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bio diesel bio buddy for sale local. Good Idea? Bad Idea?

Richcz28

Richcz28

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http://www.biobuddy.co.uk/specification.html

I know someone selling a brand new unused bio buddy. I was wondering if anyone has seen these in action, or run bio diesel in their 6.2. This setup seems simple enough, but is it too good to be true?

I have seen a lot of people doing it on the internet but, haven't noticed many on this site. I have 220v in my garage, and I know the owner of a pizza place pretty well, so waste oil will be easy to come by.
 
It sounds like a cool product to me. Id bring $500 cash and see what he says. Would be pretty cool to make fuel way cheaper than buying. I wonder how long a batch takes to make? And how much electricity cost wise. If you could figure that out you could get a $/gal price.
 
OHHH I love that this was brought up as I'm looking into getting a newer diesel truck, at the same time my father already has one. So if making some diesel to split between the two of us sounds like a good way to lower our gas costs for the year. :ears:
 
A few years ago, I'd have said, "Hell yeah, go for it!"

I'm a little older, a little more cynical, a little more experienced, and have waaay less time than back then. YMMV.

I know of several people that got into homemade biodiesel, and have watched what happened there. Without exception, it ended up going by the wayside for the following reasons (usually in combination):
1) It takes at least a TON of time.
2) You need some nasty chemicals, and produce some truly dangerous situations when processing biodiesel. Read This Article before putting a processing plant in your garage next to (presumably) your family.
3) It takes more than a TON of time.
4) Commercial biodiesel companies and co-ops are paying restaurants for their oil these days. Why would the restaurant keep giving it away free like before the biodiesel boom?
5) It takes a big footprint in your property/garage/shop/whatever.
6) That spare time you had? Give that up...
7) It's smelly, dirty, nasty, hard work to make good diesel.

Those people I know of all now have equipment sitting idle or have sold it off. There's a reason you can find the used stuff cheap these days.

In short, it's a neat science project. As a hobby, it's pretty cool. If you're simply thinking production in order to beat fuel prices, however, then your time, resources, and safety are worth very little.

Sorry to sound negative... :dunno:
 
After looking into the feasibility of this a bit more, I think it is not something I'm ready to undertake. I would like to learn how to do it someday and my blazer only uses a tank about once a month, so I don't care all that much about fuel prices.

I have read about a lot of people getting bad batches for a while and with the chemicals you really need a designated outdoor shed area just for biodiesel. That is not something I will have in the near future.
 
I am part owner of a bar, and we get fairly decent money for our waste oil. I can't imagine giving it away.

Martin
 
This thread is ruining my fantasy of bio-diesel. :what:

I saw a processor setup on CL a while back for a grand and thought what a great idea it would be, but after reading ^^"This article"^^ I'm a bit more leary. Plus it's a total waste of time if the veg oil isn't free. By the time you look at driving around getting chemicals and oil, buying oil and chemicals, making the stuff, and cleaning it up the pump prices will prolly seem fair.
 
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