Over the last 6 months I have developed a test procedure which accurately determines the water content of biodiesel or any other fuel. If you are interested in the test and want to assemble one yourself it can be found in the Biodiesel quality section of this forum under " A simple test for water in fuel" or search under Carbide Manometer.
I realize that not everyone has the time or inclination to assemble an Carbide Manometer so I have decided to offer a free water testing service. Any one who wants to find out the water content of their biodiesel should post me a 150ml sample in a small drinks bottle labelled with their mobile phone number.( I dont need your name or address) I will test and send them the result by text. If you send more than one sample label them A, B, C etc. My address is the Railway Station, Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland.
Water content is an important issue especially as we approach the winter season. The reccomended limit for water content in biodiesel is 500 parts per million and if your fuel contains more than that amount it may cause damage to your engine in the medium to long term.
This servive is only offered to home brewers, no commercial producers.

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

Biodiesel demonstration this Saturday 26th September at 9.30 am. I will be making 150 litres of biodiesel. The carbide manometer and other quality tests will be demonstrated and my wvo central heating boiler will be on show. All are welcome, no charge, over by 12 noon. Phone 0863169230 if you need directions

HELLO

I usally test my dry biodiesel by putting a small sample in a tin can and heating it to 120 degrees(something similar to the suspended water test) and if it does not make any sounds(slutters) I consider it dry.

but now I am wondering ...would my test not be able to pick up a water content of 500 parts per million

any coments welcome
Thanks

I find that you wont detect any sputtering below 2000 ppm so your fuel could still be off spec. Send me two samples, one before drying and one after and Ill test them for you.

ok thanks will do

your Carbide Manometer has come a long way from 'holding up a sample of biodiesel in a jam jar and looking throught it to see if it's sparkley clear' or sticking a sample into the fridge overnight to see if it becomes hazy. which is how most of us test the dryness of our biodiesel !

I've just been reading the 'simple test for water in fuel'forum with intrest, good job !

The clarity test. holding up a jar of bio to the light, can be very misleading because if the fuel is warm it will appear clear even if it still contains water.
The fridge test is better but the haziness you might see at 5 degrees might be water but it might also be the beginning of gelling. The type of oil used as feedstock will affect the outcome of the test.
Both these tests are more useful once you know exactly how much water is present in a sample. You then have a baseline to judge from.