In article .com,
wrote:

Howdy group,
All the yachtsmen I know who run a diesel use only 'diesel fuel', which
is light and expensive. However, in the merchant navy we use bunker
fuel whenever we're going to be running the engine for a long time,
without varying RPM.

It's thicker than molasses at room temperature, but when suitably
heated, it runs enough to be used in a diesel engine. It also costs a
fraction of regular 'diesel fuel' (aka "Champagne"). The engine is
started with light diesel fuel until it's running hot enough, then the
fuel mixture is gradually changed over to bunker. If the ship comes to
manoeuvering conditions, then the mixture is switched back to light
fuel. They always go back to light fuel before shutting off the engine,
too, to 'clean' the insides for the next start-up.

Now I'm wondering why we don't do this in cruising yachts, where the
engine is running constantly for days, especially considering the fuel
prices of late. All one would need is a heated holding tank and a way
of adjusting the fuel mixture. Then again, I'm not a marine engineer.
Am I missing something?

Regards,
-Max

have you guys seen Bio-diesel? make friends with the owner of the "fish
shack" and get his old fry oil. google for bio-diesel and get the
strainer/filter and engine kit. think you start the engine on regular
diesel, then switch over. exhaust might smell like french fries.

For burning cooking oil in your diesel engine try the following sites.

http://www.greasel.com
http://www.greascar.com
http://www.greasecar.com

I suspect anything that runs straight cooking oil will need duplicate fuel
systems so they can start and finish on diesel rather than cooking oil.
Bio-diesel is another story though, I think that can be run straight.

I have a friend in western MA who is running straight cooking oil thru the
summer. He'll start using his double fuel system about the end of
September so the fuel will flow well enough to get to the engine. Part of
the conversion consists of heaters for the fuel tank and lines. Some of
the heaters are hot-water, others electrical.

Pirate_Dave
---
In article ,
mac wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:

Howdy group,
All the yachtsmen I know who run a diesel use only 'diesel fuel', which
is light and expensive. However, in the merchant navy we use bunker
fuel whenever we're going to be running the engine for a long time,
without varying RPM.

It's thicker than molasses at room temperature, but when suitably
heated, it runs enough to be used in a diesel engine. It also costs a
fraction of regular 'diesel fuel' (aka "Champagne"). The engine is
started with light diesel fuel until it's running hot enough, then the
fuel mixture is gradually changed over to bunker. If the ship comes to
manoeuvering conditions, then the mixture is switched back to light
fuel. They always go back to light fuel before shutting off the engine,
too, to 'clean' the insides for the next start-up.

Now I'm wondering why we don't do this in cruising yachts, where the
engine is running constantly for days, especially considering the fuel
prices of late. All one would need is a heated holding tank and a way
of adjusting the fuel mixture. Then again, I'm not a marine engineer.
Am I missing something?

Regards,
-Max

have you guys seen Bio-diesel? make friends with the owner of the "fish
shack" and get his old fry oil. google for bio-diesel and get the
strainer/filter and engine kit. think you start the engine on regular
diesel, then switch over. exhaust might smell like french fries.

You can also burn a mix in the summertime. My Dodge/Cummins likes a
70/30 mix of peanut oil (used)/diesel until the temp drops below 40 deg F.


then it's straight diesel/biodiesel.

Be careful what additives you use if using biodiesel in the winter. Some
meant for petrodiesel don't work well with biodiesel.

Dave Cannell wrote:

For burning cooking oil in your diesel engine try the following sites.

http://www.greasel.com
http://www.greascar.com
http://www.greasecar.com

I suspect anything that runs straight cooking oil will need duplicate fuel
systems so they can start and finish on diesel rather than cooking oil.
Bio-diesel is another story though, I think that can be run straight.

I have a friend in western MA who is running straight cooking oil thru the
summer. He'll start using his double fuel system about the end of
September so the fuel will flow well enough to get to the engine. Part of
the conversion consists of heaters for the fuel tank and lines. Some of
the heaters are hot-water, others electrical.

Pirate_Dave
---
In article ,
mac wrote:

In article .com,
wrote:


Howdy group,
All the yachtsmen I know who run a diesel use only 'diesel fuel', which
is light and expensive. However, in the merchant navy we use bunker
fuel whenever we're going to be running the engine for a long time,
without varying RPM.

It's thicker than molasses at room temperature, but when suitably
heated, it runs enough to be used in a diesel engine. It also costs a
fraction of regular 'diesel fuel' (aka "Champagne"). The engine is
started with light diesel fuel until it's running hot enough, then the
fuel mixture is gradually changed over to bunker. If the ship comes to
manoeuvering conditions, then the mixture is switched back to light
fuel. They always go back to light fuel before shutting off the engine,
too, to 'clean' the insides for the next start-up.

Now I'm wondering why we don't do this in cruising yachts, where the
engine is running constantly for days, especially considering the fuel
prices of late. All one would need is a heated holding tank and a way
of adjusting the fuel mixture. Then again, I'm not a marine engineer.
Am I missing something?

Regards,
-Max

have you guys seen Bio-diesel? make friends with the owner of the "fish
shack" and get his old fry oil. google for bio-diesel and get the
strainer/filter and engine kit. think you start the engine on regular
diesel, then switch over. exhaust might smell like french fries.


--
“No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy”
Sun Tzu

In article ,
dazed and confuzzed wrote:

You can also burn a mix in the summertime. My Dodge/Cummins likes a
70/30 mix of peanut oil (used)/diesel until the temp drops below 40 deg F.


then it's straight diesel/biodiesel.

Be careful what additives you use if using biodiesel in the winter. Some
meant for petrodiesel don't work well with biodiesel.

Dave Cannell wrote:

For burning cooking oil in your diesel engine try the following sites.

http://www.greasel.com
http://www.greascar.com
http://www.greasecar.com

I suspect anything that runs straight cooking oil will need duplicate fuel
systems so they can start and finish on diesel rather than cooking oil.
Bio-diesel is another story though, I think that can be run straight.

You can also burn a mix in the summertime. My Dodge/Cummins likes a
70/30 mix of peanut oil (used)/diesel until the temp drops below 40 deg
F. peanut oil? upscale Chinese restaurant? sweet.

hey, could this end up being some kind of a contest? "motor the length
of the Mississippi river on fuel from cat fish fries" ????
Maybe Capt. D's or Long John Silver's could sponsor a boat???
anybody got a boat named "Grease Fire"?