I've been touting the benefits of a floating draw-off for years. Remember, "The Good Stuff's On Top!" This is true for every stage of the biodiesel making process: In the raw oil storage container, with a little heat the water and crumb will settle to the bottom; with the separation of the glycerin, the process runs better if the biodiesel is sucked off of the glycerin layer, while that is drained down the bottom of the container; and finally, in final dispensing, you will avoid the problems of the "big boys" that have recently dispensed bad biodiesel if you leave the inevitable moisture and particulates behind by drawing off of the top of the container.
I have built several floating draw offs, and I'm not sure which is best. For the float, one can use polyethylene foam, not styrofoam!, or a sealed air container, such as a PVC pipe with capped ends. Use a good weight on the float to keep it immersed in the liquid. For the hose, I recommend one of those pre-coiled poly garden hoses, so it follows the fluctuating level without being pulled off to the side. I also use a guide rod down through the coil to keep things on the level. If you can figure a flexible joint that can stand a suction, perhaps you could post it here. I can't find one that is flexible enough. Its cheap, its easy and it works! Tom In a message dated 2/28/04 9:47:07 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > has anyone ever used a floating draw-off? > > > ----------------------------- Homestead Inc. www.yellowbiodiesel.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
