Dirty Motor Oil – What Do You Do With It Now?
Posted on: 16 March 2016
When you change the oil in your vehicle, there may be some question about what to do with the old oil that you have just drained out of the engine. Here, you will find out exactly what you can do with that dirty oil each time you replace it with new.
Recycle It
When you take your used motor oil to your local recycling facility, they have many options in which the used oil will be recycled.
- Electricity – Power plants may purchase the used oil to burn to produce electricity.
- Lubricant – Dirty oil can be cleaned and re-refined to create lubricating oil.
- Heat – Dirty oil can be re-refined and used to heat homes and businesses. In some large, commercial oil heating systems, the oil doesn't even need to be re-refined – it can be burned as it comes out of your car.
- Blending Diesel Fuel – Diesel fuel is sometimes blended with used oil to power heavy-duty truck engines.
- Road Resurfacing – When roads are blacktopped, the process requires heavy oil and gravel to be mixed together. Used motor oil is sometimes used to create the asphalt driveway and roads that you drive on each day.
Reuse It
If you don't have a recycling center nearby or you want to find alternative uses for your used motor oil, you are in luck. There are a few ways that you can reuse the oil and benefit from it.
- Undercoating – If you drive an older vehicle that is beginning to rust underneath, you can use dirty motor oil to coat the undercarriage and frame. This will help to slow the corrosion process and buy you some more time with your vehicle. You can also undercoat your lawn care equipment to protect it from corrosion as well.
- Maggot Elimination – If you have a lot of flies making your trash their home, you can use old motor oil to get rid of them. Since motor oil contains permethrin, it will kill maggots when it comes into contact with them. Simply pour the used motor oil in your trash can coating the sides and bottom well. Any maggots or eggs that are in the trash can will quickly die and the fly problems will be no more.
- Heat – If you have a big garage that you would like to heat, you can install an oil furnace to heat it. Oil furnaces run hot and can keep large open spaces very warm. Just be sure to invest in one that doesn't require the oil to be re-refined before it can be burned.
The oil that has served its purpose in your vehicle should never be thrown out. Always take the time to recycle or reuse it.
For engine oil, contact a company such as Petro Florida.
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