I started this thread for the discussion of Forest Gregg's book "SVO - Powering your vehicle with Straight Vegetable Oil".

Unfortunately, since I haven't read this book yet, I can't give a review.

Like John Galt has mentioned in other threads, educating people to burn grease is only shooting ourselves in the foot, but I'm very grateful for the teaching I've recieved on this forum over the last 3 years. Many thanks to Shaun for starting this forum and also to the very experienced and knowledgeable senior members who share their info.Hopefully I can eventually get my act together and actually burn some grease sometime soon...

Considering Forest Greggs excellent credentials, I can hardly wait to buy my copy of his book.

I've read parts of it (I was supposed to do an endorsement, and got a pre-publication copy, but didn't get around to it since for me, writing reviews of anything is like pulling teeth).

It's extremely well-written, neutral, and well-referenced. Go get this book even if you think you know everything already.

The book is available here, and maybe from other places.

I haven't advertised the site yet, but you can also order the book thru our new book store at this link http://www.biodieseldiscussion.com/book_store.htm. You can help support the forums and get a good book to read.

Shaun

Just finished it on a flight to Chicago and then back. Very well written and lots of good information with references. I thought it was presented well, and enjoy that no Ancient Forest's were killed in the printing.

I bought Fryer to the Fuel Tank, when it first came out. That started it all for me. I have the first edition of Sliding Home, and the latest edition, I think 6th, someone's borrowing it. I bought SVO because I enjoy reading and supporting new research. Forrest, I think you did a great job, what a hard thing to cram into one book. Thanks for all the references I have more reading to do.

I think SVO is similar to sliding home, in the sense that it briefly touches on each part of this field. It is clearly biased toward Frybrid. SVO goes into more depth about vegetable oil and the chemistry behind it. It also discusses how the chemistry effects injection system on a diesel. I have a question about the end of injection and the smoke screw. I will get my facts straight before asking though. As for answering much, I felt like a lot was left open. Especially the questions presented about unknowns.

To be honest I also got very sick of the Frybrid inflation. Frybrid has an alright product, but I felt like the book would have been better if Frybrid would taken more credit for writing it because that is the way it came across to me. I would have enjoyed it more
if Forest would have given us his findings, and credited Frybrid for all the generosity in helping him achieve this book.

Please take this review with a grain of salt. I have already passed the book along, and feel like it could help others understand SVO theory. I am a long time converter, svo/wvo burner, presser, and forum poster/lurker. I have read many of the posts on both this forum and Frybrids, so my opinion might seem a little weighted.

It was a good book, and I would buy another if he writes one, or anybody else about SVO.

Just to clarify, buying from Amazon.com contributes $ to the forum? I'm totally down with that but how exactly does that work?

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Originally posted by muzak:
Just to clarify, buying from Amazon.com contributes $ to the forum? I'm totally down with that but how exactly does that work?

The forums get credit when you go to the book store and buy the book after clicking on the "buy from Amazon.com" button. There is imbedded code that shows Amazon where the buyer came from.

Shaun

Right on, there's only a few left at Amazon now, they restock quick though.

Wow with "almost" all the good reviews on this book I may just get one to share. Now when family or friends ask me how I'm running on wvo I can just lend them the book to read and move on.

Forest has not been an employee of Frybrid for a year, Frybrid in no way benefits from the sale of the book, frankly at 250 copies I pay more than Amazon is selling them for. Forrest is an honest and upstanding person who hoped to answer the questions he was asking when he came to work for Frybrid. He just as easily could have written a book in complete contridiction to what he learned and tought me while he was here, he was true to his heart and I am flattered that he dedicated the book to me and my daughter. He has not contributed to the Frybrid forum since he left seattle and I get the general impression that he is done with spinnig wrenches for a while.

For a few bucks you get the sum of what he learned as a volunteer for 6 months and as a researcher for a year, I have to say, he tought me as much as I tought him.

Love the man, love the book.

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He just as easily could have written a book in complete contridiction to what he learned and tought me while he was here,

But then it would all be B.S., wouldn't it?

Question ... Is Forrest going to do a WVO book tour?

If Forrest is still in the Seattle area maybe Frybrid could hold a meet and greet WVO book signing event at the shop in Capitol Hill (start his book tour off) ... maybe some of the other WVO installers and shops around the country could hold a Forrest book signing WVO event ... should help his book sales, educate a few more folks about wvo ... just a thought

Omar
www.omarsales.com

I enjoyed the book-cannot wait for the Movie

I enjoyed the book and wish it would have gone into more depth. It is hard to see local sources of oil harder to come by, due in part to more publicity, but this svo thing is bigger than all of us.
The real challenge is local co-ops and communities redirecting the oil stream away from the big time renderers.
Mike

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Hide Post
I enjoyed the book-cannot wait for the Movie

Oh, don't say that. In less than 5 years it would all be over.

There wouldn't be a drop of WVO that wasn't sold for significant money right from the restaurants' back alley.

In all fairness, John isn't really being hypocritical to advise people ON AN SVO FORUM as to how best filter their oil.

Selling SVO books on bookstore shelves will attract many people who've never even heard of SVO, let alone found a forum about it.

I'd say by the time somebody's on a biofuels forum, the cat's already out of the bag...

That's totally different than someone getting into SVO because they read a book review about in in a major newspaper or magazine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: welder,

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Originally posted by john galt:

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John, don't you have a thread on my forum with hundreds of posts where you explain how you feel it is best to filter oil?

Yes I feel it's best to filter oil. All the way to 5µ in my opinion. I state the same opinion on this forum and other VO fuel forums I visit. So do a lot of others.
I don't see any point in telling people to put unfiltered oil into their vehicles. I don't gain anything from people having problems with their VO fuel systems because of dirty oil.

Sorry John I forgot who I was conversing with, I will type much slower for you. You have stated:

"If used VO isn't already in short supply where you are, invite Forrest to change that with more publicity to make used VO even more scarce.

Stand in a rowboat and shoot at your feet."

Indicating that you feel that Forest haveing written a book explaining the technical aspects of using SVO will make it more difficult to get WVO. I pointed out that you have done the same thing by posting a thread on my forum with 106 replies and better than 8,350 views about the Ron Schroeder upflow filtering method, making your statement a bit hypocritical.

I fail to understand how people can come to a forum seeking advice and understanding, yet be down on someone for writing a book about the very subject. No one here found this or my forum by accident, you don't get on the internet and http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/frm/f/159605551 just appears in your browser, you have to hunt for it, just as you have to hunt for a book on SVO. Greasecar was in Playboy last year, I have been interviewed for the NY and LA Times and guess what, no one was interested. It is a funny "print bite" to the general public, a guy who drives on garbage and at more photos of the fatal accident on HWY 22 below a feature on a cat that uses the toilet and flushes.

I really think it unfair to pass any judgement without having read the book.

When I have to spend over a buck a gallon to make biodiesel (already there) and spend over a buck to buy the oil I will rethink everything I do. The natural progression will be to convert one or two of my vehicles to run on straight WVO. Buying oil will be a lot less painful if I don't have to buy methanol and Naoh.

This is especially true with the crappier oil that keeps coming my way. Many restaurants can no longer afford the 30 bucks or more for new vegetable oil. The only alternative is to change it less frequently. It's like learning to make to make Biodiesel all over again.

quote:

Indicating that you feel that Forest haveing written a book explaining the technical aspects of using SVO will make it more difficult to get WVO.

What you infer is in your mind, and not what I implied when you take it out of context. The context was inviting Forrest to a book signing publicity event. Such an event would definitely increase local competition for oil, but it will likely sell more books and Frybrid conversion systems, which is what it's actually all about.

In a few years a lot of conversions will be running VO-ULSD blends because there's only enough "WVO" out there for a few elites to run 100%.