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[geoffr70]

Hi peeps,

Has anyone done this or know if it can be done? I would've thought it'd have to be quite a weak mix, and fully mixed. The idea is to burn in my paraffin greenhouse heaters. I'm thinking the wick would help filter out the carbon and soot etc from the oil, and the heat from the flame, although not much, would help preheat to make the consistency more like paraffin, although as said would be quite diluted.

Would it smoke much and soot up my greenhouses? I'm all about reusing/recycling/saving money etc! Bonus

Thanks peeps

[cleggy]

If nothing else it will fumigate the greenhouse

[geoffr70]

If nothing else it will fumigate the greenhouse

Good point! And my tomato plants will get some more carbon, probably too much haha! Think I'll do a trial run!

[Entwood]

Personally ... I wouldn't ...   reasons being ...

a) old engine oil contains many impurities . burn them and you risk contaminating what you are going to eat and/or actually killing the plants

b) the mix will burn "dirty" giving off smoke which will reduce the light in the greenhouse and effect the growth of the plants

c) chances of incomplete combustion very high, this produces carbon monoxide which is not good for plants, and is even worse for you if you enter the greenhouse and the level is high .... CO is not called the "silent killer" for no reason ...

mix it with a small amount of paraffin and paint it on fences ... don't burn it .. IMHO 

[geoffr70]

Oh yeah thanks Entwood, didn't think of all that CO stuff! Although I've just finished treating the last of my fence boards for my new fence I'm doing in March! Wahey!

Looks like I'll have to find the nearest beauty spot to dump it all then!








Only kidding haha........................or am I?


I am really! Thanks

[Kevin Wood]

Plenty of garages burn used engine oil in their space heaters. Doesn't appear to adversely affect the staff, so I would imagine a few tomato plants would be fine..

..or does it? Maybe this is why the motor trade have such a bad reputation?

[henryd]

Plenty of garages burn used engine oil in their space heaters. Doesn't appear to adversely affect the staff, so I would imagine a few tomato plants would be fine..

..or does it? Maybe this is why the motor trade have such a bad reputation?

I use a waste oil heater in my workshop,keeps me nice and warm in winter but burns  5 gals a day

[aaronjb]

Plenty of garages burn used engine oil in their space heaters. Doesn't appear to adversely affect the staff, so I would imagine a few tomato plants would be fine..

..or does it? Maybe this is why the motor trade have such a bad reputation?

I looked at those torpedo shaped space heaters (gas powered, admittedly, not diesel) for heating the garage.. but they have enormous 'fresh air' requirements and state you should only use them in a well ventilated area. So yes, maybe it does explain a lot

(Not to mention I'd have to have the garage door open in order to have it the required 8' away from anything combustible/meltable .. electric fan heaters it is, then!)

[cem_devecioglu]

Plenty of garages burn used engine oil in their space heaters. Doesn't appear to adversely affect the staff, so I would imagine a few tomato plants would be fine..

..or does it? Maybe this is why the motor trade have such a bad reputation?

until some time ago most car workshops were using used oil for heating.. but for some reason EU take part and force govt not to use oil in heating.. now they have to use either gas or coal

probably some prats here thinking we are more rich than Europe countries!

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

I looked at those torpedo shaped space heaters (gas powered, admittedly, not diesel) for heating the garage.. but they have enormous 'fresh air' requirements and state you should only use them in a well ventilated area. So yes, maybe it does explain a lot

Ventilation is key - we had one running in a fairly large workshop, and we all started feeling the effects of it to the point that we were being properly ill from it. But opening the doors would have rather defeated the object of heating the place...

[henryd]

Mine is a purpose built waste oil burner(Thermobil),the heat is generated by air being blown over the top of the "firebox" so no fumes at all,they go up the chimney

[aaronjb]

Mine is a purpose built waste oil burner(Thermobil),the heat is generated by air being blown over the top of the "firebox" so no fumes at all,they go up the chimney

They look very nice.. but definitely a little out of my price range for heating a large double garage 

[henryd]

Mine is a purpose built waste oil burner(Thermobil),the heat is generated by air being blown over the top of the "firebox" so no fumes at all,they go up the chimney

They look very nice.. but definitely a little out of my price range for heating a large double garage 

I think you would be a little too warm as well,mine is the smallest one they do that blows air and it keeps my 75 foot x 22 foot workshop toasty

[aaronjb]

Mine is a purpose built waste oil burner(Thermobil),the heat is generated by air being blown over the top of the "firebox" so no fumes at all,they go up the chimney

They look very nice.. but definitely a little out of my price range for heating a large double garage 

I think you would be a little too warm as well,mine is the smallest one they do that blows air and it keeps my 75 foot x 22 foot workshop toasty

Yup, I imagine it'd turn the garage into a hotbox.. It's not so bad with Mechanix gloves on, anyway - a bigger problem is how hot it gets int he summer (when it really is like a hotbox) so maybe I should get an AC unit instead

[Entwood]

Burning the waste oil at a very high temperature to heat a garage is a very different thing to using it to heat a greenhouse .....

greenhouse requires continuous low heat (back ground heating), any high temperatures either scorch the plants or subject them to fluctuating temps, it is the low temperature burning that causes the problems.

High temperature burners, probably with forced induction (either fan or venturi) will burn hot enough to ensure complete combustion and destruction of the harmful contaminents.