Old glow fuel - how to dispose of?

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[David Davis]

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 25/02/2018 01:35:25:

Anyone who puts old model aircraft fuel anywhere near a car engine must have money to burn or a through dislike of his car.

I, on the other hand, have sometimes added a little petrol to old glow fuel and used it in my models!

[Martin Fraser]

Posted by brokenenglish on 24/02/2018 19:57:39:

As "sometimes" happens, IMO this discussion is way too technical and OT.

Going back to the original post, my answer would be that I personally have used 20-year old glow fuel, from a plastic container, that was perfectly OK. So it doesn't "go off" (and others seem to agree).

This seems to indicate that, if there is a problem, then it's due to some factor other than simply the age of the fuel.

Are you sure the fuel hasn't been polluted or messed with in some way?
We all know that methanol is hygroscopic but, within reasonable limits, that shouldn't have a disastrous effect on your engine running.

Are you sure your engine is OK (properly set up and running well).
If the engine isn't running well, a first check would be to determine whether you're getting better results on a different fuel.

I've been running the Saito on Opti 4 stroke MV15 and she's been lovely. Nice steady idle and smooth power all the way to full throttle, without any hic-ups in flight! So I don't think there's anything amiss there. The fuel has come to me as part of a shed clear-out so I don't know how old it is or whether it's be mixed with anything else.

I'll pop along to Steve Webb's soon and get some more MV15. In the meantime, I'll offer the above to anyone who needs some engine cleaner.

Cheers, Marty

[CARPERFECT]

Question was . Where to get rid of old fuel ? council dump. put it in the waste oil tank

[riqaza]

On 24/02/2018 at 19:31, TartanMac said:

I have seen 2 gallons go completely off they were half full the engine ran but it took about 3-4 seconds from idle to get to max rpm and it struggled to get past 9,000 rpm on a prop that would take it to 15,400 rpm it has sat for about 5-6 years.

But I recently ran my Laser 1.50V Twin on fuel that I think is around 4 years old it runs great. The can was not unopened either. It sat in my loft all that time with other fuel that is also fine. I don't think it is perfect but no worse than the average modellers can that has sat in the sun for a short period when flying.

I also ran my 2 stroke Irvine 36 on Irvine 10% around 4-5 years old and it runs perfectly 1,900- 2,200 rpm idle 15,400 WOT on a M/A S2 11x5 checked it on my West also last week and got 1,600-1,800 rpm idle 17,600 rpm WOT on a 9x4 it is not perfect as a prolonged idle starts to drop a little more than it would if it was completely fresh fuel but still great condition.

I would keep it I always keep mine for cleaning if it's really bad, but if it is just a slightly higher idle and slight loss at the top end then I use it or keep it for running in an engine with.  https://disposeitwell.com/how-to-dispose-of-diesel-fuel/

I have 2 tins of car fuel from tornado (metal can ) it keeps well for years in those containers.

I have about 40 lt of waste diesel fuel which I need to dispose. Checked my local recycle centres, they do not provide the service I require. Looked at the Government website and they suggest contacting my local Council, who suggest contacting Government. Any leads to a legal disposal site please, near Bury St Edmunds preferably.

Edited March 28, 2023 by riqaza

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

You need an African Peugeot 404 Diesel .😅

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I assume you’re talking about red or white diesel?

 

Offer it to someone for their diesel workshop heater?  

 

If someone is close to you they’d probably be happy to collect it. 

[Engine Doctor]

13 hours ago, riqaza said:

I have about 40 lt of waste diesel fuel which I need to dispose. Checked my local recycle centres, they do not provide the service I require. Looked at the Government website and they suggest contacting my local Council, who suggest contacting Government. Any leads to a legal disposal site please, near Bury St Edmunds preferably.

If i lived near you id bite your arm off  to use it in my diesel heater.

Put it into 5 ltr cans and put into the waste oil at tip . Its sold to companies who filter it etc  into heating oil.

 

Local councils and the gov advice ars at odds with oneanother ! My local council / dump interpret the rules suit themselves. The regs SUGGEST you only take 5ltrs at a time . Not knowing this i took two years worth of oil change oils ( our two cars ) 15 ltrs to our dump and was only allowed to pour 5 ltrs into tank ! I now have to book another two trips trips to get rid of the rest !

Petty buraucracy gone mad and no wonder our local lanes are littered with fly tipping. 

[Jon H]

I had a similar experience ED and completely agree. 

 

I have always been into computers and i ended up with 5 computer cases to get shot of. There was nothing inside them, just the bare steel shell. So i get to the tip and launch the first two into the scrap metal, grab the 3rd and throw that in too. Then, as i pick up the next two and wander over i am approached by a jobsworth who tells me to stop and asks what i am doing. There was then a conversation about why i am throwing away so many computers, am i business, what am i doing etc. I explain that i build pc's for friends and family and this is the scrap left over after many years of this. I am then told i am only allowed to throw away two computers a year for recycling. I explain that these are not computers, just bare steel cases with nothing in them, all the electronics have been removed....apparently that still qualifies and i have already thrown away more than my limit of two which is not allowed and i will have to pay if i want to throw away any more. Loosing patience at this point i say something to the effect of 'ok so what should i do with them? if you are telling me i am trying to recycle too much, i have exceeded my recycle limit and will be punished if i recycle any more what should i do? just throw them in the woods?' 

 

'but households are only allowed to dispose of two computers a year sir, its policy' 

 

At this point i just picked them up and threw them in the skip. 

 

I honestly do not understand this sort of utter stupidity. The council weigh in and sell the scrap metal so why does it matter how much scrap metal i put in the scrap metal skip? Why is there are limit? And charging people..why? My fence blew down and they wanted to charge me money to dispose of the old fence panel. Knowing this i broke the panel up i was allowed to throw it away in the scrap wood skip for nothing..why? What difference does it make if the panel is mostly together or as planks? If you want to stop fly tipping in the woods, stop charging people to throw stuff away. If you make it difficult to do the right thing people will just throw it in the woods or on the side of the bypass. 

 

 

[Albert Ace]

On 24/02/2018 at 11:19, Jon - Laser Engines said:

I had a friend who bought some old contest 10 and it had changed from red to brown. It looked awful and ran worse!

Thats because its rubbish,

[Jon H]

23 minutes ago, Albert Ace said:

Thats because its rubbish,

 

Diggin' up the ancient posts there Ace. But yes, it was rubbish as the fuel was so old it had gone off. Still, i was never a fan of contest 10 as it was just so oily 🤢

[leccyflyer]

Same issue here trying to dispose of old fluorescent tubes, of which there was a large plastic box full of dead ones when we moved in. The unterscharführer at the tip wanted to know why we had so many fluorescent tubes, asked how many there were, said you can only dispose of a few at a time and thought that it was a commercial operation, so wouldn't let me dump them en masse.  Daft idea as less concerned folk might just have dumped them in a layby, rather than taking them back when he wasn't on duty. Dummkopf!

[Don Fry]

Some balance, I had a plastic bag of lipo batteries, bent, worn out, bag was full. I went up the recycling centre, and asked the man if it went in the battery bin. He looked a the contents, and queried why I had shorted all the wires out. (No energy). Still baffled, pointed at the bin, to dump them, and said we expect them to have energy, that’s why the bin is vented and 5 mm steel.

I got brownie points, I emptied the batteries, and put the bag in my pocket for next time, without being reminded, all stuff in the right bin. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Don Fry

[David Davis 2]

There was a time, when people were going over to fully synthetic fuel, when clubmates would give me their old castor oil based fuels. I was running mostly old two stroke Mercos and Enyas at the time and spent a couple of summers leaving white smokey trails in the sky and spending a lot of time cleaning the models afterwards! If i felt that the fuel was insufficiently combustible I used to chuck some petrol into it. Never had a problem! Mind you I wouldn't run one of my new Lasers on that sort of fuel!

 

When I retired to France in 2015 I bought several gallons of fuel from Southern Modelcraft, 10% and straight. I'm still using it now.

[Cuban8]

4 hours ago, Jon - Laser Engines said:

I had a similar experience ED and completely agree. 

 

I have always been into computers and i ended up with 5 computer cases to get shot of. There was nothing inside them, just the bare steel shell. So i get to the tip and launch the first two into the scrap metal, grab the 3rd and throw that in too. Then, as i pick up the next two and wander over i am approached by a jobsworth who tells me to stop and asks what i am doing. There was then a conversation about why i am throwing away so many computers, am i business, what am i doing etc. I explain that i build pc's for friends and family and this is the scrap left over after many years of this. I am then told i am only allowed to throw away two computers a year for recycling. I explain that these are not computers, just bare steel cases with nothing in them, all the electronics have been removed....apparently that still qualifies and i have already thrown away more than my limit of two which is not allowed and i will have to pay if i want to throw away any more. Loosing patience at this point i say something to the effect of 'ok so what should i do with them? if you are telling me i am trying to recycle too much, i have exceeded my recycle limit and will be punished if i recycle any more what should i do? just throw them in the woods?' 

 

'but households are only allowed to dispose of two computers a year sir, its policy' 

 

At this point i just picked them up and threw them in the skip. 

 

I honestly do not understand this sort of utter stupidity. The council weigh in and sell the scrap metal so why does it matter how much scrap metal i put in the scrap metal skip? Why is there are limit? And charging people..why? My fence blew down and they wanted to charge me money to dispose of the old fence panel. Knowing this i broke the panel up i was allowed to throw it away in the scrap wood skip for nothing..why? What difference does it make if the panel is mostly together or as planks? If you want to stop fly tipping in the woods, stop charging people to throw stuff away. If you make it difficult to do the right thing people will just throw it in the woods or on the side of the bypass. 

 

 

Trouble is you're dealing with the Public Sector mindset that is increasingly all about the convenience of the council and its employees rather than offering a decent service to ratepayers. Don't believe  that whoever runs the council whether Con Lab or LD makes a blind bit of difference, it doesn't.

I've worked in the private sector ever since 16 years of age (retired now) and we would never be allowed to treat our customers in the cavalier manner dished out by councils - we had competition who would step in and do a better job if we fell down, something that councils don't have to worry about as far as I can see.

Their latest dictat as from the beginning of this month is that residents are no longer able to turn up at the dump to chuck their rubbish away without now booking an on-line timeslot. No booked timeslot..... no dump.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Cuban8

[Ron Gray]

We no longer have to take batteries to the tip, our refuse collection service now picks them up on a weekly basis, you just have to put them in a clear plastic bag on top of your bin. Similarly they now also collect small electrical appliances. My local tip is extremely well organised and has a specific container for fluorescent tubes, put as many as you like in there.

[Bruce Collinson]

that's part of the problem Ron; some are excellent, e.g. the Harrogate ones near us, whereas the Leeds ones comply with Collinson's First Law of the Public Sector; never get caught in possession of a decision, then you can't lose your pension.   Once spent an absolutely grim Saturday de-cluttering a hoarder's flat, white disposable suits, face masks, the lot; into about 30 black binliners; into my half-decent car; 15 mins to the tip, outside Bromsgrove; no council permit, no tipping.   Literally, ended up in adjacent carpark for the council to collect it on the Monday.

 

Madness, but it's all about the process, not the outcome.

 

BTC 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

3 hours ago, David Davis 2 said:

 

When I retired to France in 2015 I bought several gallons of fuel from Southern Modelcraft, 10% and straight. I'm still using it now.

So They let you park a fuel lorry 7 years  in your garden ?.🤣

Edited March 29, 2023 by Paul De Tourtoulon
7

[David Davis]

53 minutes ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

So They let you park a fuel lorry 7 years  in your garden ?.🤣

No the fuel is in my garage.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

44 minutes ago, David Davis said:

No the fuel is in my garage.

So silly question, how many tons did you buy .

[john davidson 1]

Took some rubble to the local tip last year, climbed into the trailer to shovel it out and was told to get out in case I fell off .I have problems with the tendons in my shoulder  if working high so protested  and was told  I would be asked to leave. No option but to comply  A new worker is some one I know from work 20 years ago so might be ok now

Edited March 29, 2023 by john davidson 1

[Cuban8]

3 hours ago, Ron Gray said:

We no longer have to take batteries to the tip, our refuse collection service now picks them up on a weekly basis, you just have to put them in a clear plastic bag on top of your bin. Similarly they now also collect small electrical appliances. My local tip is extremely well organised and has a specific container for fluorescent tubes, put as many as you like in there.

I agree that some councils are better than others with their dumps and rubbish collections - ours is not impossibly bad in North Essex if you can put up with the mostly sullen staff and the rules and regs list that seems to grow weekly of what they will and won't take and when you can dump it.

On the other hand......my daughter's dump up in Derbyshire is the polar opposite. Friendly and helpful staff that will actually offer to help you lift stuff into the tip. Providing you sort the rubbish properly, they'll take most household junk without the song and dance that we have to put up with. Why?

[Don Fry]

Don’t know about public sector/private, quality control. I can think of private sector customer ripoff by the dozen, just to day, how’s about your new house with no proper planning permission (caviat, the source was the currently working press freedom from both ends, DailyMail). Crap staff, crap service. 

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

If you hire a skip, you're charged by type of content as well as size of skip, sorting at tother end takes time and labour/wages, mixed content price goes up hence they want you to dump correctly.

Hire a fella to remove your rubbish, ooh I have a waste license ?? Aye doesn't mean you won't fly tip it though does it ?

Our dumpits up n down, they're plagued with sly business and dare I say it, the odd stroppy ratepayer, you think your day got ruined, try his/her day, it's nailed on it's worse than yours, numerous times over.

[David Davis]

14 hours ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

So silly question, how many tons did you buy .

 

I think I bought twenty-one gallons.Ten with 10% nitro and ten straight which was the recommendation for Lasers at the time, plus a gallon of Hi-Lube for the HPs from Southern Modelcraft which I've never used. I plan to sell the HPs when I get round to it so don't know what to do with the fuel. I've converted several gallons to 5% by mixing a gallon of straight with a gallon of 10%  in a big pink bucket! I have six gallons of straight left in the garage. Apart from that there's a gallon of castor oil based fuel a bloke gave it to me with a Cox 049 which I've no plans to use. So I'm still using the Southern Modelcraft fuel seven years after I bought it. I flew my Laser 70 powered Acrowot with it yesterday afternoon.

 

This year my club gave up blending its own fuel and I was given the remains of the nitro. I have enough of it to add to the straight fuel to give me 5% nitro for the Lasers and 10% nitro for my OS 52 Surpass with which I hope to win the four-stroke class in this year's Coupe Des Barons!