Super sucker built

[wmoguy]

wmoguy,
The sucker hose that you have on here could you have made it longer, or would the hose collapse easier?(If a guy wanted to get into underground tanks, or if some shop has the tank in the back, etc)
Could you put a one-way or check valve on this to get rid of the timing of closing the valve?
I'm just thinking of items to help the gathering of wmo and messy handling of this stuff.
This machine you've made really makes things much cleaner and easier.

I thought about a check valve vs what I added, a second hose at the top of the tank. The reason I opted against the check valve is because the hose is also how I empty the oil into my centrifuge barrel. So I need liquid travel both ways.
The upper hose works great. I do notice I don't quite fill it full at one of my pickup spots because I am sucking up about 5' of lift. If I wanted to I could pop the vacuum pump back on there and recharge the tank and might get another 3 gallons or so. But considering how clean the process is I don't mind coming back the next day.
Icbw, but the longer the hose the more vacuum you use. As for the high pressure hose I chose I am not worried about it collapsing.

 

[Brad S.]

Wow a lot of good info again. Thanks for past experiences thats why I like this board.
Hey since you have a CF I've have a question about a setup for wmo filtering.
My general plan is have one barrel, feed to my pump then the CF would be over another barrel, mainly doing a batch at a time. What about putting the CF on top of the barrel your feeding from?? For instance I have a small 15 gal barrel that I would feed from and run the CF back into. If the CF does 55 gph then I'll figure out how long to let this one batch run through the "system" to equal 3 or 4 passes in a two barrel setup. I've got the bypass hose going into a empty 5 gal pail.
I haven't set this up yet but I'm getting there.

 

[wmoguy]

Wow a lot of good info again. Thanks for past experiences thats why I like this board.
Hey since you have a CF I've have a question about a setup for wmo filtering.
My general plan is have one barrel, feed to my pump then the CF would be over another barrel, mainly doing a batch at a time. What about putting the CF on top of the barrel your feeding from?? For instance I have a small 15 gal barrel that I would feed from and run the CF back into. If the CF does 55 gph then I'll figure out how long to let this one batch run through the "system" to equal 3 or 4 passes in a two barrel setup. I've got the bypass hose going into a empty 5 gal pail.
I haven't set this up yet but I'm getting there.

I think I'm a bit confused about what you are asking. Are you asking if it would work to have feed barrell the same as the filter barrel? If so, thats what I have and personally the way I'd do it. Using the same barrel for all makes it clean and easy to make multiple passes at the oil without changing valves, etc.. Although I still am not 100% comfortable with leaving my system run and leaving the house you could do it. I typically fire up my centrifuge in the evenings around supper time, then let it run for an hour or two (depending how much oil I'm filtering) and I pop my head in the garage every once in a while to check on it.
Even though it uses high pressure hoses and fittings, the thought of a malfunction and not being around to check in on it every once and a while freaks me out. Maybe someday I'll add in a pressure valve that kicks off the pump if pressure drops below X psi. Then I wouldn't worry as much.

 

[Brad S.]

Sorry about all of that, sometimes I over detail stuff.
You answered my question about using only one barrel, I was thinking that using two barrels was the standard,(don't know how I got that stuck up there,, sometimes I over think stuff to.)
And I agree about leaving stuff unattended and high pressure hoses & chance of having the Exxon Valdez inside a garage.
I figured the 15 gal barrel would go quick for first starting out, then I can move up to 30 or 50 gal barrels and really make a mess.

 

[wmoguy]

If it was me in your shoes I would just go with wharves size barrel you think you'll want and go there first. You don't have to fill the bigger barrel in order to filter. I'd go for the 55 gallon barrel and just mess with it once.

 

[Trying my best]

Ok this thing is official bad ****!

This morning I went and filled it again. This time I tilted the tank up so that it was impossible to have the tank siphon on me. It took a little longer to fill it because my 1" hose kinked then a little. Bottom line, I got the 22 gallon tank filled in about 15-20 seconds.

I'm going to have a bung welded into the top of the tank tomorrow with a swivel 90 degree fitting and another 1" hose on it. I'll be good to go then

Sorry, maybe I'm being dense, but could you explain the purpose of the 1" hose on top? How does that prevent siphon?

 

[rhkcommander]

We need pix!!

 

[rhkcommander]

We need pix!!

 

[Matrix37495]

Sorry, maybe I'm being dense, but could you explain the purpose of the 1" hose on top? How does that prevent siphon?

just a guess, but i would say he probably doesn't have a dip tube, so the instant the oil went below the top of the tank it would stop siphoning and just empty the hose.


rhk, theres pics in the first post, what i want is a video of this thing in action...

 

[wmoguy]

The top hose was added later on. This thing fills 22 gallons so fast you can't react fast enough to close the ball valve on that bottom hose before all the oil you just sucked up works it's way back down the hose into the collection tank.
The top hose stops the speedy siphoning. It does slow down collection slightly, but I am still done in less than 30 seconds. Once the oil fills the vessel up via the top hose I can get to the ball valve at my convenience to close it off I'm sure it siphons back slowly, but nothing like the bottom hose does. The bottom hose fills and empties in under 35 seconds.

I will say this, one downside I've found to this collection method is the speed. With a good old gear pump you can randomly check the oil you are sucking up, and if you hit water, bad oil, etc... You can stop. The super sucker is so fast, and there's no way to watch whats going on. It's so fast and efficient at sucking oil it's almost too good. That said, I wont let it deter me. I love the ability to get oil in dress clothes and not be worried about the mess I might make. I'm sure if I had pickier collection points they might be happy to. I leave zero mess each time I fill.

 

[Trying my best]

I to would love to see a video of this thing.

 

[rhkcommander]

rhk, theres pics in the first post, what i want is a video of this thing in action...

DOH. Thanks, I will check them out on the weekend when I get some free time