Good info. Does anybody know where I can get, or get plans for, a waste oil burning water heater? Here in Costa Rica we don't need air heated. My house has neither a heating system nor a cooling system, but the hot water heater is eating me up! I have searched, but it seems that no one makes a good home hot water heater that burns waste engine oil. I wouldnt even mind if it had a small propane pilot light.
Any ideas? - Art Wolfskill At 07:14 PM 1/2/2002 +0000, you wrote: >Donald D. and David P: > >Who says burning waste oil is "bad-bad." And what's this hooey >(reference please) about waste oil emissions causing "testicular >cancer?" > >Certainly not the EPA. In fact the EPA *ENCOURAGES* burning of waste >motor oil as preferable to the environmental damage from uncontrolled >release to the environment. They view the environmental hazard of a >certain "trace" percentage of "bearing heavy metals" contained in the >air emissions as far preferable to the polluting effects of oil in >water and the damage to wildlife and water supplies. According to >another EPA related source, one drop of waste motor oil in the liquid >form can pollute to be unfit for drinking 1 million gallons of >water. See http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/89039a.txt for >details on the EPA position. > >As part of this also note the description of the public perception of >waste oil disposal methods. To save some detailed reading, I will >copy this here... > > [Graph] Public Perceptions of the Harmfulness of Various >Used Oil Practices > >Use as fuel for oil furnace 66% >Use as weed killer 75% >Applying to roads 53% >Burying in the ground 77% >Placing in closed container in the trash 88% >Pouring down the sewer 95% >Pouring on the ground 9% > >At 9 percent, the public acceptance of pouring it on the ground is in >exact opposition to the environmental damage, much to the chagrin of >the EPA and a few environmentally conscious people. > >With every new manufactured waste oil furnace, the manufacturer >encloses a sheet which is to be filled in by the owner and sent into >the EPA to "register" the furnace. Why this is I can only speculate >but so far I have not heard of a single case of a "registered" >furnace installation being shut down, monitored, or even critiqued by >the EPA. There are also many states that regulate waste oil burning >but usually these include a dissertation of the same "environmental >advantages" that the EPA cites. > >There have been a few "bad" burners of waste oil created. One story >I've heard is that you can simply "drip" your waste oil onto a >roaring wood stove fire and both dispose and get some heat out of >it. A horror story I've heard along these lines involved a service >station owner who converted a gas or oil stove (kitchen domestic >range) by dripping oil into the oven portion and venting the products >of combustion out a hole cut in the top where the burner used to be. >I don't think this is exactly what the EPA had in mind. > >While waste oil LOOKS bad and the public has caught onto that >perception, most of that appearance is due to carbon caused by >cylinder blowby and from cylinder wear from cast iron cylinder walls >(cast iron is actually an iron/carbon matrix). The trace amounts of >heavy metal from bearing sources is virtually lost in the (by >comparison) large quantities of oil that flush the engine with each >oil change. Over the life of an engine we're talking very, very >small amount of heavy metals. > >Inarguably, waste lubricating oil is best kept as lubricating oil. >Recycling in this manner has it's place which should be first. A lot >of energy and engineering science goes to make the oil molecules do >the magic that they do in lubrication and it's a shame to burn up >this science and engineering simply to keep warm. HOWEVER, when the >alternative is a potential truck spill and the consequent >environmental damage while the oil goes to a recycler, perhaps >burning is a better option. > >And burning waste oil cleanly by gasification, atomization, burning >in suspension, or dripping in an artfully contrived turbulant burner >pot is far better than dumping it on the ground. > >Check your facts folks. > >Best regards, >Joe ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Tiny Wireless Camera under $80! Order Now! FREE VCR Commander! Click Here - Only 1 Day Left! http://us.click.yahoo.com/WoOlbB/7.PDAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
