Bio-Fuels on Universal M25?

[patrickkidd]

hello!

Does anyone have any experience with alternative fuels on a Universal M25 engine? I live aboard a Catalina 30 with an M25 and a Dickinson Newport diesel heater. I'm self-sufficient for electricity using solar power now and if I could find an alternative fuel source for my engine and heater, which currently both run off the main fuel tank, then I could have a cheaper fuel source and zero emissions.

Pros and cons? Ease of finding and filtering and/or preprocessing fuels in San Francisco Bay?

Thanks!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Berkeley used to have one.

Patrick, there have been potentially unfounded and undocumented reports that biodiesel attacks both hoses and seals.

The investment required to replace my wonderful M25 engine with its 3400 engine hours precludes even thinking about it.

You will never meet your stated goals, since the inherent nature of combustion engines requires emissions. Zero? Hardly. Different? Sure.

You boat, your choice.

 

[patrickkidd]

Berkeley used to have one.

Patrick, there have been potentially unfounded and undocumented reports that biodiesel attacks both hoses and seals.

The investment required to replace my wonderful M25 engine with its 3400 engine hours precludes even thinking about it.

You will never meet your stated goals, since the inherent nature of combustion engines requires emissions. Zero? Hardly. Different? Sure.

You boat, your choice.

Hmm, attacking hoses and seals does not sound like a good time.

 

[jssailem]

Patrick, Someone has to volunteer to be the first...

"attacking ... seals does not sound like a good time. "

I think Greenpeace is against such activity...

On the other hand, when you are burning fryer oil in your heater you'll have visitors wanting to buy fries and a coke... Maybe enough to pay the monthly Marina bill.

According to the current fuel studies of Bio-Fuels in the trucking industry...
" Natural gas-powered trucks produce 23% fewer GHC emissions compared to diesel-fueled vehicles."

Debunking Alternative Fuel Myths in the Trucking Industry
March 6, 2015 By: Joe Puff, NationaLease

"Myth No. 4: Diesel fuel is more expensive and smells a lot worse than gasoline — and its emissions are dirtier. This might have been true in the past, and that’s where this misconception stems from. But by 2010, all diesel for highway use had to be refined to ultra-low sulfur standards. That got rid of the foul smell and newer exhaust treatment systems eliminated most of the dirtier emissions. Diesel may be more expensive but it’s also more efficient, returning 30-35 percent better efficiency than gasoline."​

From Purify Fuel...

"Bio-Fuels, Ethanol, and Low Sulfur fuels, create the perfect storm to wear down and reduce the life of your engines; by as much as 25%."
They of course say they have additional costing additives to counter act these negative issues.​

We come up with a new idea to stop an issue we did not know was a problem. Then we discover that the solution is not as perfect as suggested. So we develop an additive to correct the problem that was created by the solution. Then we charge for the new solution to the new problem. What a wonder country!

 

[capta]

Zero emissions? Easy peasy! Chuck that diesel away and the heater as well. Sail everywhere and you might come close, if you don't cook or pass gas. lol

 

[patrickkidd]

Another read through the Dickinson manual and they explicitly discourage biodiesel as bad for heater.

 

[jssailem]

biodiesel as bad for heater

Oh well... There goes the planet.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

Zero Emissions ?? Really???? I say same emissions from burning the fuel. Carbon is used to convert bio-mass into oil. I agree with better for us compared to traditional sources. But not zero emission.

Les

 

[jssailem]

I am guessing that it is a Heat vs soot in the firebox issue.
For sure it is not the smell of French fries coming from the stove.