Page 1 of 1

Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:58 am
by willee
Here are some things I learned while getting my fuel permit.
Hope it helps you avoid any delays.

1. It is free. There is no charge for the small volume AFP. (Alcohol Fuel Permit)

2. You will need a EIN number ... free and almost instant from the official government site.
Beware ... there are a lot of secondary sites that will make you think you are at a government site.
If you are asked for a payment then you are not at the government EIN application website.
Your EIN number is issued to you FREE OF CHARGE!

3. Your still operational location must not be in a residence ... a tool shed in the backyard is fine ... an attached garage is not.
You may store the still equipment anywhere on your property when it is not in use.
Be sure your drawing is clear that your still operational location is separate from your residence.

That is about it ... the AFP will be issued to you about three weeks from filing date.

Excited about firing up the lawnmower and seeing how it runs on Ethanol.

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:06 am
by jb-texshine
1.Subject to inspection.
2.fuel dont get aged in oak barrels at low to mid60%

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 10:05 am
by joeymac
You're talking about running a lawn mower on it... so I'm assuming you're using a column and making near azeotrope (90%+ ABV). If you're talking about a single run through a potstill or some similarly low ABV... don't do it. You'd probably be looking at multiple runs through a potstill before getting a product dry enough to put through an engine without messing it up. But if you got a column producing 90%+, small motors will run OK and if not they might only need a retune of the carburetor. I've dumped little jars of foreshots into my gas can and have had no problems in any small engines.

That being said, A couple of things to be careful of is that alcohol can burn hot... you can scorch cylinders and even melt rings if you're not careful. Ethanol can be very hard on engine seals and platics designed for sealing in petroleum fluids. Also, there's MUCH more water in home distilled spirit. Thus can lead to corrosion or rusting INSIDE your motor if you do it frequently enough. A better proposition is that you could cut it with gas to make something like a E25-E85 mix. Again, the water is an issue and you'll have to look out for phase separation because gasohol mixes can't really support more than about 0.5%-1.0% water in solution before the water begins to separate and settle out. And even if your still makes perfect azeo ethanol, it still has 4-5% water in it at a minimum. There is a host of information online about drying out that last few percent of water for using dried ethanol as biofuel. If you plan on using ethanol as a homemade fuel on a long term basis in any motor you care about, do some more reading. There are more than a few ways to get rid of that last 5% water in your spirit left over by typical distillation.

But like I've said, I dump the foreshots bottle into my gascan in the garage a few times and not noticed any problems. In moderation, I'd suspect that a bit of 180proof spirit mixed in probably cleans out the engine decently.

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 3:43 pm
by willee
Joeymac, you assume correctly.
I usually burn a full tank and then some every time I do my lawn so the water would not accumulate from tank to tank.
Isnt the stuff you buy at the automotive store to remove water from your gas tank alcohol?
I plan to mix 95% ethanol with gasoline at about 1 to 1 ratio to start with and see how that works out is my older gas engine mower.
Its a grand experiment and to me a lot fun to play around with so if it dont work out no big loss.
If my beer and wine turns bad then I can recover something from it to burn in the mower.
Is it cost effective? ... most likely not but what hobby really is?
Dont cost me near as much as my fishing boat ... lol!

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 3:52 pm
by willee
jb-texshine wrote:1.Subject to inspection.
2.fuel dont get aged in oak barrels at low to mid 60%
True that!
No oak barrels around here.

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 5:41 pm
by Truckinbutch
:roll: Here we go again . :moresarcasm:

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:18 pm
by rad14701
Be prepared to rebuild the carburetor on that old lawn mower... Even new mower manufacturers recommend running non-ethanol gasoline... Older mower seals will fail a lot quicker than those in newer mowers...

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:51 pm
by shadylane
Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...
Keep the drinking liquor separate and hidden from the fuel. :lol:
On a side note, My 1950 model C farmall tractor runs quite well on forshots and heads.

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:06 am
by 1RiverRunner
What are the labeling requirements if any? How do you get a serial number on a keg still (one of the requirements)? I am very interested in getting a chainsaw prepped for ethanol. I live in rural north country and with all the crap going on in the world.. having a chainsaw that will run off of something besides gas could save me from freezing to death.

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:36 am
by outdoorplay
willee wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:58 am Here are some things I learned while getting my fuel permit.
Hope it helps you avoid any delays.

1. It is free. There is no charge for the small volume AFP. (Alcohol Fuel Permit)

2. You will need a EIN number ... free and almost instant from the official government site.
Beware ... there are a lot of secondary sites that will make you think you are at a government site.
If you are asked for a payment then you are not at the government EIN application website.
Your EIN number is issued to you FREE OF CHARGE!

3. Your still operational location must not be in a residence ... a tool shed in the backyard is fine ... an attached garage is not.
You may store the still equipment anywhere on your property when it is not in use.
Be sure your drawing is clear that your still operational location is separate from your residence.

That is about it ... the AFP will be issued to you about three weeks from filing date.

Excited about firing up the lawnmower and seeing how it runs on Ethanol.
thank you for the info I have been looking for it and just keep going to sites that did not fill right. can you PM me a link or post a link to where you filed for your AFP.

Thank you for your time,
ODP

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:10 am
by StillerBoy
outdoorplay wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:36 am can you PM me a link or post a link to where you filed for your AFP.
The original poster of the thread has not visited HD for almost a year and half.. plus he may not be around any more as his age would be up in the mid seventy.. try an email and see where it goes..

Mars

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:21 am
by cayars
This might help.
https://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/ ... mate-guide
https://www.ttb.gov/applications

Keep in mind if you register then you are on the radar screen. :)

Re: Just got my Fuel permit .... Tips ...

Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:47 am
by outdoorplay
cayars wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:21 am This might help.
https://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/ ... mate-guide
https://www.ttb.gov/applications

Keep in mind if you register then you are on the radar screen. :)
thank you