Mineral Oil

[Bernie]

I have a fairly good source (probably 100 gallons a year) of mineral oil that my shop is paying to have disposed. It is very clean, and we change it for our customers yearly. The oil is from hydraulic rescue tools. Anyone run it before? If so, how?

 

[Dieselnut59]

I have never heard of that one. I have done my own experiments on various oils and I just add a gallon, if that works, add two next time. Not sure of the lubricity of that stuff, but if you are worried, blend in a quart of ATF with a gallon of mineral oil. I have had no problems with hydraulic oil blended with diesel.

 

[cj hall]

filter it good and pour it in. it will be fine blend it with( mineral oil /diesel ) diesel at 25/75 you will not even know it's in there.



free fuel



cj hall

 

[JSpanier]

filter it well, blend it well, once you know what your blend is 25/75 or so.

put it in a pint glass and try to freeze it outside or in your fridge, if it gets cold where you live.

 

[Skydiver]

Bernie, might want to check closer. The Volunteer FD I'm in only uses some type of food based oil in their Hurst extracation equipment. I can't remember if it is non-flammable. I know it costs way more than regular hyd oil. I do know it is non-toxic.

 

[Dieselnut59]

Bernie, might want to check closer. The Volunteer FD I'm in only uses some type of food based oil in their Hurst extracation equipment. I can't remember if it is non-flammable. I know it costs way more than regular hyd oil. I do know it is non-toxic.

I run food based oil all the time! Smells nice too!

 

[champspa]

the paper mill I use to work at their hydraulics were non-flammable. better see if it burns.

 

[GaryOwen]

Found this answer about mineral oil flammability.



Mineral Oil has a flash point of 170C (335F), and a boiling point of 310C (590F). By definition, "Flammable liquid" means any liquid having a flashpoint below 100 deg. F. Therefore, Mineral Oil is not a flammable liquid, however it is a Class IIIB Combustible Liquid, meaning that it will burn, but must be exposed to high heat before it will sustain a flame.

 

[JSpanier]

i also run wvo blend in my tractor and excavator, works great and it does smell nice!

 

[cj hall]

food based hyd oil is vegetable oil any place that a hose might break, get cut,or fail that is in a environmental area will use vegetable oil based hyd oil fluid.



when he said Hurst extracation equipment will there's a prime area for that.



Flammable liquids are divided into two classes: flammable or combustible.



A flammable liquid is considered extremely hazardous, as it can ignite at a relatively low temperature. Common examples of flammable liquids include gasoline, turpentine, ethanol, ether and lacquer thinner.



A combustible liquid has vapors which burn when exposed to a temperature above 100° Fahrenheit. Liquids in the combustible category include fuel oil, kerosene, mineral oil, diesel fuel, motor oil and paints.



hope this clears the air on mineral oil as a fuel.

cj hall

 

[Bernie]

Bernie, might want to check closer. The Volunteer FD I'm in only uses some type of food based oil in their Hurst extracation equipment. I can't remember if it is non-flammable. I know it costs way more than regular hyd oil. I do know it is non-toxic.

Hurst (as in the brand name, 5000 PSI) fluid is Phosphorous Ester. Blue, looks like windshield washer fluid in the gallon jug. About $100 a gallon. Is is most certainly not food based. It is a corrosive fluid that is an irritating to the skin. It will give you rash or a chemical burn from exposure to it. However, it is not flammable, and that is how it was originally marketed.

Rescue Tools (not Hurst 500 PSI, but all others at 10,000 PSI) are mineral oil based. It looks like motor oil, maybe a little lighter, and is in the $30 a gallon range (much less in bulk). Some sales pitches for mineral oil based rescue fluids have pointed out that mineral oil is a food product, but truth be told in the form we use it it is not. It is however much safer for the firefighters, as it isn't corrosive or an irritant. In my option, it is a better option than Hurst brand fluid.

For years, Hurst has pushed the "safety" of their fluid because it isn't flammable. Honestly, I think it is a moot point. Crashed cars are filled with fuel, and ignition sources. The oil in a sealed hydraulic rescue tool system is the least of a firefighter's worries. The rescue tool oil only pose a threat if you had an open flame, and a rescue tool leak just right so the mineral oil could atomize under pressure. If you have an open flame, you have bigger problems than your rescue tools.

Full Disclosure: My company sells and services the mineral oil based tools, and has hundreds of gallons a year that we dispose of. Just an idea if that could be 100 gallons of free fuel.