before I transfer my bio to my basement I'd like to test it. I have about 250 gallons in a tote that all passed 3/27 and was water washed and dried but I took a sample from the top and bottom and the one from the bottom of the tote is cloudy . What is this? The top sample was nice and clear. I'm guessing its water. I'll try to post a photo as soon as I figure out how!!

Yeah, it sounds like water. Do a hot pan test to confirm.

It could be soap also, I experience this in the bottom of my settling drums. I do not water wash though...
Jon

I'll try the hot pan test to see if the bio comes out clear ,if not maybe its the soap .

How did your test go? Your problem sounds like water, bear in mind that the hot pan test doesnt show any significant bubbles under 2000ppm, so your bio could pass the test and still contain too much water. If anyone in your area has either a carbide manometer or a Sandy Brea test kit thay could tell you exactly how much water your bio contains.
How do dry your fuel?

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How did your test go?

I tried the hot pan test and the bio cleared up quite a bit but still didn,t have the sparkle that I think it should have. The hot plate took the sample up to 250F, there,s no way I can heat a big batch to that temp. I use a cone bottomed 55 gal drum with a water heater element and heat to about 130 F and circulate thru a shower head with a fan blowing across. Sometimes this works good and other times it doesn't clear-up like I think it should. I got about 250 gal. of bio I'd like to try out in my furnace . I had problems last winter with the nozzles plugging up but that was before I knew about doing 3/27 test.

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If anyone in your area has either a carbide manometer or a Sandy Brea test kit thay could tell you exactly how much water your bio contains

i don't know of any homebrewers in my area. It would be nice if I could find someone that's "arting around with bio .

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Yeah, it sounds like water. Do a hot pan test to confirm.

If you do a hot pan test, if you have time, chill it down as cold as you can without gelling. See if it stays clear. I am interested in how well these two tests correlate.

Your drying setup sounds as if it should work well. The reason it works better some times than others is probably due to the fact you are blowing cold air over the hot oil. If its cold or damp the air will not absorb moisture from the oil, if its warm and dry it will. Try blowing hot air from a paint stripper heat gun instead and Im sure the system will work better.

Dont fall into the trap of judging biodiesel by appearance and clarity. The best simple test for water content is the vapour test. Half fill a small saucepan with bio, place a pane of glass over the top and heat to 100 degrees C. If vapour condenses on the bottom of the glass pane you have water.
If you want to have your biodiesel tested for water content you can send me a 150ml sample in a PET drinks bottle. You will find my address in " Simple test for water in fuel". The postage to Ireland will cost a few dollars but it will still cost a lot less than a laboratory test.

Do a vapor test and a fridge test.

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If you do a hot pan test, if you have time, chill it down as cold as you can without gelling. See if it stays clear. I am interested in how well these two tests correlate.

Give me a day or two to take the samples. I'm going to do a vapor test and frig test with samples from the top and bottom of the tote.

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Try blowing hot air from a paint stripper heat gun instead and Im sure the system will work better.

At times the fan seemed to cool the bio down . I agree with the idea of using heated air , its something I'll have to try.