Where to get BioDiesel in Melbourne

[Tiny]

Anyone know where to buy it?

[Tiny]

Hmmm, given the response I guess it's not too readily available...

[abaddonxi]

Hi,

Dunno if you have Volume Plus down there, but in NSW they sell what is labelled as bio-diesel blend. Since they're usually ten cents less than every other servo around I'm guessing the bio-diesel blend is short for 100% if we can get it, and it's not that uncommon for them to run out.

Or you could look here:
http://www.melbournebiodiesel.org/

Cheers
Simon

[Tiny]

OK, thanks - looks like Thomastown might be the closest (and unfortunately that's not very close!)

[Sharpie]

Check out this site for some info

http://www.grownfuel.com/buybiodiesel/index.html

[Tiny]

Thanks - looks like there aren;t too many biofuel sellers over here in Vic..

[henkw]

G'day.

Yeah, there's not too many of them around yet. I'm lucky coz I live pretty close to the SAFF at Boronia that Sharpie's link mentions, and I've been filling up there for a while now. For what it's worth, I reckon it's great. Could be just my imagination, but I think it runs smoother, and it smells good too!

[Tiny]

What sort of vehicle are you running?

[Dunnie]

We've been running a 6 cylinder Perkins equipped rescue boat in Perth on 100% Biodiesel from Amadeus Oil for about 6 years. It runs well, smells good and makes you feel like you are helping the planet. If you are switching to it from mineral diesel keep an eye on the fuel filters as it cleans all the crud (varnish) out of the tank and lines. There are issues with some seals on modern engines as well so you have to check the manufacturer's specs. Old Otto originally designed the diesel engine to run on peanut oil, so we are going back to our roots (or nuts as the case may be).

[henkw]

I'm a bit of an imposter at the moment, because I'm driving an '84 TD Pajero :blush:. For months now we've been searching for something like what you're driving Tiny (an SE7 TDi, but manual) because we need a safer family fourbie (plus I've always wished for a Landy), but as soon as I find one I won't hesitate to run it on biodiesel.
Totally agree with you Dunnie - we're going back to the roots of what the trusty diesel was intended for! It's funny how it's almost come full circle, because the only reason they stopped using peanut oil back then was because mineral oil was cheap - now I'm "occasionally" able to get biodiesel for less than diesel.
I was reading about the crud build up that the biodiesel flushes from your fuel system, but because I'm getting rid of the Paj soon I haven't bothered to check it out. I failed chemistry (I thought moles were animals) so I'm not even going to pretend to understand why that happens. Sounds good though...

[Tiny]

When getting my injector pump reset on my 300TDi a year or so back I asked the service guys about running biodiesel. They were pretty negative and showed me service notice from Bosche stating that they would not warantee pumps that had been running biodiesel.

I think much of the concern was the back-yard productions that were turning out inconsistent quality fuels. I've swapped emails with a guy in WA who has been running his 300TDi defender for 5 or so years and swares by it.

wrt the "cleaning of the pipes" - I've heard biodiesel described as a very low strength paint-stripper - softenes and clears out a lot of stuff aparently.

Cheers,

[Loaded]

Make it yourself, I have some good links how to and where to get the info but I can not advertise.

[tannery]

For Additional Information, the following web links can help get you started with making your own fuel…

http://www.localb100.com/
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums
http://www.tasmanenergy.com.au/
http://journeytoforever.org/
http://www.biodiesel.org.au/
http://www.biodiesel.org/

[Tiny]

Thanks, I'd previously considered doing this when I was in Perth, where I had a decent shed, but never quite got there. In Melbourne I've got a few things that will hold me back from making my own for a while yet:
- No Shed (well a v.small, over-full storage garage only).
- Just moved in (I've got s**t everywhare and need to make some adjustments to fit the family in properly)
- It's an old house (most of my "spare" time at the moment is fixing gutters, plumbing, tiles, electrical fittings, cupboard doors, etc)
- No money to fit the above issues too quickly (due to Melbourne's bloody real estate prices!)

So I'm interested in hearing other peoples experiences - particularly for 300TDi donks, but I wont be joining this DIY circle for a while yet - but I would like to find a regular biodiesel outlet.

Cheers,

[sclarke]

SAFF on Boronia Rd is the only one i know off.
Its only 5c a litre cheaper so why bother....

[hiline]

its on the corner of Boronia Rd / Scoresby Rd in Boronia

[SevPP]

We've been running home made bio in our MQ Patrol for about 2 and a half years now. No trouble blocking filters or poor running. The only thing I have noticed as a negative, is a slightly rougher start and idle in cold conditions. Soon disappears though. It runs a lot cleaner to. The Patrol blows quite a bit of black smoke on hill climbs on normal diesel but on the bio it almost completely disappears.

Our biggest trouble is now finding used vegie oils to make diesel. Everywhere seems to be 'gotten at' by the places that make large quantities so us back yarders have no or very little oil supply (we are in n/e country vic by the way)