Building my own wvo tank

ZombieCrow · 10-14-2009, 04:42 PM

So I've been shopping around for wvo kits/parts, and it seems like one of the most expensive components is the actual holding tank for the wvo itself. I figure I cold build this myself or rather pay a welder friend of mine to do it... But then I'm wondering, does it need to be a certain type of metal? Or maybe it needs to be coated in something on the inside? My main concern is corrosion or the tank just holding up in general. I'd like to build an 80gal tank as well (which it seems no company offers) and I figure with the right measurements making my own tank would fit better under the bus anyways.

But yeah, does anyone have any advice about this?

sdwarf36 · 10-14-2009, 11:53 PM

Yea--go plastic! Find a boat salvage yard + see what you can find. I got my 52 gal tank on ebay for like $200 (there were many cheaper-but it fit my needed dimensions.) Heres a good link to how the make a heater + all you fuel + water lines.
http://www.greasecar.com/forum_topicvie ... icID=19902

Diesel Dan · 11-23-2009, 10:30 PM

Ideally I would go with an aluminum tank, since it won't rust. A steel tank will probably be more affordable though. I plan to make two tanks out of 55 gallon steel drums that I can get for $15 each. I suppose people do use plastic tanks, but I don't know how that works with the heater. I suppose it would probably not exceed 200 degrees. I don't know how much heat a plastic tank can take, but you'd want to research that, and also consider whether your heater would cause an extra hot spot where it mounts.

ZombieCrow · 01-18-2010, 01:03 AM

ive decided to go with a plastic tank since that seems to be the easiest to get, and the price is decent. still shopping around, but the temperatures are a concern for me. not sure where i can find more info, but ill google it and see what i can come up with.

sdwarf36 · 01-24-2010, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZombieCrow

ive decided to go with a plastic tank since that seems to be the easiest to get, and the price is decent. still shopping around, but the temperatures are a concern for me. not sure where i can find more info, but ill google it and see what i can come up with.

You dont have to go crazy with heat in the tank itself-it just needs to to be warm enuff to flow(60's). If you are going to have a heated filter-a FPHE or a vegtherm, the veg will get warm there. Just worry about heating the pick up.

Diesel Dan · 01-27-2010, 02:33 PM

I'm thinking about having a 120V barrel heater for my tank so when I'm at a campground I can plug in overnight and have my tank preheated to 160 degrees when I'm ready to roll in the morning. That way I don't need to use any diesel fuel at all - just start up on WVO. Might as well take advantage of that electricity since I'm paying for it anyway!

sdwarf36 · 01-28-2010, 06:57 PM

Shooting veggie-even warm-into a cold motor is a no-no. If you feel the need to plug something in, plug in a block heat-that way the motor is warm sooner so you can switch over. How far do you have to drive till you bus warms up?

Diesel Dan · 03-28-2010, 10:09 PM

I have been thinking about using a water heater, so I'm glad you brought that up cgoodwin. My only concern is that it would not have an access hatch if I ever needed to get in there, and also, I want a heated tank. The only way I can think of to heat a water heater is to use the 110v heating elements, and that would take a lot of electricity. I'd rather use coolant. The next best thing I can think of is to get an old aluminum tank from a big rig.

recycler · 03-29-2010, 10:35 PM

Pardon me if I'm incorrect but veg heated in the tank would probably stress any aux fuel pumps/lifter/ip a lot less. For instance in colder climates one might want their veg to be able to flow easier from a standstill. Poly tanks are cheap/easy to come by/non corrosive and very easy to tap into. In fact, with proper alignment and temp sensors one doesn't even need a plate exchanger. I run my bus above 10,000 ft and have never had any problems since I am very sure of the quality/TEMP!!/flow patterns of my fuel. Good luck any and all! RECYCLER

crazycal · 05-13-2010, 01:56 PM

If Mr Goodwin gives advice, it would be wise to pay attention. I bet a dozen donuts that he knows more about WVO systems than everybody here combined X 20. If you looks at his site and see what he has done and built, you will understand why I say that.

recycler · 05-13-2010, 11:23 PM

What IS that site? I'll check it out.

crazycal · 05-14-2010, 01:55 AM

http://www.frybrid.com/svo.htm

Diesel Dan · 07-08-2010, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgoodwin

Will go into more detail on making a tank from a water heater if anyone is interested. it can be used for a VO tank or a fresh water tank and is free.

I would be interested in hearing more about how a water heater could be converted to a WVO tank. I have acquired one recently and am seriously considering using it as my WVO tank.

Thanks for the idea!

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