Thumper (20/2) update

[Jens]

I am at 983 hours now. Thumper has been getting harder and harder to start. Anything under about 20C would require ether. Today Thumper was almost impossible to start requiring 3 attempts over a 3 hour period with rest times in between to recharge the starter battery.
I attempted to pull the #1 injector but it didn't cooperate. Even with the hold-downs loosened and cranking the engine over it did not pop loose. I eventually lucked out and got her started only to have her almost die after 30 or so seconds of running on Diesel.  I found out that the injector pumps are plugged up again. The worst offender seems to be the #1 pump which was cleaned 240 hrs (!!!!!) ago.
With the injector pumps being so stiff, speed regulation with NO LOAD CHANGE is +/- 100 rpm or swinging roughly between 900 and 700 rpm.

I have been running the engine hotter than before and I am suspecting this is causing the injector pumps to polymerize/plug up faster but 240 hours is getting ridiculous.  I had intended to limp along for the rest of the heating season but with today's troubles it is clear that this will not be possible any more. At least one if not both injector pumps will need cleaning.

I will need to deal with the pumps plugging up issue  as it is just not acceptable to have to pull them every 200 hours. Since there is only one other person running into these issues that I know of, and since we both run in small sound insulated enclosures, I will proceed under the assumption that the problems are caused by the hot environment in the enclosure and I will be providing some sort of cooling/ventilation setup to test out this theory .... hopefully without increasing noise levels too much.

[akghound]

Jens ... I had the same trouble on the old 16/1 that I once had. I drilled a hole in the lower part of the IP body just big enough to insert the straw from an can of penetrating oil. Something like PB Blaster. This hole entered in the area where the spring resides. Every couple days or so I simply sprayed the penetrating oil in there and it stayed clean.

The other issue I would like to mention is the "Dryness" of your oil. Are you sure that you are getting all the water out of it? Have you tried the "Crackle Test" on your oil? Here is a good link to that method. http://www.frybrid.com/crackle.htm. Hot dry oil should not be giving you the trouble you are having.
Ken Gardner

[akghound]

This seems to defy logic but I found it true.
Water that is actually emulsified in the WVO will stay there long beyond the 212*(f) boiling point of water. High heat will not completely remove it.
In fact it is hard to believe that there could be any water in it at all when the cooking oil has been heated to well over 300* when in use.
Yet it is simple to get rid of. Heat the oil to the 140* neighborhood, hold it there a few hours, then let it cool back down. One may have to heat and cool it a couple times if it is really wet. Being that water cools faster then oil, the emulsified water "Families UP" with itself and drops out of suspension.
The heat in the IP is not enough to remove any emulsified water.
I almost eliminated the problem after I began dewatering my oil. The water makes it "Sticky" for some reason.
Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that you have wet oil but only passing on information.
Hope this helps
Ken Gardner

[Wizard]

Two reasons for need to dewatering the oils especially plant-matter oils.

1. microbes lives at water/oil boundary and causes issues with junk that microbes produces.
2. polymerization get faster and worse when there's water present due to O2 (oxidizer) and other things dissolved in the water.

Cheers, Wizard

[mobile_bob]

Jens:

personally i am tickled to death to see you posting an update, i was beginning to wonder if you were about
to throw in the towel and give up on cogeneration...



looks like between your explanation of the issue at hand and the suggestions of others here, you likely will get the problem
resolved at least to the point of functionality and not having to redo the pumps every 250hrs.

i agree that would be a pain in the butt to have to deal with on that frequent a basis.

good to see the update!

bob g

[billswan]

Nice to here from you jens Down here in minnesota the heating season for my farm shop ended about 10 days ago so my 10/1 is quite. But planting season is only week or 2 away so must get ready for that race. 

Billswan

[vdubnut62]

OK, go ahead and tell me I suck, I deserve it.
I was out in shorts and T-shirt all day today. A little cool, mid to upper 60's, but VERY nice.
I still have a fire in the furnace at night, but things are looking up!
Ron