Thursday, August 13, 2009

Frugal Prepping - Reusing Waste Motor Oil






It is always best to recycle your waste motor oil to avoid polluting our rivers and lakes. It is also against the law to dispose of improperly. But did you know that you can save your waste motor oil for your own use. Simply put the used motor oil back in the original container and mark it used motor oil. Then you will have some readily available for use when needed. You may want to filter it through an old tea strainer to make sure there are no large particles but otherwise it should be ready for re-use.



There are several good uses for used motor oil that work great.

First; it can be used as a substitute for bar and chain oil in your chainsaw (DON'T use it as a fuel additive).

Second; it can be put in a squirt can and used to oil hinges, latches, etc.

Third; keep a couple of old rags handy and use them to apply a coat of oil to your shovels and other garden tools to help prevent damage from rust (make sure you wash the dirt off first).

You can save some money and the environment at the same time.

Special Note: Make sure that any used motor oil you don't use is properly re-cycled according to your federal, state and local laws.


Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker
at

20 comments:

  1. scoutinlifeAugust 13, 2009 at 9:12 AM

    Great Advice river I keep a 5 gallom on hand as well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. riverwalkerAugust 13, 2009 at 9:23 AM

    To: scoutinlife

    Thanks. Why give it away when it can be used for other purposes. Thanks.

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  3. thatguyinkentuckyAugust 13, 2009 at 9:44 AM

    All mine gets saved for a couple of garages in town, and they use the old oil to burn in their stoves at the shops for heat. Probably not the legal answer but it gets re-used that way.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 13, 2009 at 9:50 AM

    I save all my old oil. It can be used on wood as a treatment to keep termites off.

    matthiasj
    Kentucky Preppers Network

    ReplyDelete
  5. riverwalkerAugust 13, 2009 at 11:33 AM

    To: thatguyinkentucky

    Sounds like a pretty good use to me.
    You can even make your own waste oil heaters.

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  6. riverwalkerAugust 13, 2009 at 11:34 AM

    To: matthiasj

    Wood is flammable enough without treating it with oil. Be careful!

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  7. TMMAugust 13, 2009 at 11:40 AM

    mixed with a touch of kerosene and kept in a pump oil can (like in your photo) makes a great way to get your woodstove going... mix about a quart of old oil with a large bucket of sand, then when done using your shovel jamb it into the sand a few times to clean and oil at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. riverwalkerAugust 13, 2009 at 11:47 AM

    To: TMM

    That's a great tip! Thanks.

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousAugust 13, 2009 at 11:59 AM

    Lots of great tips I didn't know - much obliged sir!

    ReplyDelete
  10. riverwalkerAugust 13, 2009 at 12:07 PM

    To: anonymous 11:59

    That's great the tips are working out for you. I like to save money when possible and think recycling is a pretty good idea...I try not to throw anything away if possible...sooner or later I'll figure out a way to use it! Thanks.

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  11. MachinistAugust 13, 2009 at 12:59 PM

    My concern would be toxic contaminants. There are metal particles, gas additive chemicals and petroleum combustion products in used oil. I would be concerned about that. I prefer to use clean oil formulated for the purpose. Just my thought.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousAugust 13, 2009 at 1:26 PM

    To machinist and GuyinKY:

    Technically speaking,is is legal to dump FRESH oil anywhere you want,really!
    Used oil,on the other hand,has been run thru a engine,exposing it to the heavy metal's and compound's,lead,carbon,sulfide's and such.Those are the harmful stuff!
    I had to sit thru a 2 hour class at GM to learn not to dump it out! I'd pass on burning it if I were downwind or in a confined space.
    Dean in az

    ReplyDelete
  13. MachinistAugust 13, 2009 at 1:41 PM

    It's the same with coolants in the machine shops. They are safe before use but become contaminated. We boiled off the water and paid to have the concentrate disposed of properly.

    ReplyDelete
  14. riverwalkerAugust 13, 2009 at 3:46 PM

    To: Machinist

    Used oil used basically for lubricating purposes has never caused a problem for me, although I would be concerned about burning it without proper filtration first to remove some of the contaminants that may be present. Thanks.

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  15. riverwalkerAugust 13, 2009 at 3:49 PM

    To: Dean in AZ

    You can watch a road paving crew dumping oil and tar on a gravel base during most road construction.

    I'm with you on the burning of it. Probably not the safest thing you can do with it.Thanks.

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  16. MachinistAugust 13, 2009 at 4:07 PM

    Oil used on a chain saw chain ends up as a mist or on sawdust. These can be inhaled, ingested, or land on the skin. Some of the more toxic additives like MTBE in gas are absorbed through the skin. I don't really know how much of this stays in the oil but it is the combustion product contamination that turns the oil black.

    Oil on shovels and picks ends up in the garden soil.

    These may not matter. It's always hard to weigh cancer risks because the odds are always small, but the price if you're wrong can be high.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Other Mike S.August 14, 2009 at 6:15 PM

    Very good post. I keep mine to use for heat treating the knives I make.

    ReplyDelete
  18. riverwalkerAugust 15, 2009 at 12:03 AM

    To: The Other Mike S.

    Lots of good uses for that used oil. Thanks for the tip!

    RW

    ReplyDelete
  19. RGAugust 19, 2009 at 8:16 AM

    Great advice that I never considered before. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  20. riverwalkerAugust 19, 2009 at 8:34 AM

    To: nomad

    Plenty of good uses that it can be safely used for if you are careful when using it. Thanks.

    RW

    ReplyDelete

Welcome to Riverwalker's "Stealth Survival" and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.