Amount of time filtering 55 Galllons

[GRNBLDR]

Wondering how long it takes most of you to filter 55 gallons. Specifically running it through your filters/centrifuge. Reason is I think my oil is so dirty it takes me about 3-4 hours to run 55 gallons through a 30 micron followed by a 5 micron filter with a 1.5 hp pump. Wondering if this is excessively long time if I should search out cleaner oil?

Also wondering if a centrifuge would clean it easier/quicker?

Thanks

[greasyX]

oc-50,55 gallons, 50 micron pre-filter.heated filtered to 1 micron in 2 hours.this also removes water and boil-out......grease out

[Elvia]

Welcome to the froum Grnbldr (Green Builder)
There are so many different ways we filter, thats really a loaded question. Its ok for some to filter to 10 microns, some 5, some 1 micron. And when it comes to water some think its ok for 10 or so bubbles on a quarter sized spot, some strive for Zero bubbles.
I can filter 55 gallons with my centrifuge to zero water with 4 passes in 25 minutes. Its a big centrifuge.
What system of filtering do you have now?

[powerstroke73L]

Wondering how long it takes most of you to filter 55 gallons. Specifically running it through your filters/centrifuge. Reason is I think my oil is so dirty it takes me about 3-4 hours to run 55 gallons through a 30 micron followed by a 5 micron filter with a 1.5 hp pump. Wondering if this is excessively long time if I should search out cleaner oil?

Also wondering if a centrifuge would clean it easier/quicker?

Thanks

I can only filter about 50 gallons at a clip just because I centrifuge in a 55 gallon drum, but I get clean oil in about an hour and a half. See my thread on combining a cold uplflow settling system with a centrifuge. By combining the two, by the time the oil gets to the centrifuge barrel, most of the junk and water has settled out. The centrifuge is mostly for polishing. I added a Goldenrod on the end of my setup (before the fill hose) just as a safety measure though.

[waytallwhitey]

I just ran ~ 45-50 heated gallons through 25 - 10 - 1 micron filters in 15- 20 minutes

[triplemoutdoors]

Wondering how long it takes most of you to filter 55 gallons. Specifically running it through your filters/centrifuge. Reason is I think my oil is so dirty it takes me about 3-4 hours to run 55 gallons through a 30 micron followed by a 5 micron filter with a 1.5 hp pump. Wondering if this is excessively long time if I should search out cleaner oil?

Also wondering if a centrifuge would clean it easier/quicker?

Thanks

Welcome to the forum. GrnBldr are you pre filtering your oil first? Some pour through a jeans filter first prior to putting it in their system to heat, settle, and dewater. Then they do their fine filtering.

[lamintdog]

Some pour through a jeans filter first prior to putting it in their system to heat, settle, and dewater.

Yep. I'm on a much slower schedule than the centrifugers - I pour through jean filters with a thermo element in the bottom of the drum and let it sit for 3days undisturbed... I fill with a barrel hand pump (sweat equity anyone?) through a goldenrod, I use ~3-4KwH per ~35-40gallon fillup (I leave the draw tube about 1ft off the bottom).

Do you guys have to take time to empty/clean out the centrifuge in between cycles? or do you just clean it once after multiple passes?

Lastly, w/o thread-jacking, anyone running a centrifuge take KwH readings from start to finish? Just curious how 3-4 days of on/off thermo vs 25min of full on centrifuging compares... I could be in the market...

[FastCote]

... I added a Goldenrod on the end of my setup (before the fill hose) just as a safety measure though.

I tried pumping with a Goldenrod on the end of the air-powered barrel pump. I am pretty sure the oil was well settled and i shortened the pickup tube to only reach half way down. Oil was at Ohio ambient temp yesterday (~80). It pumped about ten gallons and the goldenrod plugged up. Would you guys expect this? Like I said, I am pretty sure the oil was clean and dry.

[FastCote]

p.s. - the air pump only operates are around 10 psi. I thinking (hoping) that the low oil temp and some partially hydrogenated plugged up the goldenrod and NOT water or crud.

[lamintdog]

I thinking (hoping) that the low oil temp and some partially hydrogenated plugged up the goldenrod and NOT water or crud.

You're probably right - Just heat the oil to ~100+f and try again?

If it's still clogged, then:

Hot Pan Test from your barrel to check the water content?

Do you pre-filter into your barrel at all or is the goldenrod the 1st source of filtering in your setup? If you don't pre-filter, do you have any pickup screens on the bottom of your draw tube or any other point of restriction in your setup that could have clogged before the goldenrod itself? Could a french fry be jammed somewhere,etc?

I wouldn't expect the goldenrod to clog. I just filled 35 gallons yesterday at 89deg F (oil temp) with no problems (w/~ 125gal through this filter so far). Maybe try putting very slight back pressure on the fill end then check the filter/housing for any sediment and other debris that might have clogged it (drain the housing if there's alot and setup a pre-filter) - or at the very least, perhaps free up any other clogs in your system?

Careful backflushing - too much pressure could stir things up in your settling drum...

[FastCote]

This was actually a barrel that went through a simplecentrifuge twice so I am pretty sure it is water and gunk free. I DO, however have a bunch of PHO in the oil i collect and i centrifuge HOT so it gets through and re forms after cooling. Am thinking its the hydrogenated that gunked the goldenrod.

Like i said the barrel pump is only 10 psi.

You guys with goldenrods on the fill hose, do you just hook up a clearwater pump and blast it through, or do you have a recirc line goign back into the drum? Those blue pumps are pretty high flow!

[FastCote]

By the way, just to stray back towards topic, My centrifuge is dialed in to flow around 10 - 15 gallons per hour at as close to 150 degrees as I can manage. From what I have read on other forums, this is a nice compromise.

That puts me up around 5 hours for a barrel.

[GRNBLDR]

Welcome to the froum Grnbldr (Green Builder)
There are so many different ways we filter, thats really a loaded question. Its ok for some to filter to 10 microns, some 5, some 1 micron. And when it comes to water some think its ok for 10 or so bubbles on a quarter sized spot, some strive for Zero bubbles.
I can filter 55 gallons with my centrifuge to zero water with 4 passes in 25 minutes. Its a big centrifuge.
What system of filtering do you have now?

It is pumped into a 30 micron house filter immediately followed by a 5 micron house filter into my "clean barrel". Filtered oil is then pumped in my tank, through a Donaldson filter. This last process is TWO HOURS with a new filter. I'm thinking centrifuge is the way to go, no?

[greasyX]

time is money,and no worries about boil-out with the centrifuge

[Clay]

time is money,and no worries about boil-out with the centrifuge

Can you elaborate on this?