is a centrifuge really that useful?

[bagpiperjosh]

now before i get a million YES's. heres why i ask

If i just buy a few filters that have a water seperator and filter the wmo down to 2 microns or less. wouldnt that do the same thing a fuge does?
I mean, 2 microns is 2 microns and 1 micron is 1 micron.

Is it really worth all that extra cost for a good pump and a centerfuge?

 

[subway]

In my humble opinion yes, i have driven my fuge just fine with a power steering pump out of a yard and an electric motor i had in my garage from the previous owner so my cost was all in the fuge and fittings. If we look at it from that point you will be buying fittings either way for the fuge or filter setup. You will have to have some sort of pump either way so that cost is in both setups. One work around for a filter setup is to use air if have a compressor already handy.

These are some round about numbers i remember paying but check them yourself before jumping
55gal/hr. fuge is 160

Goldenrod filter assembly 30
Goldenrod filter 7
Water filter housing 35
Water filter 10

Total of about 82 (about half the cost of the fuge) and you have the continued cost of buying and keeping filters on hand which adds up over time. Another problem i ran into was i needed fuel and i forgot to get an extra filter, i don’t have that headache anymore. Yes the filters are cheaper to get into initially but in the long run i think you are going to come out ahead with a fuge. Coming from someone who has done it both ways i would have skipped the filter route and just set up a fuge to start with.

on another note the fuge does a better job of filtering down to half a micron, most house filters you can buy only go down to 1 micron nominal. To get a true 1 micron filter the price goes way up where the fuge can do that all day long.

 

[Brad S.]

I would agree with all the above.
Having filters with a CF I think is ok, the CF is working less or it can get rid of the smaller particles quicker.
I started with filters and added a CF. I figure the filters work as a "mixing" stage in the setup.
I want to take a sample of wmo to our school and look at it under a microscope.
One sample pushed through a CF and one sample through filters.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

I would agree with all the above.
Having filters with a CF I think is ok, the CF is working less or it can get rid of the smaller particles quicker.
I started with filters and added a CF. I figure the filters work as a "mixing" stage in the setup.
I want to take a sample of wmo to our school and look at it under a microscope.
One sample pushed through a CF and one sample through filters.

I would be very interested in those results.

 

[wmoguy]

Bottomline, a Centrifuge fuel quality side by side w/ a filter fuel quality will not be the same. you can make usable fuel w/ filters, but it will not surpass the quality you can make with a centrifuge.

BTW, Centrifuges can process to sub microns. I've now recently seen test results to validate that

 

[Blind Driver2]

A 'fuge is a wonderful thing

 

[diezelcrazee]

One big reason to use a centrifuge is the cost of filters. You get excellent cleaning with a 'fuge, and bypass the filter cost.

True the up front cost of the 'fuge is considerable, but if your in it for the long term, it will more than pay for itself.

Side note: I recently changed my setup from feeding the centrifuge straight from the collection drum. I added another drum and made the first one a full upflow which takes the dirty oil all the way to the bottom, and drains at a trickle flow out the top. I was surprised how much less junk my fuge is taking out now.