I took out my main tank to prep it for veggie.

I got the idea of taking a pipe, maybe 4 inches in diameter, and coiling 5/8's heater line inside of it. Then I will cap both ends of the pipe, and drill 1/2 inch holes in each end. Then I hook the fuel pick-up to one of the holes.

So I have a 4 inch heated canister, and all of the fuel is being ran through this canister before being picked up into the fuel lines. So the fuel inside of the canister is subject to more intense heat as it is closer to being burned than the fuel outside of the canister, but it still functions just as well as any other in-tank coil.

So, three questions:
1. Would it be worth it to do this?
2. Can teflon lines be safely submerged in veggie oil?
3. How do I mount a 4-inch diameter pipe in my fuel tank?

G'day ya'll...

3. How do I mount a 4-inch diameter pipe in my fuel tank?
Why not mount it outside the tank >>> It sounds like you are keeping it fully inclosed so it would be a lot less trouble than inside the tank.

2. Can teflon lines be safely submerged in veggie oil?
Yes... Teflon should be effected by Veggie, PetroD, or BioD >>>>
Teflon tape will dissolve unless you get the yellow teflon tape... Do NOT use the white crap.

1. Would it be worth it to do this?
Yes... Especially if you do intend to run the veggie into the cooler months.

OG

If the tube-coil isn't inside of the tank, then it will only warm up the fuel inside of the coil. If it was inside the tank, it would still heat the fuel in the coil, but it would also serve to heat up the entire tank.

I don't know how to mount a pipe to the bottom of the tank, though. It'd be a nightmare to use screws; what about JB Weld?

Maybe post a sketch of what you are thinking so we can get on the samepage... I think I know what your talking about but I want to make sure.
Is the tank plastic or steel?
What size access do you have to the inside of the tank?
How much space is available with out interfering with the pick up and sending unit?
Wouldn't it just be easier to do the line in a line idea and leave the tank alone?
Oilguy

I think the frybrid hose in hose setup is the simplest thing to do. I added heaters to my tanks with coiled 3/8" alum tubing and some heat-rated plastic compression fittings on a plate to hold it in place. Also going to use the vormax filter which is heated, along with a 26plate heat exchanger and some electric heaters on the lines themselves.

I would not get too crazy about heating the oil in the main tank. All the heat exchanger has to do is start to get the oil hot, just enough to get it to flow. It is a start of the heating process, nothing more. Same with your filter, the heat there keeps the filter from clogging when it gets cold and the oil, due to viscosity thickness, will not flow through the elements. Your main heat imput should come from the HIH, FPHE, or other means as the oil gets closer to the IP.
I would be very careful about glueing anything to the inside of a tank. I think you will be asking for trouble because vibration will cause it to loosen over time. In the auto and truck world, you do not see things attached to tanks that way.

I woudlnt depend on any silicone or sealants to stay put. I used some permatex #2 equivalent and a lot of nuts and bolts. very sturdy so when the coil shakes around in there it wont rip the mounts out. Invert the bolts and you can get the nuts on after its assembled. I wedged the coil into the corner along with the fuel pickup straw.

I didn't realize it, but the stock tank sender basically does what I was talking about. It draws fuel out of a cup-shaped reservoir; my idea was to wrap a heated line around that reservoir, so that you would heat the entire tank and super-heat the cup.

I couldn't figure out how to wrap coils around the tank, though, so I just bent 16 feet of 1/2 inch stainless into a coil and installed it into the tank with a couple bulkhead fittings. Not as creative as I wanted to be, but the coils looked pretty.


I did have another thought, though; what if you were to just empty to return line inside of that little reservoir inside the fuel tank? That way a lot of the fuel that you're sucking would already be warmed, and it would kind-of act like a by-pass filter too. You'd have to cut the stock coil and use compression fittings to re-route the line, but I think that would be a pretty good idea. No?

How did you like bending that SS?? I just did about 20' of 3/8"SS for my plant and it was a PITA... I didn't have the right tools to do it... That made it a lot harder... I got it done though.
OG

How did you like bending that SS?? I just did about 20' of 3/8"SS for my plant and it was a PITA... I didn't have the right tools to do it... That made it a lot harder... I got it done though.
OG

304's some fun stuff, isn't it? [tapdshut]

What do you think about dumping the return line right into the fuel sender cup?

I am sure that you know this, but SS does not have near the heat transfer capability as aluminium.
Why not loop the return back to the IP, but in front of your heat exchanger?

I am sure that you know this, but SS does not have near the heat transfer capability as aluminium.?

I figured as much, but my dad (who I got the pipe from and does this kind of thing for a living) swore otherwise...


Why not loop the return back to the IP, but in front of your heat exchanger?

Well, that's a good idea too. Has anybody ever done that before? Just have to tee the return line into the injection pump's feeder line? You won't have any funny pressure problems that way or anything? (Sounds like a way to save me from running another fuel line, so I like it...)

And then you have the return line feeding a quart-sized reservoir, which then tees into the injection pump feeder... That way you won't starve for fuel as you womp out those 7 second, wheel-standing, WFO quarter-mile passes. [coffee]

Geez mon, you gonna make me argue against your dad? Heat transfer was discussed on another forum. Some tech head brought up a list of metals and their ability to transfer heat, SS was not near the top. OTH, the exchanger in the tank is just a start of the process right, so perfect heat transfer is not crucial. Durability is something to be considered, and SS will rule.


"Well, that's a good idea too. Has anybody ever done that before? "
Yeah, I do it.

Geez mon, you gonna make me argue against your dad?


I believe you. I was arguing with him over the exact same thing...

Whew! Thanks. Need free oil? Need free drums? Gotta get rid of some!

Whew! Thanks. Need free oil? Need free drums? Gotta get rid of some!

Well, can I get the oil in the drums?

(I'm still planning on coming out to get some oil three months ago, after I finish my conversion four months ago... [eyecrazy] )

I can give it to you either in cubies (you now know what those are?) or I can fill a drum. You must be part Superman because it will weigh around 450 lbs. Let me know for sure if you want it or not. I plan on doing a lot of work on the truck and it will be down for a few weeks, but the oil will keep rollin' in, so I have to get rid of it.