Going Green: Convert Your Generator For Biodiesel Fuel

The harsh winter months often call for the use of a generator in times of emergency and when homeowners need to save money on utility bills. With the recent wave in new technologies that promote efficient and clean energy, consumers across the country are looking for affordable ways to convert their regular diesel generators into biodiesel units. Besides using a diesel generator hire, the following tips will help get you started on a path to greener living.

A Total Overhaul is Not Needed
If you thought that converting your generator will be a huge headache that could take days on end to complete, you guessed wrong.

Diesel generators (like those available on generatorhire.com.au), much like diesel engines, are already equipped to accept biodiesel. The original inventor of the diesel engine originally planned to use peanut oil as fuel for his new product, but petroleum was widely more available at the time.

Purchasing a Conversion Kit
Consumers have the option to purchase a biodiesel fuel converter kit, although most come with a high price point.

Biodiesel fuel is largely derived from a variety of vegetable oils. Because used vegetable oil likely contains a number of different food particles, you cannot simply place the oil into your generator and expect it to run correctly. The vegetable oil must be processed first and then poured into the generator.

Because of the thick liquid nature of vegetable oil, it has a tendency to harden if not kept at the correct temperature. The temperature is an essential part of the biodiesel fuel preparation process.

Conversion kits come with both filters to ensure no foreign particles are allowed into the generator, and a thermometer to help keep the temperature of the fuel at a precise level.

Creating Your Own Kit
If done properly, you can create your own generator conversion kit. To do so, you need to create a second fuel tank and line that delivers the biodiesel fuel to the generator. The second fuel tank is needed because the original fuel tank won’t have the necessary specifications to handle the temperature and filtering issues that arise when using vegetable oil as a fuel.

Producing Your Own Biodiesel Fuel
Producing your own biodiesel fuel straight from used vegetable oil, however, is another matter.

Energy efficient loving Americans have been collecting used oils from restaurants and converting them to environmentally-friendly fuels for years. The process is more complicated than converting your diesel generator to accept this type of fuel. The process involves a significant amount of steps, patience and knowledge. If not done properly, you could end up in a very dangerous and lethal situation.

While converting a generator to accept biodiesel fuel is a relatively easy process, someone with little to no mechanical experience might have difficulty with installing a kit or making one from scratch. A diesel generator hire will have the knowledge and training necessary to help you convert your generator, and will be able to train you on how to maintain your new conversion kit and build one in the future.