by Sustainability Centre » Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:01 pm
Get under the bonnet of a converted car and learn how to fit and remove a conversion kit. Discover the technology and reasons for using pure veggie oil in comparison to diesel and biodiesel. Please contact Raina on [email protected] or 01730 823166. Please see our website www.sustainability-centre.org for more courses.
by tracy » Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:57 pm
We have a veg oil conversion kit on our car - it works well. I think the argument of food v fuel does need to be looked at too though - ultimately we all need to cut back on our fuel use. We run our car on waste veg oil not fresh - and get it for 70p a litre.
I think this course looks good!
by Binz » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:36 am
Looks like a useful course; running on pure veg oil should be safer than trying to convert it to diesel in your own garage, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/7527630.stm
If you are making your own fuel and are using methanol or other substances that produce flamable vapours you should assess where a flammable vapour/air mix could occur and ensure there are no sources of ignition in those locations (light switches, power tools, etc). In commercial fuel manufacture only equipment that is certified as being 'intrinsically safe' may be used in such areas, unfortunately for the subject in that bbc article it appears the same safety measures weren't applied in his garage. There is also potentially an environmental issue with making biodiesel at home, the other components (caustic, methanol, etc) could cause harm if not properly contained and waste produced (solid or liquid) may not be suitable for normal disposal routes.
Don't think I'm trying to put people off, I'm not, running on veg oil or homemade biodiesel can be a great way to save money and help the environment; just make sure you are aware of the safety and environmental issues. Going on a course could be the best way to start to ensure that you are aware of these issues and help you get many miles of cheap, safe and green motoring.
Binz
by mikepepler » Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:59 pm
Details on the conversion we had done are online at http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=505
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