… and paying for it.

I would have loved to stay and watch the Superbowl with Gene an his new 42″ Aquos HDTV. But it sure feels good to be on the road again.

I am also seriously happy to be amongst some trees with some space at Lake Manatee State Park after that seriously cramped RV “Resort” in Fort Lauderdale.

It is eye-opening, however, to pay $94.00 to fill up the truck from a quarter tank after not spending anything on fuel for nearly two months while we helped make our own homebrew biodiesel.

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Another great thing about unique workamping opportunities is the opportunity to learn something new. At White Rabbit, not only did we learn a thing or two about the ins and outs and other outs of running a farm, we also got some greasy hands-on experience making biodiesel from waste vegetable oil

As a farmer, Brian can legally make fuel for use in his farm equipment. And he’s got lots of equipment. He’s an Oliver man. And he has a n amazing source for waste vegetable oil that he’d rather not divulge. But what gets me, is how he can buy tons of Methanol. Literally. Without being questioned. But for $2.50 a gallon, instead of $5.00 locally, I too would drive across the state to get it. But I would probably freak out if I got rear-ended hauling it back. But once again, I digress.

Making fuel from grease isn’t as hard as it sounds. And Mr. Quant makes it look easy.

1. Get your grease, and lots of it. Have a source that can keep it flowing, or cruise behind restaurants, or both. Regardless, it is a dirty job.
2. Filter the gook – a whole lot easier if it’s warm – and give it a titration test to determine the quality of the grease and how much caustic reagent you need to add.
3. Add enough Methanol and caustic reagent (hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) and cook the mixture for a while.
4. Let it cool to settle out the Glycerol, decide whether to reclaim any Methonal through distillation, and
5. Wash out the soap by mixing with water a few times and fuel up.
6. Figure out what to do with all your Glycerine.

I told you it sounds easy. But like Brian tells all those who inquire for a free lesson, it’s no big secret. You can go look up how to make biodiesel yourself.