Thoughts on my waste oil filtration plans

[homelessduck]

I am wanting to set up a basic wmo / *** filter. My thought is to have a 55gallon drum that I will fill with oil. It will exit at the bottom and be plumbed for two 10micron , two 5micron, and a final diesel fuel filter. It will be plumbed so that by opening / closing certain valves I can run a constant filtration loop through either the 10's , 5's , or the final filter. This way I can pump it through the 10's for awhile, then through the 5's , then through the diesel filter and into the truck. I would like to do this so I can filter it several times.

For a pump I am wanting to use a small gas engine which will have a belt that turns a power steering pump. The pump will be a non reservoir type, with just an inlet and outlet.

Thoughts?

 

[wmoguy]

It'll work. My "first" venture into WMO use was pretty similar to that. Make sure you make at least 5 passes thru the 5 micron (or smaller filter) before you burn the fuel (mixed w/ a thinner of course)

Be prepared to eat up alot of filters unless the oil you get is clean as is. I couldn't manage more than about 100 gallons of WMO before it clogged the filters beyond use.

Although for what you are going to spend in setting this up, for not much more at all you could buy Phazertwo's WMO Centrifuge setup, which is listed for sale on this site.

 

[homelessduck]

I would buy his setup in a heartbeat but I don't think he wants to ship it . I will be cutting the wmo and *** with diesel and some rug. I'm going to aim for mostly *** but I'm not sure if I will be able to nail down a reliable source. I'm just going to go to every trans shop in town and offer to buy their ***. Also, I was thinking about using the clear whole house filter canisters so I can monitor things .

Is it best to pump through the filters or suck through?

 

[wmoguy]

I would buy his setup in a heartbeat but I don't think he wants to ship it . I will be cutting the wmo and *** with diesel and some rug. I'm going to aim for mostly *** but I'm not sure if I will be able to nail down a reliable source. I'm just going to go to every trans shop in town and offer to buy their ***. Also, I was thinking about using the clear whole house filter canisters so I can monitor things .

Is it best to pump through the filters or suck through?

Ask him, he might ship it. I sold my first fuge setup to someone on this site, shipping wasn't "that" bad. Forget the barrel for shipping.
Even if you had to send him an extra $65-80 for shipping, it's worth it. The pump and motor is almost worth what he is asking for the whole thing.

 

[homelessduck]

I just asked but he said he wasn't wanting to in his ad. Did you have your pump pre or post filters?

 

[subway]

forget being able to see anything through a clear filter bowl, you will see the color of your mix but that is about it. even with ATF you might be able to see something with clear hydraulic fluid if you can get it. i was going to mount some gages pre and post filter to moniter how they were doing before i went to a fuge.

why a gas engine? an electric is much more efficiant unless you dont have power where the fuge is at or need protability?

you will also need a pressure relief, a power steering pump can make a couple thousand PSI if you let it. that is enough to go WAY beyond what your filter housings are rated for if they clog.

to help save expensive filters old jeans make a great prefilter to get the bigger stuff out.

 

[homelessduck]

I will definitely add a pressure relief ( before the filters? ) . What pressure should it pop at? I am also going to add a pressure gauge before the filters. I want a gas engine because I hate dealing with electric stuff. I was wondering about the clear housings... I will just get the solid blue ones, they're cheaper anyway . Now ... should everything be threaded with rubber lines or is PVC fine? I don't expect high pressure. When it starts building decent pressure I will change filters. For my application, if I get 50 gallons from a set of filters I will be happy.

 

[homelessduck]

Here is a ROUGH drawing of what I am thinking

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[homelessduck]

I bought a 4k watt generator and a 3/4 HP HF clear water pump today. The HF pump was only $50 with the 2 year warranty so if it doesn't work out I will return it. I am leaning towards having the whole system minus the drum mounted in the bed of my truck. It will have a quick disconnect hose so I can just park next to the drum, connect the hose and start filtering. This would make it convenient as it would be home based AND mobile.

Plus, I could use the same pump for oil collection if it ends up being a decent pump.

 

[wmoguy]

I think I know which pump you bought. I don't think it's a self priming pump is it?

 

[subway]

I have heard pvc will break down with wmo but I have not confirmed that, I skipped on using it though.

As far as the pump I have the same one, it might last but for constant use but I would not count on it. I use it as my fill pump after I am done filtering and it works well for that. Forget it for collection though, its a royal pain to prime and slooooooow. I am talking maybe 1 gal a minute so you can be sitting there an hour to fill a 55 gal drum. Been there done that, make a super sucker to pick up.

For the pressure relief you want it between the pump and before your first filter. Check the pressure ratings of all the housings and don't go above the lowest one.

 

[wmoguy]

I bought a 4k watt generator and a 3/4 HP HF clear water pump today. The HF pump was only $50 with the 2 year warranty so if it doesn't work out I will return it. I am leaning towards having the whole system minus the drum mounted in the bed of my truck. It will have a quick disconnect hose so I can just park next to the drum, connect the hose and start filtering. This would make it convenient as it would be home based AND mobile.

Plus, I could use the same pump for oil collection if it ends up being a decent pump.

Whats the generator for?
If your trying to use this pump while in the pickup, it would be better and easier to just install a properly sized inverter

 

[homelessduck]

It's not self priming . I will probably return it .. I didn't really think it through. I will definitely stick to a super sucker for collection. The generator was to eliminate the need for an outlet but if I mount everything in the bed I will just use an inverter. I needed a generator any way though. I'm not sure if I am going to do that though .. I might just toss everything on a small trailer. For now I will probably just mount everything in a storage shed to test everything and see if it is even going to work. I just need to buy the plumbing and should be able to start building it. Well, I also need to find a proper pump. I don't think I am even going to try out the HF one.

 

[homelessduck]

Do you guys think I will be filtering it down far enough? I am thinking I might need to swap a 5 for a 1 or 2 micron .

 

[m67tang]

Most factory filters only go as low as 10 micron. Of course the lower the better. the less down time changing fuel filters. thinning the oil before filtering speeds it up. I make my own with a TF 3000 that I bought from Blue Grass Fuel. I pre filter too so it helps to save canister filters. It can never be too clean, but dont over think it. our motors will run happy at 5 micron. Always let the oil stand, at least a week, and draw off the top of the drum. All nasty things fall toward the tank bottom. without a centrifuge gravity is your best friend! A centrifuge simply does the same as gravity, almost instantly, so use gravity. I like some of the drum top strainer filters I have used off ebay. They make a good pre-filter. Next my TF3000 pushes thru a canister filter of 1 micron.