FAQ

 Frequently Asked Questions and smart ass answers

Below are some of the answers to some typical questions I get all the time.

1. Q: If you are a computer expert, why does your web site suck so badly?
   A: Yes, my web sites are all lousy.  I am a back-end, behind the scenes web guy, not a girly-man, pretty web site guy.  My specialty is in the "nuts and bolts" infrastructure that most people know very little about.  When I need to have a serious web site built, I can hire any number of  graphic designers to make it look pretty.  Maybe I should have done that for this site?
    
2. Q: Where do you usually get your waste vegetable oil?
   A: I usually try to get it from Chinese, all you can eat buffets, which I have been told, are legally required to be in every American Strip Mall.    
    
3. Q: Do you get the oil for free?
   A: Yes.  So far, asking for a restaurant's waste oil is still obscure enough that it is like asking if I can have some of their trash.  Of course, if enough people start doing this, it will not be easy to get, nor free, and I will have hated myself for ever making a web site to promote it.  I should note, that I have, on occasion, bought pure, unused vegetable oil in quantity from Costco, when I am first building or testing a system.  Once I am confident the system is reliable, I can introduce the variable of unknown dirty oil from unkown sources. The picture below is from my first significant VO fill up.  I did it on virgin oil to test the system before I took on waste oil.
   
    
4. Q: Did anyone ever deny you their oil?
   A: Only once, did a Wendy's manager (this means 18 year old, high school senior with pimples and bad breath) not want to give me their oil.  They said that they had a contract with another person.  Apparently, it was some local freak who was running his car on WVO?!  Besides this, we never were refused oil coast to coast and into Canada.  We did, however, refuse most oil we looked at. See question below.
5. Q: Did you ever not take oil that was offered?
   A: Yes.  At first, I pushed the limits of the filtration and dewatering system to see exactly how dirty I would be able to take on WVO.  My test paid off, as I took on the most vomitous, rancid fluids I have ever seen, and it was not a good thing for Elbee. After this experience, I learned to always examine the oil closely before I stuck my hose into it.  Typical survial skill, I guess.  Below is what "bad oil" can look like.
   
   Click here for a movie of the first few fill ups and what happened...
    
6. Q: Is your wife some type of saint to do this project with you -- taking months longer than anticipated, and never knowing if it would actually work --  and not just take the kids with her and fly back home to Providence?
   A: Yes.  Yes she is.
7. Q: Why did you do all of this WVO stuff?
   A: Many reasons.  too many to list all of them, but I love the idea that there is a clean burning, domestic, renewable, fairly annoying waste product that can be used to replace gasoline and oil, which America is dependant on, like a junkie.  I also think driving on WVO is just plain funny.  Seriously, though, I could go on and on.
8. Q: How much did the conversion process cost?
   A: I am still paying for it, so I don't know.  A lot!.  It depends on how you count it.  The raw aluminum, pumps valves heaters, fittings, cables and secret ingredients in wholesale parts alone was about $15K, but you can only begin counting there.... .  The cost Chris charged me for his and his employees labor over the course of 6 weeks or so is not something I care to discuss.  I worked it out with him after much talk about how fond he was of my middle child.  Lets just say it involves goats and land.  I should state for the record that he has told me on numerous occasions, he will never do another one of these type of installs again!  Remember, even with the huge cost of labor, Chris lost money on this project, and did it, as I did, more as an art project than a wise business decision.  I respect him for taking this on knowing full well he would regret it.  The cost of living in a bus with my family in it and having to keep my kids and wife entertained while I had to work on a computer project from hell for almost three months; many thousands of dollars.
   The cost of driving cross country together with your family powered by vegetable oil, having successfully shown your three children, your wife  -- and yourself, that Daddy was able to see the vision come true.... priceless.
9. Q: Will Frybrid make me a WVO RV too?
   A: While I can not speak for Frybrid, I am fairly certain the answer would be an unconditional NO. 
10. Q: Can you make me an RV like yours?
    A: Technically, yes, but no.  I am a skilled welder, WVO inventor, electronics guy, and at this point, I have a ton of experience with WVO RV's.  However, having first hand seen what it took to make this conversion work, by people who do this every day -- I can not envision a business model where it would ever be even close to financially prudent.  As for some crazy, rich guy, who does not care what it costs, my response would be "Where is the art in this project.  It has already been done"
    (All you crazy millionaires, send me all your wildly generous offers to build you a WVO RV and I will see if between Goodwin and I, we can't make another one of these bad boys! Remember, every man has his price - Except Goodwin, of course )
11. Q: Are you looking for sponsors for Elbee?  I have a product or company that would love to tie in to your next "tour"
    A: Yes.
12. Q: Are you looking for investors for your new, micro processor controlled Home Heating oil burner?
    A: No, I don't think so.  I am not taking it that seriously.  However, I am looking for more computer consulting work.  I am a web "backend" guy.  This is why my web sites all look like puss.  I have two left eyes!  What I am good at is developing new internet technology and kicking ass with it.  This is how I made my money, and I am pretty certain that it is how I will continue to pay for food and Elbee.  WVO is simply a passion, like my music.