Diesel Heater Burning Waste Engine Oil - Demonstration & Chat

If you would like your own diesel heater or aquarium pump, there are affiliate links below. If you use those links to make your purchase, I get a small kickback. Use code VVSALE5 for 5% off. Thank you !
Aquarium pump:
s.vevor.com/bf...
Diesel Heaters:
Canada -
s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
USA -
s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
EU -
s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
AU - s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
DE -
s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
FR -
s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
IT -
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 8kw
ES -
s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
PL - s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
NL -
s.vevor.com/bf... 2kw
s.vevor.com/bf... 5kw
UK - NA
MX - NA
If you would like to support me and my projects, I have created a Patreon account. Regardless of the amount, every bit helps, will be put to use and is awesome motivation. Thank you so much !!
My Patreon - / joel_a
The Joel Arseneault KZbin channel where I do mostly jetski stuff that is much more edited. / @joelarseneaultyoutube
My Teespring - spark-bolt-cit...
Actual Description: I have been testing my setup for a few days now, and the setup keeps evolving incrementally. It is far from "finished" but I will be testing it in this configuration until it either quits working, or starts making unreasonable amounts of emissions / smoke.

[@Wheel-1]

Joel, Those that try to drag you down Are beneath you. I enjoy the videos and time spent to put them together. Thanks for what you do

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks for the support ! Much appreciated.

[@JohannesBrotBaum]

Everyday checking if new video is online :b can't wait but in the mean time watching old videos twice 😂

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I have one coming out today... hopefully in about an hour... currently exporting.

[@shawnrinkel8377]

Ha ha! I sware this morning I made some notes on running an air pump and siphon, even looked up an air pump and made some nozzle design notes.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha... You can buy them pretty cheap on Aliexpress and they work really well... I haven't tested mine with the aquarium pump yet... only a quick test to see if it would suck up water... and it did that really well... I may have to make sure the oil is preheated so the viscosity is not too high.

[@shawnrinkel8377]

It sucked up water! Heck yea that’s super exciting you could put a needle valve on the fuel line for fine control of air fuel mix. Right on bro I’m watching with excitement.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@shawnrinkel8377 Yeah... it opens up a lot of doors as far as controlling fuel delivery and atomizing it better.

[@PUBHEAD1]

Yay, the old intro is back😊

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha... I did that for those who were a little nostalgic about it, haha. It always surprises me how many people comment about that intro.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Looking real good. That's the same aquarium pump I use on the laser cutter.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks ! Last year, one of my viewers suggested using one of these pumps, and I had never heard of them, and then shortly after I saw a video by AVE where he did a teardown. (if I'm Remember the events correctly) They have a lot of interesting niche applications. I have seen them on Amazon for less $ ... but this is the first 50W version that I have seen, so I snatched it up.

[@ronlowther9044]

Everybody hit that like button! Do it now!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha.. You tell em !

[@WaffleStaffel]

It's a dedicated man who takes his heater remote with him to the bathtub. I have a 24v pump, fan motor, and glow plug on the way, and I'm going to find out definitively which components actually need to be changed to switch to 24v.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I'm glad I looked at my controller when I did... turns out that my combustion air fan had caught on fire ... or at least ... it had gotten hot enough that it melted.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Also... cool about the 24V stuff... Curiosity got the best of you, haha.

[@WaffleStaffel]

@@loweredexpectations4927 Yowza! ha ha, sprinting to the garage in the freezing cold, soaking wet, fumbling with a towel ;)

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@WaffleStaffel Haha... I'm crazy, but not that crazy. The crashing heater put an end to my relaxation ... I had to go edit the video anyway, haha.

[@johnhorton3635]

Thanks for the videos very informative. I have a 5kw heater start up on Kerosene and run pump at 3Hz the casing temp reports about 230C. When it's warm i can swap to a 50/50 mix of waste oil thin stuff but watch the casing temp that starts dropping. Obviously the burn is not as efficient although does not smoke excessively if at all. It will run like this for about an hour then swap it back manually to Kerosene supply that must clear the burn chamber and casing temp rises again. Very manual no doubt could be automated with a temp prope controlling a 2 way valve supply from different tanks to fuel pump. But it does help to improve the economy by using an otherwise waste product. Just my tuppence from across the pond.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

The main issue is that the primary chamber in the heater does not get even close enough to flash off oil, so it spirals out of control quickly. The diesel and gas and kerosene will burn off quickly, and the oil gets distilled out... then you are left with a huge amount of smouldering oil, haha. This is why I am running diesel into a primary chamber, and heating up the area where the oil enters... This ensures that it is hot enough for the oil to flash off. The diesel can be run very lean, so I am now running about 60% diesel 40% waste oil. Cheers, from the frozen north... Canada !

[@gbear1005]

I run 40% waste oil/veggie oil + 50 percent virgin diesel/heating oil (preferred)/kerosene/jet A and 10 percent petrol (preferably without ethanol). Mix the entire blend in a 55 gal oil drum with blender, recirculating filter, and water trap. Pump out through separate filter /water trap to a storage drum. Have had ZERO issues with fuel. I change my heaters out completely after each season (there are 6) overhaul and prepare for reinstallation (10 minites per) next time around. In 5 years, i have accumulated 2 heaters worth of broken bits. Edit.. I Manifold in pure heating oil for startup and shut down.. switching manually at this time.

[@davgregeric]

After starting on near 50:50 diesel:veg oil, you can reduce the diesel % and the flame will keep going. When the heater is hot, I'm currently using 75% sunflower oil with 25% diesel, and underfuelling 10% to reduce soot output. Mix ratio done with two pumps plus electronics: saves having to have a vat of premixed fuel... and precise mix ratio and fuelling rate can be tweaked on the fly.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I'm currently running your recommended ratio / proceature, as a test, and it seems to be working really well. I have run it for 36 hours now (about 4L of oil consumed) and just took it apart. It looks really good inside. I'm curious if you get any yellow build up in your exchanger ? I am getting a build up of what appears to be sulphur... Nothing to be concerned about (as far as operation) I am just curious.

[@rl3898]

Great stuff, Dave sent me and I will be watching more of your output.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Awesome ! What a great guy. Hopefully he gets back into his testing... I enjoyed it.

[@davidshepherd-sj2tj]

Lol, if ur going to use a siphon nozzle u might as well scrap the diesel heater and buy a furnace....lol

[@loweredexpectations4927]

​@@davidshepherd-sj2tj Well... that would be the easy way. I'm not even sure if it is possible for it to run inside of this little heater at all, but I would like to incorporate as much of the original heater as possible while adding the siphon nozzle.

[@mickgatz214]

Hahaha, I enjoy your "Misinformations" channel. 😂👍 I fiddled about a bit, but the monoxide monitors saved me!. Since then I've reset it back to 'DEFAULT' Absolutely no sooot!, Crazy when ya see trucks belching out black smoke... So yeah, they run VERY CLEAN, but if something, or component fails it could be a game changer! ALWAYS HAVE A FEW CO2 MONITORS MONITORING YOUR INDOOR ATMOSPHERE. 👍 SHOUT OUT to David McLuckie 👍

[@loweredexpectations4927]

CO monitor for the win. Diesel is very interesting in that, altho you lose efficiency, you can make a lot of heat (or power) by running really rich... This is why you see those trucks rolling coal, as the cool kids say.

[@tullgutten]

Co2 monitoring wont see it before it is too late. And most co2 monitors are FAKE! And use eCo2 instead estimated from a Voc sensor. (But it will give you a false high reading, so it will kinda work just know it doesn't have anything with Co2 to do at all and cannot measure actual Co2 at all!) If you want a real Co2 sensor search and look for it saying NDiR then its real. Also Voc/TVoc sensors is cheap and will give you a warning for any exhaust very early, much before you can sense it even when burning clean 😁

[@loweredexpectations4927]

​@@tullgutten I think this was a brain fart. He didn't mean CO2 ... he meant CO. He says "monoxide monitors saved me"

[@jacarajc]

you should make a series making your own diesel heater. maybe one that could be a commercial product someday. you clearly are fascinated by them to some extent

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Yeah... I may eventually end up going down that path. I am pretty weak on the electronics side of things.

[@mickgatz214]

Hey Joel, go do an electronics course? I like electronics but too many other stuff and I can't 'focus'... been like that all my life. Keep up the great visz bro. Mick@@loweredexpectations4927

[@DanDan-yy8sf]

@@loweredexpectations4927 You could call it "The Dirty Burner" furnace. I got you covered on the electronics Joel, I know some Chi-coms who will sell them to ya cheap! 😑 😂🤣

[@ve4edj]

​@@loweredexpectations4927 if you want to collaborate with someone on the electronics side, I'd be super interested. I'm an electrical engineer and been following your diesel heater experiment since the beginning!

[@Mwwwwwwwwe]

​@loweredexpectations4927 do a partnership with vevor where they use your design and get your endorsement and you get a 5%cut per unit

[@simonktmwong8504]

Found your channel yesterday, by far the most entertaining. Fellow ignorant internet Canadian misinformation spreading troll

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Lol... Welcome to the channel ! Spread the good word !

[@StratOvation]

Very Cool Joel! Congrats on making so much progress! Good luck with getting it dialed in to perform consistently!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks ! It has come a long way. I'm excited to continue with the testing.

[@curtis2742]

Best intro EVER!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha... thanks !

[@mightyfinejonboy]

just fired up a new diesel heater and has the case temp function like yours unlike the first one i have. The first diesel heater has been stripped down after testing and is awaiting parts for the mods. found forced air through it with a small variable speed mattress pump stopped any deposits in the burn area, but a lot of very heavy carbon deposits at the end of the chamber. running normally without secondary air, produced the deposits in the burn area like everybody else. Think your siphon idea is very good as I feel plenty of movement in the chamber helps reduce the chance for deposits to form.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Cool... have wanted to try something similar to that, but never got around to it. If you can keep the deposits in the tube instead of in the burn area, it should run for quite a long time. What color are your deposits? Oh... and are you using waste engine oil ... I can't remember.

[@mightyfinejonboy]

hydraulic and motor oil. the motor oil is really thick and the pump is silent pumping it!! i think that some diesel will still need mixing in due to the slow combustion of the oil. but plenty to try. The deposits are white at the burn chamber inlet end and black at the other end. i have found that the combustion chamber walls are experiencing erosion... @@loweredexpectations4927

[@r1g2v3]

as always , another great video, and your level of tinkering reminds me of ME. lol. and thank you for your educational content. I ordered a 8k with your code and I cant wait. I also had a chat with Vevor - asking what the difference is between the case colors and if there is a fuel filter. They did know (should I be surprised).

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks for your comment and for your support ! Haha... A chat with Vevor eh. I'm often surprised with what they know, but at the same time, they don't specialize in anything, and sell thousands of products, so their knowledge on each item is fairly limited.

[@CRYMEARIVER-S4]

The greatest KZbin channel ever!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha.. Thanks ! I appreciate that.

[@davgregeric]

I have a twin pump project which could be adapted to your needs. Currently it has the ability to select mix ratio 0-100% and overall fuel supply rate +/- 25% or whatever. Could be adapted to sense main controller demand Hz and feed whatever Hz to each pump as per this video (yes I know one feed is controlled directly, one is drip, but there'll be an equivalent Hz). Thus get rid of the second dummy heater.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

That's very interesting. So currently it doesn't use pulse signal from an ECU ? I watched your video and it sounded like you were using incoming pulse form the ECU. Forgive me, I'm pretty slow when it comes to electronics.

[@bdblazer6400]

If you burn waste oil in the standard primary heater it will coke up. Did u try liquid molly sutt reducer additive?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@bdblazer6400 Yes... I have done this probably a few hundred times, and it does coke up. I have used a few different additives, but not that specific brand.

[@WaffleStaffel]

Cool. McLuckie just tried a dual fuel module like yours which drives 2 pumps and alternates between A and B, and can be daisy-chained to accommodate multiple fuels. How does yours work? It'd be great to see a more detailed video. Are you using an esp8266? kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKmoioyabshqn9E

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@WaffleStaffel Yeah... I saw that. He released a few before this where he had some different setups .... and unfortunately, he also released on on Saturday, saying that he was giving up for a while, and told everyone to go watch my channel. I really wish I had a Turbo Heater... maybe someday. I am running 2 ECUs and tricking them.. . basically.

[@kernow2stroketuning]

Keep up the good work mate

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks !

[@kirkwalsh1932]

Good stuff Joel. Thanks 😊

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks !

[@kirkwalsh1932]

@@loweredexpectations4927 couple voltage tests uploaded from here.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@kirkwalsh1932 Just watched them. Good info.

[@kirkwalsh1932]

@@loweredexpectations4927 going to probably do a voltage test on the fan tomorrow also.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@kirkwalsh1932 That will be interesting ... I'm guessing about 6-9V at max speed.

[@werner.x]

Diesel mist reminds me of some sad stuff. Be careful and better fix that deadly loophole sooner than later. Otherwise - good progress 💪 Electricity costs have become an issue - at least here in Germany. These add up quickly. And off grid situations need thrifty electricity consumption more than anything else too.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Yeah... sorry about that. Hopefully I can get a better control system soon. I have now been running my heater for 16 hours without any serious issues. Also, something you said before reminded me that I don't even have to take it apart to clean it. I now have the hole where the fuel goes in, I can potentially poke in there to dislodge deposits, and also the see in, or poke in the end where I have the other hole. I should mention that I am burning 60% diesel and 40% oil... My oil had been an unknown mix, but I am now burning oil directly from a waste oil bucket... I can smell a distinct burning oil smell, outside, but there isn't any visible smoke at all. I have some ideas on how to improve on this design, but I want to keep testing as is, to see if it will fail and if so, how long it will take. I don't like I am burning diesel, and haven't tried turning it off completely, but turned down more than 50% causes the primary chamber to flame out. Once it fails, I think I will try starting it on diesel and then see if it will run on oil only... but I think it could end in a very smoky, messy failure, with this current design.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Oh... I just thought... What I can try is shutting off the primary chamber, and injecting waste oil with gasoline, or something else that is cheap. I have a company sending me an additive to try, as well.

[@RADMAN752]

Very cool, I’m going to run mine on human waste!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

🤣 That's genius. You're going to use up most of your heat energy removing the moisture content... So you will have to condense the vapors to recapture that heat.

[@mickgatz214]

Speaking hypothetically. in defaulf I had that burn chamber up to 260 deg. C. Yeah, i rember the exhaust glowing that day! These are incredible piece of kit! at 1.5hz it running cost is .30cent/hr The 5KW split system tuns at $1.54 p/hr, (avg). No rocket science on that one! (rember that dAY I saw it come up on my BT, it never came back) Cheers!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I had my heater up to 270 when I had it drip feeding and heating my house, haha... they will take it no problem. The glowing exhaust was fun ! haha. They are pretty uncredible. Fun to play with too.

[@austinmaxi]

Here's an idea i thought about, "a scraper" in the burn chamber to physically dislodge the ash build up, it would then be blown out the exhaust. Could use an old turbocharger turbine wheel n shaft for the material as they're designed for that temperature And drive it off of the combustion fan end of the spindle.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I currently have a CAD design with a auto cleaning system. This is basically testing on the way to that end goal... If you want to call it a "goal". I had a viewer send me a turbo turbine for testing, but I think it would be too restrictive, and would also get crud built up on it... It could work tho. My idea involves a device that rotates on a timer every 10 minutes or so. Fairly slowly.

[@coachgeo]

Great job. Still though IMHO screen or something hot needs to be in the air stream that atomized /partially atomized fuel is in. Your likely right that the screen layers you put around on inside of the walls likely helps lower amount of potential number of times that chamber needs cleaning per use...aka it burns up oil prior to hitting walls of your secondary chamber. like the twin processor control... IMHO your really onto something there.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks for the comment. I have some stainless mesh installed in the chamber, and altho it isn't in the direct air stream, it completely crumbled (it gets consumed)... Anything in the air stream needs to be some sort of exotic material, unless you run the heater very rich. The excess oxygen consumes everything. I'm not sure what sort of mesh I could use ... Perhaps inconel or some sort of ceramic. Another likely issue, is that anything in the air stream will collect ash. I suspect that a mesh that did hold up would clog up pretty quickly. I actually used the same stainless mesh when testing my misting burn head last year... The idea was to try to have hot spots where the fuel could reignite if it went out. I didn't really do enough testing with it to collect any data on that. There is a guy making a device called Turbo Heater... or something like that, that allows you to run the signal in from one ECU, and then power two pumps... You can then set each pump to do whatever you want... different ratios, run a clean cycle... it's really cool !

[@coachgeo]

@@loweredexpectations4927 Maybe thread in a stainless bolt thru that hole you put in the back that runs from back all the way to the front. In one or both chambers. Could maybe put some washers bent up on it to cause air to swirl as well as be hot surface for stuff to atomize more or flash off of?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@coachgeo That's an interesting idea. The washers would have to be inconel or something like that. If you look at the thumbnail for part 19 of my video series... you will see what happens to a stainless washer in the hamber, haha. What I really want to to do is run a bolt with a hole down the middle, into there with a washer on the end. Then inject the fuel with some air using my new pump. I thought about using the ceramic from a spark plug, or a few spark plugs to protect the tube / bolt.

[@mp5778]

Always great work. Great information. Fantastic idea using the aquarium air pump in line with the wmo fuel. So you are basically now able to burn 70%diesel + 30%wmo and burn hotter and more heat at a lower setting. In our testing with a military heater HDT MTH150 we found that wmo burned 2-3 times hotter than diesel and had to decrease the nozzle size by 50-75%. Have you done any testing with just Blending fuel. We like 80%wmo/15%red diesel/5%regular unleaded gas. You could start at 100% diesel then 90%diesel/10%wmo and continue to 50/50%. You will probably have to adjust the controller down as the wmo% goes up, even use high altitude setting. Blending is way simpler way to use wmo.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I tried some similar testing using my air compressor last year, but was doing it into one chamber. Today I am running 60/40 and it's working just as well or better, and yes, making more heat energy. Very interesting about the military heater. I will keep that in mind... I have had to run leaner on the oil than expected. Yes, I have a bunch of videos testing all sorts of mixtures and additives. The main issue is that the primary chamber in the heater does not get even close enough to flash off oil, so it spirals out of control quickly. The diesel and gas will burn off quickly, and the oil gets distilled out... then you are left with a huge amount of smouldering oil, haha.

[@Spencer1609751]

Hey Joel, Not bad! I am trying to get a time delay for the SPHEROS heater switch for our buses the drivers here like to switch everything on at once really makes it a pain! They are Button.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks for the comment ! That's a funny name for a switch, haha.

[@EelingStudios]

Love it! I wonder if your syphon combustion plan might be helped to burn more cleanly with the old oil thoroughly blended with 10 - 15% petrol and then centrifuged to get as much crap out as possible. That in itself should reduce some problems or at least extend the period between problems! My centrifuge allegedly takes out particles as small as 0.5 microns. Your next videos eagerly anticipated!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I'm guessing that petrol would go a long way to lowering the viscosity and allowing lots of crud to settle to the bottom of a filtering container. I have found, from burning new engine oil, that the majority of the problem is not from contaminants, but from engine oil being heavy oil. The stuff that is left behind, is mostly cause by the oil, and not by additives or contamination. A centrifuge is an awesome way to filter oil and even removes water, so that's a bonus. I may give this a try someday.

[@EelingStudios]

I got mine from US FILTERMAXX years ago, nicely over-engineered. [I have no connection other than being a customer] might be worth asking him very nicely..... @@loweredexpectations4927

[@IgI-Ze]

I don't know why people trying to convert this type of diesel burner to waste oil burner at all....ok I respect your work and ideas...but....there is so much easier way to burn any type of non-filtered oil, and that burner you can make it from scrap in a one day. Babingtone burner is something that every burner-maker must see. Good luck and keep trying....

[@loweredexpectations4927]

The main attraction of burning waste oil in these heaters are cost of fuel, almost free vs very expensive (in some places). The "in these heaters" part of that is because most people don't have the skill, tools or space or money to make a "proper" waste oil burner. You can basically make a rocket stove, drip feed oil and use a mattress blower, and you can make lots of heat. If you want it to start at the push of a button, have overheat protection and flame out protection, then it starts to get a lot more complicated. There are many waste oil burning heads, like the one you mention, but they need to be installed in a fairly large heat exchanger, and generally burn a minimum of 10 times as much fuel volume as these little heaters. Personally, I really enjoy tinkering. I have two natural gas heaters (floor heat and a hanging air heater) Oil is a waste product that I have and would have to dispose if it in some way. My SNA burner head is closer to a Babingtone burner, and the trick with it will be limiting the heat output, so that it doesn't melt things... Or at least that's my suspicion.

[@stevecarlisle3323]

Great Job, all ya need now is a Titanium heat exchanger, so you can use it in a furnace to melt aluminium, so you can cast a centrifuge wheel, and clean up your oil. Was that Helpfull ? 🇨🇦

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha... so helpful ! Thanks. A billet titanium exchanger would be cool.

[@mechniack]

Get an Arduino to control everything 😁 and you can make it do what you want

[@loweredexpectations4927]

That would probably be the smart thing to do. The issue for me is that I am very obsessive... If I start playing with an Arduino, in a month, that will be 100% of the content on my channel. This channel started life as a place to put extra footage and outtakes that I didn't use on my other channel... and I started playing with heaters... now it is a heater channel, haha.

[@glyngibbs9489]

Hi Joel. Excellent work as always. Now you have gone down the air injection route, are you aware that some commercial waste oil burners use a 'rose' head? In it's simplest form air is forced through the head, think very fine watering can, and oil is dribbled over the surface blown off by the air jets and burnt. I'm not sure if your pump has the pressure or quantity to achieve this.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks for the comment. I have seen lots of waste oil heaters with this style of air feed. This is basically how the primary burn chamber on these heaters works, except that, instead of little holes, they have little slots. I do want to do something like this in the secondary chamber as well, but the trick there is to find a material that can withstand the conditions in the chamber. With those burners, the oil typically flashes off below the air stream and ignites as it enters the air stream, so the air head doesn't get extremely hot. (relatively speaking). In contrast. this air head would need to be almost in the direct path of the primary burn chamber, with my current design. I have considered a tube with a ceramic end, but making tiny holes in ceramic is tricky.

[@reubenk7331]

Ahh yes David has really freaking good videos. I found his channel and then yours! I also wanted to say I think the air injection system you have setup is pretty awesome. I do wonder about low pressure forced injection pumped into the burner inlet too. Would it provide improved atomization of less combustible products such as waste oil? I imagine the ash would probably be the same either way. Another question I had. Have you tried blowing compressed air into the inlet of the heater to blow ash out? Or even working air back and forth between the inlet or exhaust? If you already have I am sure I'll find the video at some point 🙂

[@loweredexpectations4927]

David is awesome. Great guy. Yes... I have been experimenting with low pressure mist injection... the trick then becomes how to keep the combustion process inside of the chamber long enough to complete. I had assumed that the mist would be a sure win... but it appears, in some circumstances, the vaporized fuel doesn't burn, and just goes out the exhaust. I had a video called "boosted" or something like that, and a few times during those experiments, I did try cranking up the air to clear things out... unfortunately, it blows the flame out. There may be a way around this, a really quick high pressure blast ... the flame may start back up again.

[@reubenk7331]

@@loweredexpectations4927 Oh that makes sense. It does seem to be quite a delicate process for proper combustion.

[@SR-gt350]

Joel, love your show....f those who are nay sayers!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I'm going to keep doing my thing. Success is not guaranteed... but failure is 100% guaranteed, if I don't try.

[@SR-gt350]

@@loweredexpectations4927 The best 👌 👍 part are the failures as each one gets you closer to a winning oil burner.

[@examplerkey]

You can use a cheap 12V dimmer module to control the fan voltage, thus speed indirectly. It should work. To trick the thermocouple, you may need to do some math with a resister(s). Basically the thermocouple produces a tiny voltage in mV range depending on the heat / temperature. You can shunt that voltage by using a resistor or pot. Alternatively, you can get rid of the thermocouple altogether, then feed the similar mV voltage at 200°C, say 5mV, from a variable bench power supply. The ECU will always think it's 200°C 😅 while you're getting away with 360°C, another way to burn down your garage 🤣. It would be nice if you could use / channel the existing fan to propel the waste oil rather than using a separate industrial or fish pond pump 😅. 40-50PPM CO from waste oil is not bad at all. It is a good achievement, congrats!! If you keep tweaking, one day you will get to that sweet spot 👍🥳 and if you commercialize it, I think you will easily sell 10k of your custom burn chambers!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I have run my heater without a ECU in a previous video, not too long ago, and made a circuit out of light bulbs for variable speed. Like you say, it should be possible to trick the heater inputs with a resistor ... You would have to tinker with it though... as the heater needs to see under 40 C to start, but over 60 C to think it's running, and then (depending on the ECU) wants to see around 100 C or it will try to restart. There could be a way to use the fan to also drive fuel in ... Perhaps a pitot tube in the fan housing. Not sure if that would create any real pressure. The pumps are fairly inexpensive, simple and very predictable. The idea came from a viewer, and I had some success last year using regulated air from my compressor. (5 hp / 19 CFM @90 PSI) ... so, relatively speaking, we are making steps in the right direction, lol. I will keep doing my thing 🤟

[@examplerkey]

@@loweredexpectations4927 I saw that video with light bulbs. That was brilliant! With a 12V light dimmer or motor speed controller module, you can get precise control but you don't need to do it because you can let the ECU to do it. The key component to hack is the thermocouple. You will have to tinker only once. Measure the DC mV with your multimeter at the thermocouple connector plug / socket on the ECU. Record the mV at 40, 60 and 100°C. Then use a bench power supply to fake the desired voltage and feed it to the ECU. I think it's easier to fool the thermocouple function than the fan. E̶C̶U̶ ̶m̶o̶n̶i̶t̶o̶r̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶n̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶e̶d̶ ̶v̶i̶a̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶e̶f̶f̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶n̶s̶o̶r̶.̶ ̶O̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶q̶u̶e̶n̶c̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶m̶u̶l̶t̶i̶m̶e̶t̶e̶r̶.̶ ̶I̶f̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶s̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶m̶o̶n̶i̶t̶o̶r̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶,̶ ̶I̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶P̶W̶M̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶h̶e̶a̶p̶ ̶s̶i̶g̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶g̶e̶n̶e̶r̶a̶t̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶o̶d̶u̶l̶e̶.̶ Again, the most important mod is the thermocouple. If you do it, then you can keep using the ECU as the fan and pump speed controller. Worst case, it will get 360°C and the jacket will melt 😂.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@examplerkey Yeah... What I meant is that you would have to change the mV during start up, each time. Haha... I've had it to 270C and the plastic body was warm, but you could touch it... as long as there's air flow you can get away with a LOT, haha.

[@curtisroberts9137]

I run my turbo or "Torpedo" heater with a mixture of 3 parts gasoline, 2 parts waste oil. It burns clean and is reliable. I tried many other concoctions and mixtures. That is the most waste oil i could relieble get to burn. Dieser was to havy in any mixture with the oil but that's because the heater runs on a spark plug and needs to be able combust by that method. I would think your heater could run on a much heavier mixture of oil and gas without needing to run all the mods because of the design. That wouldn't be as fun to run though i'm sure.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

"Turbo Heater" as in the prototype control unit for mixing fuels ? I tried 50/50 waste oil and gas at one point, early on in my testing, and the heater didn't like that at all. I think I also tried 20% at one point, and that seemed to be too much... but my chamber may have already been too far gone at that point. OH.... it just dawned on me that you are probably talking about a torpedo heater ?

[@DrYosh2]

I run the same mix. My cleaning involves pulling the spark ignitor about once a week to clean the gap. And ill tap the end of the hot nose cone every now and then to dislodge any chunks sticking to the inside. But otherwise, it runs about the same as on diesel with 30-40% gas

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@DrYosh2 Nice.

[@gordon6029]

Nice! Keep at it, you’ll get it working on more waste eventually. What kind of mill do you have. Is it a Percision Matthews V series?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks !! My mill is a PM30MV. I haven't used it yet. I am converting it to CNC, but I may have to move soon, so it has been put on hold.

[@DanDan-yy8sf]

Thanks for the video 🔥 So, I was just considering all the variables involved with used oil and how hard it must be to have accurate data with an ever changing supply of oil. Different weights of oil, synthetic or conventional oils, different grades of fuel entering oil pans, additives within those fuels, heavy metal contaminates, etc.etc all in the supply of oil. Unless you have an endless supply "lawnmower" oil that used only 1 type of oil, I'd think the results may vary so much that it would turn into a "tuners" nightmare trying to dial in. However the S&A nozzle looks promising. Briefly looking at it, I think it will drip and burn but the question is will you be able to get the air ,fuel , flashpoint mixture right without it carboning up and or overheating. Cutting the used oil (with a cost effective accelerant) and raising the flashpoint is where the clean burn zone is. Have you ever tried preheating the used oil. ❓New project:, heat exchanger / oil preheater. Ever think of boosting fan speed to allow higher temps, less the use of the ECU. Cheers 👍🏽

[@loweredexpectations4927]

The different grades of oil could be challenging but it's not as bad as you may think. Basically, you set somewhere in a reasonable AFR range, and whatever you burn will be a little lean or a little rich. The SNA atomizes the fuel and will not only burn more readily, but also disperse any ash... It may stay airborne and exit the exhaust ... At very least, I won't gather in a single spot and clog up immediately. Overheating may be an issue... but hopefully I can restrict fuel flow enough and still keep it running. I have preheated the fuel / oil by running a brake line through the fins of my heat exchanger. This ensures that the temp never gets over 230... so safer than using the exhaust, or other methods. I have currently boosted fan speed by using the Maxpeedingrods ECU haha... It runs a lot faster. An issue that these heaters have is that the inlet and exhaust are quite restrictive, so speeding up the fans has diminishing returns. They become very inefficient.

[@DanDan-yy8sf]

@@loweredexpectations4927 that's a great reply 👍🏽

[@myme5615]

I wonder if you used the exhaust to heat a section of stainless fuel line for the waist oil before it enters the combustion chamber. Presumably hot oil will combust better than cold oil.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

In one of my videos I tried something along these lines. I don't feel like it is safe to use the exhaust to heat the fuel, so I used the heat exchanger itself as it is limited to about 240C

[@twan-zg6nr]

I look David as wel I really like the both off you crazy enough to do the weirdest things with dieselheater just go on with this I like it 🤣🤣🤣greets from the dutch Heerenveen 😉👌

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Dave is the man ! Haha. Greetings from Alberta Canada !

[@KonKrom]

So i used peristaltic pump to control oil flow also timed controller to feed my webasto. To be hones? Try a pipe you heat pipe with torch to vaporize oil ten pressurize it a little bit 0,5 bar and burn it that way. Trust me i tried that

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I have looked at peristaltic pumps. That is one way to do it, for sure. I have considered vaporizing / distilling the fuel, something like this. It is in my long list of things to do, haha.

[@Coffeebean1482]

I wonder if turboheat would also send you a prototype like David has. This would solve the problem of having to use the 2kw ECU

[@loweredexpectations4927]

That would make my life SO MUCH EASIER, haha. We will see...

[@TheZigZiggy]

Have you tried filtering the used motor oil before using it? And have you tried using something else, like used oil from a restaurant or fast food joint? It would be cool to have the exhaust smelling like french fries 😁

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks for the comment. My oil is filtered, and run though a 80 micron filter coming out of the tank, but it is not micro filtered. I did some testing last year to determine if "dirty" oil had any thing to do with operation by burning brand new engine oil. The ash was about the same. I use engine oil because I am a small engine mechanic and have over 400L of it. I do plan on testing other oils like veg oil 👍

[@nonya1940]

Not gonna lie when he said skip to the part where he's not swearing or pulling his hair out I was expecting to see the credits lmao

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha... I've got to try to stay monetized... There wasn't actually too much of that caught on camera... but it would probably be upsetting for most people, haha.

[@sanduafaceri2792]

❤❤❤ Am un Vevor de 8 KW și fac biodisel în bucătăria mea. Amestec 30% motorina și 70% biodisel. Ce părere ai dacă as mari orificiul de aer de la bujia incandescenta?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Orificiul de aer nu are efect odată în funcțiune, doar pentru pornire.

[@memadmax69]

So basically according to your(its) ECU settings, its max air with the minimum fuel. Thats why our stock setups cant burn this stuff very good(besides the coking overall). Would be nice to have seperate fan control. Cheap chinese 12v PWM motor controller?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I'm not 100% sure what you are saying. I have 2 ECUs running the heater. One runs my fan at max speed, and the other is able to control the oil delivery. The main reason these don't' burn oil well is because the place where the fuel ignites, doesn't get hot enough to flash off oil. Diesel has a much lower flash point. The reason why they stop running after a short time, is because crud builds up and interferes with the air flow, so an already poor burn gets really bad. PWM will control the fan, but the pump requires a pulse. A pulse generator is a possible solution to this. These are all temporary fixes, however, as the heater really needs fail safe systems for flame out and overheat protection.

[@memadmax69]

@@loweredexpectations4927 I basically said all what you just said. Canadian/US translations. =P Anyways, wouldn't more air cause more combustion to self-sustain the waste oil? I'm wondering if we take control of the fan can it run faster? I introduce more air into my own heater using a blower from one of those air mattress inflators and blow it in right thru the exhaust and not only does it make the heater run better on my 50/50 diesel/waste oil but it also blows out the crud without having to take it apart, been doing it for months now.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

​@@memadmax69 If you try to run an ECU and give extra power to the fan, I assume the ECU would see this as a problem with the fan motor and throw an error code. Some of them are pretty stupid and only see if there is a short or open circuit, but others are more clever. There is a speed sensor built into the ECU ... This is probably just for when the heater is firing up, to make sure the fan is spinning... but it may monitor speed of the fan as well, and compare it to the PWM output of the ECU... If the speed changes too much it may throw a code. I can see how addin air can be good. I tried adding extra air in some of my testing, and it caused the primary burn chamber (the area where the fuel flashes off) to run way too cool... I don't remember the exact results, but I believe it cause my heater to make a lot of smoke and flame out pretty quickly.

[@memadmax69]

@@loweredexpectations4927 Nope, I was trying to say chuck the ecu and run the fan off a PWM.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@memadmax69 Ok... I could do that. I have a little PWM controller. If I do that, I will need to trip feed both waste oil and diesel ... unless I can trick the ECU into thinking it has fans connected. Last night when my heater overheated, it ended up being worse than I thought. It got hot enough, that it melted my combustion fan. That reminds me... I need to order a new fan, haha.

[@wallacefrey6247]

What team do you think is going to win the Super Bowl ? I don't like either one, but I'm gonna pick Kansas City.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

You are going to be VERY disappointed... but I couldn't tell you who is playing in the Superbowl or when it is, haha. I will also pick Kansas !

[@wallacefrey6247]

The game is starting in 2.5 hours at 5:30 pm CST @@loweredexpectations4927

[@Zewestcoaster]

Well, If I learned anything from this waste oil series, it would be that it is foolish to dump waste oil in your stock diesel heater and expect trouble free operation the same as diesel.... If a diesel heater is having difficulty running on WMO, how is it some people expect diesel engines to run on WMO? I noticed the diesel heater tester made its way into the centre of things. What does it test? how does it work?? Another video suggestion? 🙂

[@loweredexpectations4927]

That is a good summarization of my waste oil testing... Not a good idea ! "I noticed the diesel heater tester made its way into the centre of things. What does it test? how does it work??" I'm confused by this...

[@Zewestcoaster]

@@loweredexpectations4927 Oooof.... Never mind, I'm on crack.... I just realized my mistake....

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@Zewestcoaster Haha... I've been there many times !

[@patrickday4206]

Just cut your oil with acetone 😂 no really don't melt all the plastic 😂 Nice progress 👍

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha... I have mixed it with a little acetone in the past. Also, gasoline, methanol, varsol and some other stuff, haha. Thanks !!

[@kevin34ct]

I want to try one of the Gas Heaters, but China hasn't made one yet that I've seen.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I think you can find them on aliexpress... Assuming you mean Gasoline.

[@kevin34ct]

@@loweredexpectations4927 Yes,.

[@3ox3]

👍

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Thanks !

[@bdblazer6400]

Did u try the liqui molly sut reducer additiv?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I haven't tried that particular additive. I have tried a Lucas and Redline product in some of my pretions testing... and I believe I have it in my current batch of oil.

[@mnp3713]

how loud is that Aquariumpump?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Very loud and vibrates everything IF you have it sitting on the shelf .... and that is why I have it hanging from a bungie ... The way that I have it hanging, you can't hear it over the noise of the heater fan.

[@mnp3713]

ok thx im looking for a silent big aqpump @@loweredexpectations4927

[@Ray-ro2jj]

Joel have you tried mixing the oil and diesel like a 50/50 mix ?

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Yes... I can't remember what video it is in, but I did that pretty close to the first of my video series over a year ago. What I have found is that, while it appears to work better, the failure time is directly related to how much oil is consumed. Meaning, if you burn 1 litre of waste oil and your heater quits, you can burn 2 litres of 50/50, because you are burning 1 litres of waste oil. The results aren't at all that clean cut, but yes, I have tried all sorts of different mixes.

[@Ray-ro2jj]

Ok yeah I couldn’t remember if you did lol

[@user-tk8vw6gq2m]

I'm not sure if it's already been asked, but are you related to Ryan Reynolds? 😂

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Oh my god... why do people keep saying that. Haha...

[@mechniack]

It should be pure waste oil 😁

[@loweredexpectations4927]

That may happen at some point (after start up)... it may even work now, but I haven't tried to force it.. I believe to make that happen reasonably well, the air delivery to the secondary chamber needs to be upgraded... I have some ideas but am testing this. I get into the habit of testing 5-6 different things in a day, and end up with such a mess of footage and tests that 1. they never get seen and 2. I can't even remember what I have and haven't tried, haha.

[@KingofallDiffs]

🤟🏻🤟🏻👑🤟🏻👑👑🤟🏻....ha! Got one at the end 😂😂👍🏻👍🏻🤣🤣👑🤟🏻

[@loweredexpectations4927]

🤟

[@mickgatz214]

Tinkering....if you burn that crud hot enough, it should burn off?....hmmmm

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Carbon will burn ... and that is the goal. However, the crud that is left behind is not combustible... Possibly sulphur compounds or some other mineral.

[@mickgatz214]

copied that, Over and out. :)@@loweredexpectations4927

[@vinceferraccioli4661]

When are you going into furnace production lol

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha.... I don't think that will happen any times soon ... I'm not much of a business man. Stranger things have happened though.

[@mickgatz214]

Maybe go look how the Italians designed their waste oil burners?.....

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Do the Italians have a specific design ?

[@mickgatz214]

not sure. The mechanic here has one, but I've never really looked into it. I just thought with your tests and experiments you could maybe put 2 and 2 together to get better results in burning waste oil, that's all....@@loweredexpectations4927

[@WaffleStaffel]

@@loweredexpectations4927 Didn't you know? The Lamborghini _"French flyer"_ runs on pure waste oil!

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@WaffleStaffel Haha... I didn't know that.

[@WaffleStaffel]

I wasn't teasing you Mick, I'm also curious about which burner designs your referring to.

[@curtdunlap6818]

Who's ignorant? 🤣

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Haha... that would be me !

[@zacharymorris9917]

I'm totally beating a dead horse at this point, but here goes again. Your understanding of AFR does not match reality. WMO will *NOT* efficiently combust at diesel AFRs. Neither fuel will combust efficiently anywhere near stoichiometric AFR. Diesel burns 'max power rich' at 25% *LEAN* of stoich. WMO burns efficiently at a significantly more lean AFR than that. Four problems will have to be addressed. Problems you seem to be unaware of and think that you've already tried everything to resolve. AFR Fan to fan MAF ratio Viscosity Atomization Guess I'll have to break down and use your discount code to prove the chemistry and physics.

[@loweredexpectations4927]

Who said anything about burning WMO at diesel AFRs ? About 90% of this video is about running two ECUs and a drip feed system so that I'm not stuck with the factory AFR. I also talked about needing a system that allows me to control the fan and fuel independently... to change the AFR. My CO meter shows pretty reasonable levels, and I'm not getting a huge amount of VOCs, so it's burning. The soot build up is reasonable. I'm not concerned in the least of max power / heat output. I am concerned only with burning with as little soot as possible 1. I am controlling AFR by using 2 ECUs and dripping fuel manually. 2. Not even sure what this means. 3. What about viscosity ? 4. The fuel is being atomized by 1. being blown in and mixed with air and 2. being injected into a red hot chamber. 3. I also showed the chamber I have made with the SNA nozzle that will mist fuel into the heater.... that I made 11 months ago.

[@WaffleStaffel]

Please do so, it would be an invaluable contribution. So, for example, when David McLuckie used an AFR gauge to tune his heater to stoichiometric combustion, he wasn't getting maximum efficiency, which, according to Engineering Toolbox, would be somewhere between 5-20% excess O2?

[@zacharymorris9917]

@loweredexpectations4927 you have been STEADILY trying to burn WMO at diesel AFRs. Have you ever once increased the combustion airflow without increasing the exchanger airflow or significantly changed the AFR of the WMO blend? ABSOLUTELY NOT. What you have done is mock people who point out this obvious flaw in your testing.

[@zacharymorris9917]

@loweredexpectations4927 infinitely more significant is the fact that you're burning up the overwhelming majority of the available airflow to combust diesel. Somehow you think that's not running the WMO crazy rich!?!?

[@zacharymorris9917]

@@WaffleStaffel you can not get anywhere near stoich on oil based fuels. I don't know how I could communicate this anymore clearly. Reread the comment you're responding to enough times to understand.