Vancouver BC WVO/Bio users: Roll call!

sherpafish · Post by **sherpafish** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 3:42 am

I just wanted to get some heads together and figure stuff out. I'm switching my Jetta over to Bio and of course I have a million questions. You probably do too! Let's get it together.
Usefull links for now:

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/ ... /347104314 First steps (awesome info!)

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/v ... orum=55421 All the parts you'll need

http://www.vancouverbiodiesel.org/ Bio-Diesel Coop

http://www.alternatives.com/vpn/index.p ... tion=26:22 Pros and Cons

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=t ... =857600061 Dr. Pepper technique

Anybody else a Van-city local?

koppernicus · Post by **koppernicus** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:31 am

i'm also from vancouver and i'm currently thinking about buying a diesel VW Golf....

if i can save money by running it on waste vegetable oil, i would seriously consider it.

but i know nothing about fixing cars, or how cars work.... I've been reading the links and they seem pretty technical. You have to take your gas-tank out and weld stuff into it, etc....

are you a mechanic?

sherpafish · Post by **sherpafish** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:22 am

koppernicus wrote:
are you a mechanic?

Yes! but, just for mountain bikes

. In fact this jetta is my first car ever (I'm, 29). There does seem to be a lot of elbow grease involved in going WVO, but most folks doing seem to work it out trial and error, without being mechanics.
I guess how easy it will be to do the switch would depend on what type of vehicle you have?

koppernicus · Post by **koppernicus** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:24 pm

if you do it on your own, with your own supply, i guess its a good alternative.

if you buy from the biodiesel collective, its not that good a deal. they want 1.17/litre - thats more than regular diesel. and they can't go over B50, or its even more expensive! theres a special tax the gov't puts on B50+ fuels.

on top of the fuel being more expensive if its biofuel, you lose power in your car.

you save emissions, thus keeping the earth greener, but you pay extra for it. Right not I cannot afford the extra cost. I haven't even paid off the car yet.

If (and this is a big "if") you can make the fuel in your own backyard (so to speak) it is very worth it, because you no longer have to buy gas. This is a huge task though, requiring mixing equipment that can process in excess of 10 litres (if you want to be done by the time you need another fill-up). My car has a 40litre gas tank, in order to mix enough fuel to fill the tank I would need some pretty big oil drums.

And thats not to mention where the fuel comes from in the first place. You have to solicit restaurants, and while some might be fine with it, how reliable are they?

Its quite a project to go biodiesel, one that I'm not set up for. Living in an apartment really limits your space, and your ability to mix 40 litres of fuel.

i think the biodiesel option is only for the wealthy right now, because of these limitations and costs.

sherpafish · Post by **sherpafish** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:00 am

Read some of the stuff Hagar has writen in these forums... he can really get you thinking about ways to improve your mileage. 40 liters of fuel should last you 600km, or more! How much do you drive in a week?!
I totaly %100 dissagree about WVO diesel being for the rich. It's for the dedicated. You can do it!

Did you read some of those links? Totaly simple set-ups for filtration... even without 'cooking'- solar set-ups that do the work for you. You don't need to get into the complicated dual tank systems if you find it intimidating, start small, gather knowlege, experement... most importantly, SHARE what you find.

Mind you, I'm still whistling dixie here in that I'm still gathering up stuff for my change-over. But trust me, if someone at my income level can do this, ANYONE can.

In the mean time I only use the car once a week or so. A bike is by far the best lifestyle booster anyone can own.