WVO Collection
From WVO Designs Wiki
I am going to say this time and time gain but planning in advance will save you time,money and headache later. In general, your time is going to bethe biggest factor in this venture and at every possible opportunity plan on reducing or eliminating your time required. In considering your collection system, you want to collect more WVO less often and optimize the time taken when you do.
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[edit] First Rule: Commit!
Understand that restaurant owners are running a business especially if you are considering this to be your Hobby. If you cannot commit to a regular collection schedule and, end up leaving them in a bind, you will lose the account faster than you can say “Greased Lightning”. Waste Grease is not their primary business and you will do well to keep them from having to think about it, ever.
[edit] How much WVO do you have to collect per month from each source?
[edit] Less than 50 gallons per month, few sources.
You have one or two accounts that produces 10 gallons perweek. At this point, you can probably get away with using the 5 gallon cubies. If the restaurant is putting the waste oil back into the cubies; findout when they change the oil schedule a time to pick it up soon afterwards. Cubies are easy to carry around and you can put them in the truck of your car, back of your truck or whatever.
[edit] Less than 50 gallons per month, many sources.
In the case that you have a multiple accounts that produce 10 gallons/week. Drop a 55 gallon drum with locking hatch at each location and make a collection round once per month. This will also require that you have a mobile collection system consisting of a 275gallon tote and a decent gear pump rated at a minimum 10 gpm for oil transfer. Depending on your climate you may also need to be equipped with an electric immersion heater to liquefy the oil if it gets cold enough to solidify in the collection drum. Ideally, you will have access to 110V power at your collection points, however failing that, you will need to work out an inverter powered from your vehicle electric system. Note: a full 275gallon tote weighs about 2000lbs and is beyond the capacity of an average pickup truck. Also, all inverters are not created equal and typically have poor efficiency. Size 2x to 4x the expected load!
[edit] Over 250 gallons per month from one sources
In the case that you have one account that produces in excess of 250 gallons per month. You can go the 55 gallon drum route and service weekly or you can step up to a professional collection system. These systems also solve many of the contamination problems with leaving the drum outside as well as the cold weather solidification issues. The system consists of a grease caddy where the fryers are drained into and a heated storage tank that collects the oil from the caddy. Details vary, the tank may be located inside or outside but the WVO will always be removed via plumbing to the outside. These tanks are sized at 200 to 300 gallons and make for a very efficient collection point. These systems can cost over $2000 but they can be found used for much less. I actually purchased a Darling Cleanstar 1500lb system with caddy for $500 on ebay!
