Ooops - Hydrogenated Oil

This afternoon Craig drove to our second source of WVO to obtain a few gallons of fuel. It was only after loading several containers that Craig realized the oil was hydrogenated which is not only unhealthy for humans but undesirable for greasecars due to it's potential to clog fuel lines. Once the situation was explained to the restaurant employees they appeared more disappointed than Craig, and decided to explore the possibility of switching to a non-hydrogenated frying oil. Obviously cost will be a primary factor in their decision but they are committed to environmental issues and are by far the most enthusiastic vendors we've encountered. So it's possible that our efforts will not only significantly reduce our emissions but also improve the health of the diners frequenting our suppliers.

Filtering

Tonight Craig created a filtering station in our garage using a shelf and brackets that were gathering cobwebs in our basement. Although more elaborate systems exist (including on board kits) we've decided for now to utilize the low tech gravity process. Basically we just pour the WVO from the restaurants into the bag and it filters into a 5 gallon bucket below. It took approximately 5 minutes this evening to filter 5 gallons of fuel. When you consider that gas is selling for $3.00 a gallon locally, that's a savings of $15 for 5 minutes of work and 200 more grease powered miles.

13 gallons

Mr. Muscles - aka Craig - went by one of our restaurants today and procured 13 gallons of WVO for us to filter. Given that gas mileage for our car is between 40-45 mpg thats 520-585 miles of driving for FREE! We have another pickup Saturday from our second source.

Success!

Craig secured two sources of WVO for our car today which should be plenty of fuel for our pattern of consumption and relieves some of my anxiety. Unfortunately for him, most restaurants store the oil in 5 gallon containers which my puny muscles are unable to lift. This means he's going to be stuck with the task of obtaining WVO and filling our tank unless we develop another system or I start injecting steroids.

Purchasing Fuel

Today I drove over to GoodOil and purchased 10 gallons of filtered WVO for the car, paying a grand total of $15 for a fill up (our veg oil tank holds 13 gallons but it's still a quarter full). I also filled up the diesel tank for $27.09 ( 9.67 gallons @ $2.79). On the highway the Jetta is rated at 45 mpg so conceivably we could drive 1170 miles before spending another penny on fuel. Obviously we want to do most of our driving on the WVO, using the diesel only to warm the engine after initial starts.

WVO Sources

The GoodOil guys called us with the names/numbers of three different local restaurants that are wanting to supply WVO for grease car owners so we're one step closer to obtaining and filtering our own fuel supply. I think it's comical that very soon the gas guzzler in our household will be our Honda Helix which gets 65 mpg.

Finding Oil

Finding a consistent free source of oil has been more difficult than I expected which means that it didn't occur on our initial attempt or within the first 48 hours of owning a converted grease car. I tend to seek instant gratification and this may take a couple days. At dinner last night we consulted with the owner of Zen Garden (wonderful food!) but although she supports our efforts another grease car owner already approached her about supplying WVO. At this point we're waiting for the owners of GoodOil to supply us with names and numbers of their contacts. Presently they have more restaurants seeking WVO disposal than they can service, although that will probably change if they expand their operations.

Missionaries

We have become missionaries proselytizing our beliefs in WVO to our friends and acquaintances. It's worse even than when we became adherents of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Like all good zealots, we promote our grease car in casual conversations with strangers, send out mass e-mails touting our cause and have become somewhat restricted in our interests. When it was time to select a restaurant to eat at with friends tonight our decision making was influenced by the prospect of a quality oil supply. Fortunately, there is a strong association between desirable WVO and healthy, delicious food so our thinking process wasn't detrimental to our guests. Of course we strongly encouraged them to ride in our car which they agreed to being curious individuals as well as environmentally conscious. The first thing that seems to strike most of our passengers is how common and ordinary our car seems both in its outward appearance and driving performance. Without watching the toggle switch or gauges there really is no way to discern the difference between driving on WVO from diesel.

Our Greasecar

We picked up our greasecar this evening at GoodOil! The proprietor was kind enough to take considerable time showing us all the features and answering my many, many questions. Basically, they removed our spare tire and replaced the space with a second fuel tank which holds the waste vegetable oil (WVO)

We'll continue to start the car using diesel but then after the engine reaches 190 degrees there's a toggle switch which we use to change over to WVO

An extra gauge was added above the steering wheel so we can monitor the consumption of vegetable oil - but at 40 mpg on the highway the needle doesn't move much

Here's a photo of the engine with it's extra hoses and filter


Craig drove the car to his volleyball game tonight and one of the first comments his teammate made was "it looks just like a regular car"

It's Sold!

Craig sold the BMW! Since the hood has an obvious defect the buyer knocked $50 off our asking price leaving us with one less car in the driveway. Tomorrow night we pick up our converted Jetta and start burning grease.

Selling The BMW

Craig previously took a flier with photos of the BMW over to Mike Johns (our favorite mechanic) who promised to pass along the information to any interested buyers. The first prospective customer came over this evening to look at the car. For starters the BMW is 20 years old so there are a few imperfections namely it doesn't have air conditioning, the driver's window occasionally sticks and it leaks oil, albeit at a somewhat slow rate. Nevertheless, it runs consistently and we weren't asking for much so there was some hope for a successful transaction. The gentleman appeared genuinely interested - for whatever reason he is determined to own this specific model BMW. After looking at the engine he requested permission to take the beemer on a test drive and then attempted to close the car's hood. For the first time ever during our ownership, the hood refused to close. Multiple attempts were made. WD-40 was applied. Embarrassment ensued. After 20-30 minutes (they guy was persistent) the hood finally complied allowing the gentleman and his patient spouse to drive around the subdivision. Afterwards as they prepare to leave he says he'll call us later.....color me skeptical.

The Greasecar Kit Arrived

I was so thrilled to see the UPS guy I think perhaps I scared him for he ran off without even asking me to sign for the delivery. Tonight we'll take the Jetta along with the kit and drop it off at GoodOil for the conversion which should be completed in 2-3 days. It sounds like Craig's employer might let us collect the grease they create when cooking meals for the clients. We only need one or two suppliers for our level of consumption and maybe less in the summers when I'm not working.

Finding Grease

Craig's been to several Asian restaurants as well as our local cafe and hasn't had any luck obtaining used vegetable oil. Although Chinese restaurants are reputed to have quality cooking oil, crossing the language barrier has proven difficult. "You want what and why?" While most restaurants pay someone to remove their waste oil, we're offering to take it off their hands for no cost but I think the concept is difficult for people to accept or even believe. Obviously this aspect of the transition is going to take more energy and effort than I expected. Who knew it would be so difficult to relieve business of their waste for free? On the positive side, we're eating lots of good food in the process.

It's interesting that most of the time when I tell someone about our project their first response or criticism is that our exhaust will smell like french fries or egg rolls. It's as if everyone's been handed a script and recites a similar refrain. What's especially amusing to me is the concept that the odor of food would in some way be less desirable than typical exhaust fumes.

In other news, Craig's preparing his BMW for sale so we'll have one less car at the house as well as some extra funds. Anybody want a 20 year old BMW with lots of liberal bumper stickers?

It Is Ours!

We finally found the dealership, signed the papers and drove away in our diesel Jetta Wagon. Craig's been on the phone ordering a greasecar kit and scheduling an appointment with GoodOil to install the system. The Jetta has great storage space which will come in handy when we're packing all our camping gear. Now it's back on the road for Louisville (509.06 miles for those who are wondering) with a brief respite in Asheville for lunch.

Road Trip

The scenery is a huge benefit of our odyssey. Driving through the mountains of West Virginia I am reminded of similar trips with my family when I was much younger and my mother would encourage us look out the windows of the RV instead of wasting our afternoons napping. How can anyone not be a "tree hugger" after exposure to our country's splendid vistas. Waste vegetable oil (WVO) is the only carbon neutral fuel available to us at this time and our determination to utilize less crude oil by substituting an alternative fuel source is a small step toward reducing our carbon footprint.

We Won!

We won the Jetta Wagon! YEAH!! And we actually purchased it for a few hundred dollars less than what we budgeted plus we are paying less than the Blue Book Value. Now for the bad news - at least from my perspective - the car is located outside of Charlotte, North Carolina and we are presently in Newark, Ohio for a difference of 463.41 miles. Tomorrow morning I have a consultation with the ophthalmologist about options for Lasik and then we start our road trip. Fortunately I packed extra clothes (and underwear) before we left the house last Tuesday.

Another E-bay Car

There's a Jetta Wagon listed on E-bay! It has a few more miles than I would prefer but it's the first wagon we found for sale. Craig placed a bid on it and now I refresh the page compulsively to see if we're still winning the auction. Unfortunately the auction doesn't end until Sunday (half an hour after the Soprano's finale) so my obsessiveness is only likely to increase.