chickenpot
Registered User
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It's been a decent amount of trial and error but I found out what works and got everything in working order enough to run 5 gallons through last night. I'm pretty excited and hope everything holds up well to the many hours I plan on running this. In the end, was it worth it to build a fuge vs buying one? Not really to be honest but this waste oil journey has been all about DIY and self-sufficiency as well as pushing my own mechanical limits and growing in the same way.
Things I had to purchase for this build:
WVO designs bowl (couldn't figure out a decent way to build this one) $250
220v water heater element ~$10
Stainless pipe fittings for heater ~$30
24" 5/8 keyed shaft ~$20
3 5/8' pillow block bearing housings ~$80
1 2 pole toggle switch ~$5
Solderless wire connectors ~$5
1 30 amp plug ~$7
2 6203 motor bearings for good measure ~$15
Everything else I had laying around. It's all built from stainless except for the shaft bearings and motor mount plate.
Electrically I have it so: Power in to hot side of contactor, hot side to 220v refrigeration defrost timer motor, timer trigger out with a toggle switch to energize contactor. Cold side of contactor controls the electric motor and the heating element, which is thermostatically controlled. Timer is set to turn off every ~3 hours for 5 minutes to drain the dirty oil in the fuge bowl.
