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trbomax
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 133 Starvation Lake, Mi
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2006-04-22          128123

Im building a 40x80x17 this summer and am looking at waste oil heat. anyone with experience to share ?

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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2006-04-22          128146

This doesn't really apply to your post but in a way it does...it might give you or some one else some inspiration to make their own heater. Back in '76 my dad built a waste oil heater (actually 2) that burned anything that was viscous and flammable--paint with dirt in it, old motor oil, etc. It was featured in a '76 Popular Science--they paid a whopping $250 to intervew my dad. It put out a measured 5 million BTU. In simplistic terms it was a 1/2" diameter hollow brass sphere with a microscopic slit cut horizontally about 3/8" long in its middle. 60 psi of air was blown through the ball and out the slit. Flammable liquid was sowly pumped over the ball. The compressed air atomized the fluid coming over the slot. Unatomized fluid was collected in a cup at the base of the ball and returned to a 100 gallon tank under the burner. The atomized fluid was ignited by a spark plug which in turn threw a flame down a sprialling burn chamber about 3 feet long and 8 inches in diameter lined with 3" of fire brick. A small blower helped the burn process. The flame fanned out to a fire box measuring 8'x 5'x 4' in which were 4 rows of cast iron hospital radiators which turned water into steam. Steam-turned-hot water was pumped 200 feet to the 3,000 sq ft house through base board radiators. Since the 16' x 16' heat house was connected to the 30' x 50' greenhouse, he had plans to heat the ground and the 12' fish pool inside with the water. GM and a large supermarket chain were interested but the untested technology seemed too risky for the times. Sadly family tragedies led to the dismantling of the entire venture. The first plant he built, he and I were in it as the room filled with a thick fog of atomized oil. A lit propane torch in the room touched off a fire storm the likes I have never seen or been in since. I never thought I'd make it out alive. "Don't try this at home" :) ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2006-04-22          128148

Funny this post is today. I am tired of fighting with Mavis and gas station owners to get rid of my used oil. I have about 5 gallons every few months. I know they have to take it where ever they sell it - but they discourage you in every way possible. I have been made to fill out paper work, or they make you walk in your business clothes to far reaches of greasy garages, or they make you wait, or they just plain tell you they don't need it. I would prefer to get a used oil burner and use it to heat my garage on occasion in the winter. Is there an economical used oil heater out there?

I have listened with interest to posts here about mixing small amounts of hydraulic fluid with home heating oil. My wife says she saw the neighbor dump used motor oil in their home oil heating tank. Is this something that people do?
....

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wingwiper
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 676
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2006-04-23          128154

The Dealership I work at, heats the entire facility with Used Motor oil. We are a pretty good size dealership and have a Recon Bld, a Body shop bld and a Main blding with 14 service racks etc. All of the heat and Hot water comes from the Used Motor Oil.
I would think you should be able to find a Company or a dealership that uses Motor Oil for heating. Call around or stick an ad in the local paper to draw attention for everyone to benefit from.
You might even check to see if anyone is doing Oil Undercoating and would like your oil. Some use Motor Oil and others use like a Bar-Chain oil (sticks better when cut with Kerosene)
Final thought, find a a place that has Dinosaur fossils and pour it on the ground and lable it "Fresh Kill" j/k ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2006-04-23          128157

Wingwiper - from what I can see on the net - there is nothing small enough or inexpensive enough for a homeowner's garage. I do see you can build them yourself if you are a welder - which is not me! Ha - they have uncovered a wooly mammoth in these parts - you never know what lies a few feet beneath the surface :) ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2006-04-24          128191

ncrunch, there are several companies that make used oil burners that are small enough for an area like a garage.

Yes, some people do blend used motor oil into furnace oil stocks, it's not a great idea though, the few dollars you might save in oil could be more than eaten up in repairs. Furnace oil is very light, and the nozzle and pump contain extremely small orifices, the debris in used motor oil could easily clog the system, even if the filter got most of it.

Aside from being illegal, other uses of used motor oil are again, just not worth it, used oil is just that, used, it's also full of debris, heavy metals and all sorts of nasty chemicals.

Best of luck. ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2006-04-24          128219

Thanks for the input Murf! I will probably just continue to seek out friendly gas stations for my used oil! ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2006-04-25          128272

ncrunch, there are several designs out there, including a hybrid I've made some years back, that basically convert an old airtight wood stove into a waste oil heater.

It can be achieved with no welding required, but will work better with a few small pieces welded together, but nothing bigger than say a basketball, or more than about 20 pounds. Certainly the sort of thing you could easily carry in the trunck of any car (with spousal consent of course ;->).

Best of luck. ....

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2006-04-26          128344

We've worn out a unit in each of our stores at this point with about twenty years of them. They do have their good points but for a small garage without constant attention available I'd say no. You might try a wood stove with a good drip system to rid yourself of the oil and increase the heat value but there is a lot of issues to the maintanence of waste oil units. ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2006-05-06          128999

By us most of the village garages (county run) accept the used oil free. All the cities in our state have some where you can take it free (they dont want it thrown down the sewers. I am suprised yours dont take it? ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2006-05-06          129000

Maybe its time you all start leaving gallon milk jugs full of used oil on the curbs. After enough of you all start doing that the city will surely start a recylcling place for it LOL ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2006-05-07          129011

Broken - Ha! That would sure get someone's attention. Murf and Art - I have given up on the thought of a heater for my 2 car garage. It would be an overkill for that and I couldn't give it constant attention. Thanks for your comments!

Broken - they do accept used oil but often not without encouraging you to take it someplace else. One local gas station makes you fill out paper work when you give them your oil. My own reliable station where I get repairs just plain told me they already have enough to heat their garage. At first at Mavis Tires I could just go dump it myself in their tank. Now a BIG guy comes out and meets me and makes me wait a while before an attendant takes the oil from me. Now I hear I should go to Valvoline quick change oil so maybe I'll try them.

My last township had an oil recycle tank at the town dump where you could bring it. That was great. I have done some research and have found a company one city from me named NOCO which recycles used automotive fluids and they will take all the used oil I bring them with a smile.

I found out through the local recycle agency that, although service stations by law have to take used oil from anyone who brings it in, they only have to do this up until a quota is filled. Unfortunately no one monitors the quota so a service station can turn anyone down once they have enough oil for their waste oil heaters. So the environmentalists publish all this stuff about recycling oil - but I imagine lots of it just goes into the ground or to the local landfill in gallon jugs. Largely because it is still inconvenient to find people who will take it with a smile.

....

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harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
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2006-05-07          129013

I thinks we should just dump it. That way after the next ice age or 2 the inhabiants of this planet will have some fossil fuels to use. ....

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steve4300
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 71 NH
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2006-05-18          129536

around here almost all garages including town owned have put waste oil burners in. The town ones are real nice because they are ussaly good size and it helps save on tax dollars becuase they arn't paying for expensive burner oil. ....

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2006-05-19          129553

They also have some fancy rules as far as not burning other peoples oil and the transport of it for those that do have waste oil burners. Our units need monthly cleaning do to the build up of the additives in the oil, looks like sand in the burner when we take it out. For the oil we can't or choose not to burn we have to pay to have it taken. If you have a place that takes it for nothing close by then that's great. We actually have a local garage that does much of our service work and we get a oil change as well as grease job for twenty dollars and they check over the veichle well for us in hopes of finding a bad u-joint or something else. Twenty minutes and they are done and only a mile down the road. I'm currently running synthetic in my wife's car and they charge ten dollars to do the change with full service with me supplying the oil and filter. It's nice to be under them often and able to see what is rusting away in NY. NO MORE SALT PLEASE! ....

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