and pumped water from streams through the other side. With 40F water on the inlet side I had 104f water at the shower head. Recently i did a similar install on my Suburban - I still do a lot of wildlife photography and a shower is nice - For this system i installed a aux fuel tank froma wrecker and fill it with 20gal of water, in the morning I run the engine up to temp (and warm the inside after cold nights) and I have a shower...Simple system, nothing to go wrong and if you plumb the HE into the return side of the vehicles HE you can use the interior heat control to regulate the temp of your shower! The HE is about $50.oo from a comercial refer company, it is called the Doucette Coaxial Coil.  | ||
| Mark R. Obtinario (Cowlitzcoach) (204.245.250.39)
Rating: N/A |
I think perhaps you must live in an urban area. Where I live could be described as your typical small town. If you collected all of the WVO in town I doubt if you would be able to collect 800 gallons every two weeks. 800 gallons every two weeks translates into a very large pile of french fries. That amounts to more WVO per day than any of the stores and restaurants in town produce in a week. The bus I contemplated converting to WVO uses, on average, thirty gallons of fuel every day. In order to collect the necessary volume of WVO to fuel our bus would require me to visit at least ten different stores or restaurants every week. The time involved just isn't worth it to me. As far as road taxes go, yes you would be paying taxes on the diesel you purchase. But in some states, like OR, you have to pay weight/mile taxes regardless of what fuel you use. If you pay state taxes and not federal taxes they will find you and will make you pay. Again, I applaud your efforts and hope they work out for you. I just don't see WVO being a viable option for me at this time. Mark O. |