Yellow Heat Systems

New to Used Vegetable Oil?

Here's some guidance about collecting and processing vegetable oil collected from neighboring restaurants. Its easy and safe.

> Don’t be a “Grease Bandit”; always get permission to collect recycled vegetable oil from restaurants, etc. Many restaurants will give permission to careful, dedicated collectors for little or no charge.
> Put multiple layers of newspaper down when you pour vegetable oils to catch any drips. Remove one layer at a time when they become contaminated. Use the newspapers as safe fire-starters in woodstoves.
> Allow the contents of jugs of recycled vegetable oil to settle in a larger container, such as an open-top drum with a bottom valve, to separate water and contaminants.
> Put all collected oil through a 40-mesh screen.  See Homestead Inc.’s Product Catalog for our Straining Bucket and Drum Funnel that allows cleaned oil to be put directly into fuel storage drums. The Straining Bucket and Drum Funnel accepts a entire standard disposable oil jug of recycled vegetable oil at a time. Hint: order 2 Straining Buckets and Funnels so you can process recycled vegetable oil faster.
> Utilize settled oils from the top down: “The Good Stuff’s On Top”. See Product Catalog for our unique Floating Draw-off that always uses the best oil in any drum or oil storage tank.
> Look for oils that are liquid at 60°F or below, as opposed to thicker or solid fats. Viscous oils may need preheating to screen or pump into burner. Do not exceed 150°F to protect plastic system parts.
> Quality recycled vegetable oil is dark in color, while wet oils and viscous hydrogenated oils are usually lighter in color. Darker oils are generally easier to use.
> Yellow Heat handles partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, but fully hydrogenated vegetable oils and solid animal fats will need to be pre-heated and diluted with liquid oils for pumping and burner operation.
> Recycled vegetable oil is often collected in disposable 5-gallon plastic jugs that the restaurants bought the oil in. These jugs are often not recyclable unless particularly clean.  Empty jugs may be compacted in a standard trash-masher appliance for handling and disposal.
> A few states and localities may require permits for collecting recycled vegetable oil. Check local codes.
 

Are you considering purchasing our "Straining Bucket"?

Its by far the easiest way to handle recycled vegetable oil. Here are recommended methods to keep it under control and operating for years.

Instructions on the use and maintenance of the Yellow Heat Brand Straining Bucket and Drum Funnel.

1.    Add a short pipe thread nipple, steel, 3/4” NPT to the base of the Drum Funnel and screw funnel into the 3/4” bung hole on a standard drum. Using a series of bushings, the 2” bung hole can also be used, but this is not recommended.

2.    The Straining Bucket has a 40 mesh stainless-steel screen, plastic welded into its base. It is capable of receiving and entire typical cube of waste vegetable oil (approximately 4.5 gallons). Do not add oil hotter than about 160  F. or damage to the weld system or the bucket may occur.

3.    When the screen starts to clog, wait until the next morning, then remove bucket. If there is significant liquid remaining in Straining Bucket, decant liquid into a temporary storage vessel. Invert bucket onto several layers of newspapers with a sharp downward hit. Remove each newspaper layer as it becomes contaminated.

4.    Using a heat gun or hair dryer, warm the screen on the inverted bucket and rub with one or more disposable paper towels. Be careful not to heat screen too hot or bucket or weld might be damaged. CAUTION! HOT!

5.    Turn bucket over and clean inside walls with one or more additional paper towels. The Screening Bucket is ready for reuse.

6.    The oily paper towels collected from this operation make great fire starters in any woodstove. Otherwise, dispose of properly.