A Chinese Connection

Several weeks ago Craig distributed our business cards to local restaurants but nobody seemed particularly interested in our services and since our current supply of used oil is meeting our needs we hadn't given it much more thought. Today Craig received a phone call from a local Chinese restaurant announcing that their oil is ready for pick up. Much to his surprise, when he arrived at the restaurant he counted 60 gallons of WVO! When we first started this experiment my biggest concern was whether we would have enough suppliers for fuel. Obviously I'm no longer worrying.

A Solution

After some research on the forums at Greasecar, I learned that new oil filters need to be primed after they're changed or stalling will occur. Fortunately, priming the filter is fairly simple and can be accomplished by either inserting WVO into the filter with a syringe (or turkey baster) or backflushing diesel once the filter's installed. Hopefully this will end our stop and go process after each filter change.

Brief Flirtation with Fame

This morning Craig ate breakfast at his favorite diner and as soon as he walked in the door a waitress pointed at him exclaiming, "I saw you in the paper!"

On the Web

It's grease, not gas, that keeps Jeff vehicle running
Vegetable oil fuels converted Jetta

By Deborah Hennessey
Special to The Courier-Journal

When people find out that Jeffersonville residents Craig MacInnes and Amy McClain drive a car that runs on waste vegetable oil, "their jaws drop," MacInnes said.

Some of the people are skeptical or ask such questions as: "Does your car smell like French fries?"

To prove that there's no exhaust smell of any kind, the pair get the curious to stand behind the car while it runs.

McClain, 39, heard about converting a diesel car to burn on waste vegetable oil and pitched the idea to MacInnes, 45, who was originally less than enthusiastic about it.

McClain said she was "sick of buying gas, and I am just stubborn enough to think I shouldn't have to do it anymore."

They were going to need another automobile soon, and McClain thought a converted vehicle would be a more economical and ecological choice.

"I wanted to get a car that got about 40 miles to a gallon or better, and there are not that many out there. This seemed like a win-win -- less money, better gas mileage and better emissions," she said.

"She wasn't having much success in getting me too interested at first," MacInnes acknowledged.

In June their church, Clifton Unitarian in Louisville, held a Sustainability Fair, and MacInnes was assigned to help a group that converts cars to run on waste oil.

He spent about eight hours talking to them, he recalled. "It occurred to me that this was very doable. It wasn't this ridiculous, far-out notion and not too hard to do, really."

Once MacInnes was convinced, things moved quickly.

First they had to find a car that ran on diesel. While searching eBay, they found a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta wagon in their price range and bid on it. Several days later they were on their way to North Carolina to pick it up.

"We didn't anticipate winning that auction. Once we got the car, things started to snowball," McClain said.

She already had done her homework and knew where to buy the converter and who should install it. They ordered the conversion kit for almost $1,000 and had it installed for around $800.

Next, they had to find a supply of waste vegetable oil.

MacInnes said they use non-hydrogenated oil -- soy or canola is recommended -- because it stays liquid at room temperature. After four days of visiting restaurants, they found two businesses willing to hand over their waste oil instead of putting it down their grease traps or in dumpsters.

Only about three weeks had passed between the fair and the day the couple drove their converted vehicle home.

"One thing I liked about it was that the $1,800 that we spent for the kit and the installation -- we were going to spend that $1,800 on fuel anyway," said MacInnes, a chemical dependency counselor for Jefferson Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center in Louisville.

"When I look back, we were paying between $200 to $300 a month just in gas. We can recoup that $1,800 in seven to nine months easily," McClain said.

The car can run on either vegetable oil or diesel fuel. When it's first started, it runs on diesel until the oil warms to about 190 degrees, which takes about five minutes. When a toggle switch on the dashboard is flipped, the car starts running on waste oil.

The oil tank holds 10 gallons, so if they find themselves running out of the oil, they can switch to diesel until they refill the tank. Before shutting down the car, they switch back to diesel to flush out the fuel line for 10 seconds.

The car gets 40 to 45 miles per gallon.

McClain figures that she drives more than 250 miles a week as a school psychologist in Louisville. She buys diesel fuel about every six weeks and the rest of the time runs on the free waste oil.

The conversion kit fits neatly in the space where the spare tire rests, and another fuel filter is fitted under the hood. The only visible difference in the car is the toggle switch on the dash and two gauges on the steering column. One shows the temperature of the oil, the other is the oil's fuel gauge.

MacInnes picks up the waste oil at one restaurant each week, and less often at another restaurant. It's packaged in the five-gallon containers the oil originally came in. He takes it home to his garage, where he pours it through a hanging-bag filter that removes impurities, then transfers it back to the containers -- and the oil is ready to use.

"I have timed it. It takes me five minutes to refuel and that is with going inside and washing my hands afterward," McClain said. "For me, it is no more time-consuming than stopping at a gas station."

The pair recently took a five-hour trip to southeastern Ohio. They filled up the oil tank and put an extra five-gallon container in the back because they weren't sure how much fuel it would take. "The last time we made that trip, we spent about $100 on gas. This time we used around 13 gallons" of waste oil, McClain said.

If their supply had gotten low, there are several places in the area that sell pre-filtered waste oil for about $1.50 per gallon, they said. And if they plan a cross-country trip, they could join an online co-op that would help them find sources of oil.

"For us, this is a grand experiment and we are still kind of towards the beginning of it, but so far it has been going very well," MacInnes said. "We are very happy with it."

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709121000

Our Article

After exchanging e-mails with the reporter who wrote our story, I learned that our article hasn't made it to the web because certain individuals were on vacation last week. Now that it's been brought to their attention the situation should be rectified.

Camping at Otter Creek

What a fantastic experience! To Craig's great pleasure we played 36 holes of disc golf with the youth who quickly were throwing the discs with great power and accuracy (well most of the time!). At night we told terrible ghost stories around the fire, played Mafia, went hiking in the dark and ate way too many marshmallows. The youth continue to impress with their maturity, intelligence, and wit. We definitely have to repeat this excursion but for a longer duration next time.

Another Camping Trip

In addition to collecting grease, Craig & I are youth leaders at our church. That concept still makes me chuckle but I suppose stranger things have happened although I'm at a loss to actually name anything more bizarre. I'm convinced that various anonymous members of the church were somewhat envious of our leisurely childfree lifestyle and decided to rectify the apparent injustice. Fortunately, the youth who attend our church are beyond remarkable who bear no resemblance to the teenagers Craig and I were many years ago. For the past year they've been suggesting the idea of a camp-out - well actually one of them put forth the idea of a spring break excursion and we countered by proposing an overnight camping trip to Otter Creek Park.

After loading up our cars at the church, saying good-bye to parents, and making sure everyone possessed each other's cell numbers, we were off on our grand adventure. Before we escaped Jefferson County, Craig signaled that he was exiting the highway and pulled into a gas station. Seems the Jetta was loosing power while burning oil and he thought it would be wise to replace the fuel filter. While everyone else went into the convenience store to purchase wholesome, nutritional snacks, Craig put on his leather gloves and exchanged the clogged filter for the spare we keep in the car. Unfortunately, whenever the oil filter is changed air (I suspect) enters the fuel line and the car's performance is compromised for a period of time. This time there was no debate as to whether the car "stalled" or "coasted" for the Jetta simply stopped dead when the traffic light turned green causing our caravan to sit for several minutes with hazard lights flashing. As in past situations, once the car is mobile again it only takes a few minutes for everything to return to normal, and the remainder of our trip was wonderfully uneventful. Nevertheless, I suspect there is a better system for changing oil filters and plan to visit the forum at Greasecar for advice.

We're Famous

Today is the day our article is being published in the Louisville Courier Journal. This morning as I'm rushing around the house, discombobulated and behind schedule as usual, it occurs to me that I should stop what I'm doing and search our driveway for the latest edition of the paper. I'm still a few months away from a second Lasik procedure so my vision is less than optimal, but I locate a plastic newspaper bag filled with paper outside our house. Craig (poor guy) is still enjoying some slumber until I jump on the bed in an effort to share my enthusiasm and empty the plastic bag's contents onto the comforter. All too quickly it becomes apparent that what I've brought into the home is not a newspaper but a rather large collection of store circulars which cover our bed. Now I'm really late for work in addition to being supremely disappointed. Fortunately, Craig is a great guy - not to mention a pleasant morning person - and he quickly runs to the local convenience store where he purchases all of their available newspapers. Unfortunately, the Courier-Journal hasn't placed our article on their website yet but my completely biased opinion is that we make a really cute couple.

Pictures

Last week we met with the reporter who interviewed us for an article in the local paper. Tonight Dave the photographer came to take pictures of us, the homemade fuel station and our grease mobile. Of course we discussed the merits of WVO along with some of the reasons we decided to pursue alternatives to the status quo. Fortunately there weren't any random pieces of mushroom affixed to my teeth during our photo shoot.

Natural Bridge

This morning while I was packing our belongings Craig filled up the car with the extra oil we brought (and Mark & John changed their flat tire). That's our three-room tent in the background. For lunch we stopped at the fabled Miguel's for hawaiian pizza before heading to Natural Bridge, a 65 ft high natural sandstone arch. In consideration of the heat as well as our aging bodies we decided to ride the sky lift up to the bridge and then hike one of the trails down the hill.

The view from Natural Bridge was phenomenal but I was somewhat worried that Craig would trip over his feet, stumble and fall right off the edge. He of course didn't share my paranoia.

The hike back to our grease mobile was "all downhill", with a welcome breeze and easy paths.

It's a good thing our camera isn't equipped with smell-o-vision because we were both rather rank by this point in the journey.

On our way back home we stopped in Lexington to eat dinner and visit with Shannon, Jason and Aidan at my favorite co-op. I thought it might be fun for Aidan to pour vegetable oil into our fuel tank but had second thoughts when I envisioned him pouring various liquids into his parents' vehicles. Perhaps when he's a few years older.

Camping at Red River Gorge

Every Labor Day Weekend our church schedules a camping trip to a private residence near Red River Gorge. Thank goodness for the storage capacity of the Jetta Wagon for we packed an awful lot of stuff for a two day trip. Of course in addition to our tent, food, clothes and reading material, we brought along our funnel and an extra 5 gallons of WVO. We spent Sunday afternoon hiking in the gorge while I regaled everyone with tales of survival and potential mishaps garnered from Deep Survival. On our way back to camp we drove through the Nada Tunnel which measures 13'x12'x900' and is open to one-lane of traffic.