HISTORY AND INNOVATIONS
Fossil Free Fuel started in 2004 as a sole proprietorship
in Buffalo New York. Fossil Free Fuel also had an install service
in Allentown, PA. In 2005 Fossil Free Fuel moved to Allentown and
opened an 1800 square ft. facility and became a LLC partnership.
The first generation kits were made up of mostly
pre-made diesel application parts with the exception of in-tank heat
exchangers that were coiled aluminum welded to a mounting plate. The
original kit consisted of a Pollack six port valve, a co-axle heat
exchanger, a fuel level gauge, a temperature gauge, a toggle switch,
a vormax or davco fuel filter, fuel and coolant hose and fittings,
a plastic or aluminum tank, and an in-tank heat exchanger.
Over the years the kits were upgraded part by
part. After many failures, the Pollack valves were upgraded to 3 port
valves designed for high temperatures and pressure. Bulky co-axle
heat exchangers were replaced with stainless steel efficient flat
plate heat exchangers. Hose on hose line was replaced with aircraft
aluminum hose in hose line with external termination ends. In tank
heat exchange aluminum coils were first replaced with baffled fuel
pickups with fluted aluminum heat exchange tubing and then upgraded
again to a jacketed, baffled heat exchange fuel pickup and return
with special heat exchange jacket tubing. The vormax and davco fuel
filters were replaced by custom fuel filters designed from scratch
made especially for vegetable oil use with a full coolant jacket around
the filter element as well as the standard heat through the head of
the filter. The toggle switches and gauges were replaced with the
VO control unit that monitors and controls all necessary parameters
of the VO system. Thus what Fossil Free Fuel offers today are kits
specific to the vehicle with components that function well and are
aesthetically pleasing.
FAQ:
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Question:
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Answer:
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Can I just fill vegetable oil into my
diesel's tank and what about one tank systems?
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You can, but your vehicle will sustain
long-term engine damage even if you live in a warm climate.
Even with a one tank system you are still injecting cold oil
into a cold engine upon startup. The piston rings are
not sealed at this point and the mixing of oil with crankcase
oil can be detrimental to the health of any engine.
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How far will a tank take me?
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MPG depends upon the vehicle.
On vegetable oil a vehicle should achieve a very similar MPG
to operation on regular diesel fuel. MPG in diesels also
vary with winter additives.
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Does the vehicle have the same power?
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Vegetable oil has a naturally higher cetane
level (the delay ignition time of a fuel, the higher the cetane
value the shorter the delay) then petroleum diesel but is thicker
and therefore contains a lower energy content. This balances
out with vegetable oil having a 2% loss in power. This
should be unnoticeable to the driver and if your car can pass
the 100 mark on the odometer on diesel then it will on vegetable
oil as well.
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What additional maintenance is there
with a two tank system?
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The system is essentially doubling
the components of fuel system. This includes the changeable
fuel filter element on the fuel filter housing. Just like
you would change a diesel fuel filter every few thousand miles,
you will need to change the vegetable oil fuel filter as well.
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Where do I find oil?
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Most of our customers have agreements with local restaurants
to pick up their used oil. There are also bulk oil suppliers
for those who wish to purchase new oil. Warehouse supply
stores often stock five gallon containers of new oil at competitive
pricing to diesel.
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What happens if I can't find vegetable
oil?
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At anytime while driving
you can switch to using petroleum diesel/biodiesel (depending
what you have in your other tank).
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Will any diesel vehicle work?
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In theory, yes.
We have converted many makes and models from various years.
There are some that we recommend more then others and some that
we are more challenging. Please contact us for more specifics.
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Will a new-car warranty be voided?
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It depends on the dealership.
We've worked with dealerships who have sponsored us and whose
techs work on veggie vehicles and we've had some who make frivolous
claims that vegetable oil was clogging the air intake with sulfur
deposits. Talk to your dealer before assuming the warranty
will be honored.
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What is the difference between biodiesel
and straight vegetable oil?
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We provide kits to
allow diesel vehicles to run on straight vegetable oil commonly
referred to as SVO and in Europe as PPO (pure plant oil).
Used vegetable oil from restaurants is referred to as WVO (waste
vegetable oil). Biodiesel is a diesel fuel chemically derived
from vegetable oil. Often biodiesel will have a number following
it. This number indicates the percentage of biodiesel to
diesel in a tank or pumping station. For example, B20 is
a 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel blend. The use of biodiesel
does not require a two tank system, though depending on the situation
there may be additional modifications needed to the vehicle's
fuel system.
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Can I stockpile oil for years to come?
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Vegetable oil is an
organic compound. Though the edibility of oil does not have
an effect on usability, the oxidation and breakdown of the oil
is a concern. Oil should not be kept past a couple months.
If it stored it should be in sealed containers, not in direct
sunlight or extreme temperatures.
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Is your kit difficult to install?
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Depending on the vehicle
and customization of the kit it can vary from novice to expert.
Having general mechanical skills is definitely a plus. Our
kit comes with detailed instructions.
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I live in a cold climate; will your
system still operate?
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If your engine heats
up then our system heats up. The system harnesses the engine's
waste heat to heat the oil. If the engine is hot so is the
oil.
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How does your system differ from other
systems?
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We use only TIG welded
aluminum tanks, heaters, filters, and valves because vegetable
oil reacts with steel, copper, and rubber. We have fully
automated systems with auto switch over, auto purge, and pressure
and temperature sensors to ensure proper system use. We
design our own custom fuel filters and in tank heaters from scratch
engineered to have the most efficient heat transfer capabilities.
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How well do I have to filter my used
oil?
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We suggest you filter to 2-5 absolute micron rating.
We also recommend that you dewater your oil before using it
in your vehicle.
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