No Brainer of the Day: Making biodiesel at home is dangerous
While fuel prices are nothing like they were last summer (but they are climbing), there are still plenty of reasons to want to make your own biodiesel. Homebrew biodieselers are, on the whole, a careful bunch and there are plenty of classes available to make sure your mixing of vegetable fat, lye and methanol goes smoothly. Not everyone does it right every time, though, and The Associated Press has found a few incidents of biodiesel makers setting garages and backyards on fire in at least five states (Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Oregon). These fires have not caused any deaths – yet – but at least one home was destroyed – and rebuilding must cost way more, environmentally and financially, than was saved by going bio.
There are few laws against making biodiesel at home, but more might be coming. In Phoenix, Arizona, for example, you need to be on a property that is at least one acre so you're not endangering a lot of neighbors. Just a reminder to be careful out there.
[Source: The Associated Press | Image: Eddi 07 (CC 2.0)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Quantumphysics 8:24AM (5/29/2009)
I never considered that people making bio diesel would be in danger but, naturaly, I'd imagine people should treat this stuff like "gasoline" and keep it outside in a ventilated area.
Problem is, you'll always have some moron who will "take chances" and try to make this stuff in an economicaly efficient way for himself - and then start a massive wildfire.
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Sea Urchin 8:30AM (5/29/2009)
I cook meth all the time, and nothing ever cough fire.
Redline 8:33AM (5/29/2009)
Mwahahaha, your lungs might cough fire from smoking it!
notYou 9:04AM (5/29/2009)
Sea Urchin: "I cook meth all the time, and nothing ever cough fire."
Ah, that explains it. But, didn't you mean "belched fire"?
John 8:37AM (5/29/2009)
"I cook meth all the time, and nothing ever cough fire."
Well, that explains the quality of most of your posts.....
bathtub gin 8:45AM (5/29/2009)
I guess this is proof positive that people should just stick to making ethanol at home to add to their gasoline. Just keep an eye out for those revenuers.
pmalloy4391 9:04AM (5/29/2009)
sea urchin - now all your posts finally make sense! stop cooking meth!!!! haha
John 8:24AM (5/29/2009)
In the end, more laws will be put on the books. Not to protect people but so the government gets it's hands on more tax revenue.
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Smegley 9:10AM (5/29/2009)
Just get veggie oil at Costco and pour it in the tank
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BlogFail 9:27AM (5/29/2009)
John, must you turn every comment section into a right-wing rant? This is not a political blog.
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John 9:41AM (5/29/2009)
WTF is "right wing" about saying the government wants to regulate and tax biofules? History is certinally on my side.
Rich 10:16AM (5/29/2009)
...Phoenix being a right-wing city in a right-wing state. Just sayin'.
Shamdiddly 9:30AM (5/29/2009)
Actually, some biodiesel homebrewers keep large amounts of methanol on hand (necessary for biodiesel production), and the best way to get "cheap" methanol is in 55g drums.
I'm just sayin...
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Zeph 9:53AM (5/29/2009)
Buying gasoline and diesel at the pump is also dangerous, as it helps fund elitist cartels and warmongers.
Sometimes you just have to take your yin with your yang I guess.
I'm getting tired of these hit pieces on alternative technology. The bias is so evident it's revolting. There is nothing 100% safe in this world, and things would naturally fall into a state of equilibrium if we had less idiots going about fearmongering because of some retarded elitist agenda.
My 5c.
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Rich 10:24AM (5/29/2009)
Yes.
I use biodiesel, but I don't brew it. I know three groups that do brew it, and they're all very safe operations. I notice TFA doesn't state *what* caused the fires: just "biodiesel". So there's the bias. Probably what caused the fires is a lack of ventilation in combination with some unsafe electrical equipment causing a spark, which ignites the gases.
Given it's high flashpoint, Biodiesel is the safest fuel on the roads: if it's spilt in an accident, it's highly unlikely to catch fire even with a naked flame.
Anybody dicking about in their backyard can cause a fire. The recent fires in California were caused by somebody clearing brush to prevent fires. So listen up, everyone! Preventing Fires Is Dangerous And Can Cause Fires! Stop Preventing Fires!
Rich 10:28AM (5/29/2009)
So, you can buy an "Alternative Fuel" license plate in Arizona if you have a gasoline powered vehicle that happens to be labelled a "hybrid"; but if you run your car on biodiesel that's not "alternative", so you can't get the plate. At the same time, they recognize it enough to prevent people from producing it.
Oh that's nice. That's very nice.
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Taglane 2:51PM (5/29/2009)
O RLY?
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LJ 5:55PM (5/29/2009)
Actually there are A LOT of laws that go into making biodiesel but no one follows them.
Call up the IRS and see what they have to say about you dodging the gas tax.
Better yet call the EPA and ask them what they think of HAZ-MAT chemical production on residential property.
I promise you, from experience, that making biodiesel legally is extremely difficult and expensive.
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LJ 5:58PM (5/29/2009)
Also, while Biodiesel itself has an extremely high flashpoint and is extremely difficult to ignite, the METHANOL you use to brew the stuff is wicked dangerous. Bad fumes, extremely flammable. Kills your eyes and your liver with long term exposure. Rubber gloves don't help much either as the stuff will go right through them.