Brewing problem

[usedcarr]

I have a Extreme Biodiesel extractor and have been brewing for a few months now. I have a question for you with more experience than I.

When I brew I get the whole way to the wash phase with no problems. The glycerine comes off looking like coffee with a layer of bio on the top before I wash. I wash three times usually until the wash water comes out clear. Once I get through the wash my finished bio comes out either cloudy or looking like an orange whip. In the past I have been able to reheat the end product and I get a white soap on the bottom and golden sweet bio off the top. Keeping in the brew theme it looks like a nice lager beer, clear and light. My last batch I got the same results, but when I reheated the product I got almost no white layer and the end product looked more like a red ale and cloudy. Like Sam Adams or Newcastle. I tried to add a bit of glycerine to a gallon of the stuff as i read that that would fix it, but it did not.

If I run the stuff at 50/50 or B20 can I just run it? I see guys just run VO without processing it at those ratios, will it hurt my truck if I blend it?

What am I doing wrong? I process WVO that titrates @ 2-3 never higher than 4. I heat it and filter it to 1 micron before I process. I use 93% pure KOH and 20% methanol. I use the Extreme Biodiesel website for my Titration calculator. I have been running B20 for about 1000 miles and am going to swap filters and bump to B50 this next tank.

Any input from you who know would be very helpful Thanks, Dave Carr.

[Bio-Daddy]

the oil may have had some water in it when you started this will explain some of your problem, another sign of water contaminaton is if you get more gallons of glycerine than the amount of methanol you used to make the batch. ALso are you washng enough? should do 1.5 gallons of water was per gallon of fuel, (50 gallon batch should run 75-100 gallons of water thru it). the cloudyness is from from the water remaining in the finished product, hint always turn the water wash off and wait at least 30 min to let remaining water settle out to the bottom before transferring out of the extractor (this will shorten the "drying process also). if your fuel does not darken up when dry like Newcastle color you can reprocess it of course it will titrate low and will not take much meth and lye to re do the batch. I have had this problem before and the guys at extreme are very helpful if you cant figure it out. good luck and i am happy to answer any questions you have in the past 18 months using the extractor i have learned alot

[Bio-Daddy]

this is what your finished product should look like after drying.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...P1020345-1.jpg

[K5Cruiser]

Looks like a nice frosty one :cheers444: