Do you have a furnace at your home that works with bio-diesel?

Question

How does that work for you. We are thinking of modifying ours so it can heat our home using used cooking oil... Is that actually possible?

Answer 1

underground pipes can keep the temperature cool in the summer....

Answer 2

no natural gas. I supply it myself :)

Answer 3

I heat with wood, and cut the trees down myself.

Answer 4

You have to ensure that there is an adequate supply of used cooking oil locally. Then protect that supply with a long term contract... as in how long will that furnace be expected to be in service?

Any burner that handles bunker fuel will burn well filtered cooking oil. The caution here is that you have to decide whether to add some ethanol to the oil to prevent having water separate from the oil, or have a tank designed so that water settles to the bottom but the fuel is drawn from 15 cm above the bottom. The water then has to be drained off frequently.

To use cooking oil, you have to accumulate it during the off season and store it to the heating season... well, someone has to do that. There has to be enough storage to get through most of the heating season. If you are buying the oil as you use it, even with a contract, you may not get that steady supply you hope for.

Fine food residues  that get through your filters will be a source of problems unless you have a diesel type filter between tank and burner. These will not all be particulates.

It would be best if you know how to service the burner yourself .

Answer 5

You are talking about two different things.

Some Bio-diesel is made from used cooking oil.  It requires no modifications to your furnace.

Used cooking oil requires change and $$$$, but can be done.  Look at the greesecarkit.

These links are a good start.