Tom's Special Note: Polyethylene tubing or casing is NOT acceptable for this fuel system. This type of white, plastic tubing WILL break down at higher temperatures (above 150°F), which can cause water to leak into your fuel line. This WILL destroy your engine! We have had first-hand experience with this situation, which is why we feel it is important to share this information with you. Be careful when shopping around, as many SVO companies will sell you products containing polyethylene.
To see this for yourself, drop a piece of polyethylene (found at most hardware stores) in boiling water (212°F) and when taken out, you can bend it like putty!
Q. How does this system work?
A. First, you start your vehicle on bio-diesel or diesel from your
vehicle’s original fuel tank. Once the engine is hot, the
hot water from your radiator system heats up the veggie oil fuel
line and the veggie tank. When the oil is hot enough (approx. 170-200°F),
you use a solenoid to switch from the original tank to your veggie
tank. Then the vehicle can be driven as long as you want on veggie
oil, until just before you shut the vehicle off. About 1-2 minutes
before you turn off the vehicle (depending on how you set up your
system), you switch back to the original tank in order to flush
the fuel lines and engine of veggie oil.
NOTE: In order for the veggie oil to be used as fuel, it must be heated to at least 170°F. This is done on a vehicle by using the hot water running through the heater hose to pre-heat the fuel line, fuel filter, and the veggie tank.
Q. What is the difference between your system's
ability to heat up the fuel line and other SVO companies' systems?
A. The biggest difference is EFFECTIVENESS. Our system
heats up the oil in the fuel line much faster because we use a Hose-in-a-Hose.
That means the fuel line, made of 316 stainless steel tubing, runs
through a heater hose so it is completely immersed in hot water.
In other words, when your vehicle's engine reaches its normal operating
temperature, the oil in the fuel line is hot enough to be used as
fuel (approx. 170-180°F).
Almost all other systems will try to sell you a Hose ON a Hose for your fuel line. This is simply lashing together some very inexpensive tubing and running hot water through one line BESIDE the fuel line. They expect this to heat the fuel to more than 170°F! But first, the hot water has to heat up the tube it is flowing through, then heat the tube the fuel is located in, THEN heat the oil inside that tube. By the time the heat has gone through two insulating layers (the tubing), it has lost significant heat.
We strongly suggest that anyone who is using the Hose ON a Hose system try this test: put a thermometer right at the intake of the engine to see how hot the oil has been, going into your vehicle's engine. One SVO user we know finally put a thermometer on his Ford F-250 using another large SVO company's insulated Hose-On-Hose system, and found it took over 15 minutes to heat his veggie oil to the proper temperature!
If the oil reaching your engine is less than 170°F, you will be making some very costly repairs to your engine very soon. We recommend that you switch your system to the Hose-IN-a-Hose system - directions to do this yourself are located on our Techniques page, or you can purchase the Conversion Kit on our Catalog page.
Q. How long does it take your system to purge
the oil out of my injection pump and engine?
A. Usually, it takes about one minute to purge oil from our system,
depending on how fast the engine is turning (RPM's), and how close
you put our fuel solenoid to your engine fuel intake. This is accomplished
by leaving the return line intact. An injection pump typically takes
three to four times the fuel it needs, then returns the rest to
the tank. By leaving the fuel line intact, our system allows a diesel
engine to run the way it is supposed to run.
Q. What makes the Veggie Tank system the best
SVO system available?
A. Our system uses the hot water coming from the engine
to heat the veggie oil used for fuel. The engine's hot water completely
encompasses the veggie oil fuel line using s Hose-in-a-Hose system
(see our Techniques and FAQ's pages for details). The same hot water
also passes through the tank, using a stainless steel
heating element that is welded into the bottom of the tank. This
heating element is FITTING-FREE, so there is no way the hot water
will leak into the tank. The element also runs the full length of
the tank. The heating element is 80% isolated in our Veggie Tank
pre-heating chamber. This means the engine only has to heat up a
few gallons at a time, no matter what size Veggie Tank you own.
Therefore, the oil in the Veggie Tank gets hotter much faster than
any other tank available. In addition to being efficient, this technique
saves the life of your vehicle's pumps and filters, saving you money,
by arriving hot to the engine and injection system.
Q. Is running on veggie oil good for my engine?
A. YES! Over the past thirty years, it has been found that
the sulfur that is used in diesel to lubricate the engine was becoming
sulfuric acid, via exhaust fumes, in the atmosphere, causing acid
rain. Therefore, the oil industry has been using less and less sulfur
in diesel fuel, meaning that diesel engines are much less lubricated,
and wear down faster than ever before. This is the cause for the
louder knocking and pinging sounds heard from diesel engines. When
you begin to run your diesel on veggie oil, you will be amazed at
how quiet the vehicle runs, as the oil thoroughly lubricates the
engine.
Q. What modifications do I need to make to
my engine?
A. There are no major modifications necessary to your engine.
The original diesel engine was designed to run on peanut
oil, and engineers have not strayed very far from that
original design. Our installation
manual covers this information in more detail.
Q. Can I run 50% veggie oil and 50% diesel
or kerosene in an UNHEATED system?
A. NO! Any mixture above 20%
veggie oil is putting your engine and injectors at great risk. The
risk is even more serious in colder climates. In addition, to truly
get veggie oil to mix with diesel or kerosene, they actually need
to be heated anyway.
Q. Can I use gasoline to thin out my veggie
oil?
A. Gosh, NO, unless your vehicle manual states that it
is ok to do so! We have read of people and even SVO companies suggesting
the use of gas to thin out veggie oil. What they don't know is that
this can ruin both your engine and injector pump. Many injection
pump manufacturers will tell you to never use gasoline or any alcohol
(such as ethanol) mixed fuels with their pumps. To do so will EAT
OUT THE SEALS. Also, if you have too much gasoline in the mix, it
can cause combustion in the cylinder before the piston is in the
correct position, since diesels run hotter and have more compression
than gas vehicles. THIS WILL CAUSE PERMANENT ENGINE DAMAGE.
Besides, if a company is telling you to mix gas with veggie oil using their system, then evidently their system is not getting the oil hot enough before it reaches the engine!
Q. How does running on veggie oil help the
environment?
A. There are so many benefits, from reducing local emissions of
sulfur dioxide coming from your vehicle, to providing farmers with
reasons to plant more corn or sunflowers instead of letting their
fields go fallow each year. Of course, there is also a reduction
on foreign oil dependency, and extending the life of your vehicle
by "veggie oil lubrication" through the engine.
Q. Can we use USED vegetable oil from local
restaurants?
A. YES! Our best sources are the "mom and pop" bars and
restaurants in the area that have to pay to get their grease bins
emptied. Not only are we helping the environment, we help out the
local businesses by saving them money on grease removal. Again,
see our installation manual for more information on how to obtain
and use USED veggie oil or grease.