Smudge Pot - Anyone?

[BritKLR]

Mountain rant......Nothing like driving 45 minutes one-way just find out their oil recycling tanks are full or out of service due to someone making a mess and then having to schlep it back up the mountain for next time. This applies equally to O'Reilly's, Napa, etc.....

I recently inherited an old boiler fire box from the mining days and hope to turn it into the gates of hell incinerator.....we'll see.

 

[nakman]

Douglas out here they make you fill out a sign-in sheet with your name and address, and how much used oil you're bringing... not sure why, or what if anything that data would be used for. Just speculating, but if I were doing something illegal I'd probably not use my actual name there? And yeah they limit it to 5 gallons. At least most stores will put a sign on the door that says "oil drum full" so you can learn that status before you get the oil out of the back of the truck..

 

[DouglasVB]

Douglas out here they make you fill out a sign-in sheet with your name and address, and how much used oil you're bringing... not sure why, or what if anything that data would be used for. Just speculating, but if I were doing something illegal I'd probably not use my actual name there? And yeah they limit it to 5 gallons. At least most stores will put a sign on the door that says "oil drum full" so you can learn that status before you get the oil out of the back of the truck..

Wow that's wild! I drop off my oil anonymously here in California.

 

[RayRay27]

Douglas out here they make you fill out a sign-in sheet with your name and address, and how much used oil you're bringing... not sure why, or what if anything that data would be used for. Just speculating, but if I were doing something illegal I'd probably not use my actual name there? And yeah they limit it to 5 gallons. At least most stores will put a sign on the door that says "oil drum full" so you can learn that status before you get the oil out of the back of the truck..

The Autozone on 128th and Colorado will take as much as you can drop off and you don't need to fill any paperwork out. I usually wait until I have done the oil on all three vehicles before I take it in. No questions asked.

 

[jps8460]

KOH is usually 10degres warmer than 29palms due to smudge pots and hot exhaust.

 

[nuclearlemon]

Was that a state rule to limit oil take backs?

Out here in California as long as I'm not dragging in a 55 gallon drum, the auto parts stores will take it back no questions asked even if I didn't buy it from them.

it varies by state and local laws. california epa requires all places that sell motor oil to take back used oil for recycling. colorado does not have that law, but most auto parts stores do it out of policy, but it's surprising how many times the tank is "full"

 

[DaveInDenver]

it varies by state and local laws. california epa requires all places that sell motor oil to take back used oil for recycling. colorado does not have that law, but most auto parts stores do it out of policy, but it's surprising how many times the tank is "full"

Well, to be the devil's advocate there needs to be somewhere for it to go.

I'm lucky because Mesa County has household hazardous waste processing, so an automatic place for oil, anti-freeze, brake fluid, batteries, paint, even dead electronics.

I asked them once what they do with the oil. They sell whatever they can but they just need to know (or test it I suppose) to classify it as either used or waste, the two are not the same thing. 'Used' oil can be reprocessed, maybe even back to its original use, while 'waste' is contaminated and usually only economically suitable for things like fuel oil and if they can't sell it they might just have to burn it off.

My point is if no one's collecting or buying it then it seems plausible their tank will sometimes be full. If you have good quality used oil it's probably fairly easy to sell, if you get people dumping brake fluid and antifreeze in your tank you only have waste oil and might be harder to sell. The tourist trains only run in the summer, people only need heaters in the winter. Seems like demand will be all over the place seasonally.

 

[CardinalFJ60]

so you're saying i shoooouuuldn't dump brake fluid in the waste oil bin? just kidding, I wouldn't do that, I dump it in @bh4rnnr 's gas tank. oh, hey, maybe that's the hesitation you're getting?

 

[nakman]

I actually have experience with waste disposal, even hazardous waste. In each case you have to complete a waste profile, identifying what is included in said drum of waste. So even though it's old CNC machine cutting fluid, it's actually ___% cutting fluid, ___% water, ___% other oils, %____ other contaminants etc. You do your best to be accurate, but it never really is.

but I'm going to speculate that the waste profile down at O'Riley's says something like 60% waste motor oil, 10% gear oil, 10% brake fluid, 10% atf, 10% other stuff... or something like that. I would fully expect them to expect a mixture of waste automotive fluids being dumped in to the same tank, would find it hard to believe anyone disposing of their waste fluids would take the time to segregate them. there's only one drum back there.

 

[rover67]

For Boulder County residents (and others for a fee)

Hazardous Waste

bouldercounty.gov

They take kinda anything, it's pretty great.

Paul, next time think about it when the auto parts places are full. Their hours aren't super convenient but the fact that they take basically anything offsets that. They also have a area where you can take stuff for free.. spray paint, CLR, WD-40, paint stripper, simple green, the little green propane cannisters, whatever.. its kind of rotating stock but nice to peruse when you're there dropping off.

 

[DaveInDenver]

so you're saying i shoooouuuldn't dump brake fluid in the waste oil bin? just kidding, I wouldn't do that, I dump it in @bh4rnnr 's gas tank. oh, hey, maybe that's the hesitation you're getting?

If kerosene works, why not gasoline?

 

[nuclearlemon]

i just used two kia oil changes to coat the deck on my trailer, but we have an oil burning heater at the shop where i work, so that's nice. for the mixed stuff, i also have a lot of anthills.

 

[MarkEva]

All mine goes to O’Reily’s.

 

[Inukshuk]

Douglas out here they make you fill out a sign-in sheet with your name and address . . .

I always mispell Nackmnn

i just used two kia oil changes to coat the deck on my trailer, but we have an oil burning heater at the shop where i work, so that's nice. for the mixed stuff, i also have a lot of anthills.

#WyomingRecycling: "Putting it back in the ground for future generations."

 

[cbmontgo]

Mountain rant......Nothing like driving 45 minutes one-way just find out their oil recycling tanks are full or out of service due to someone making a mess and then having to schlep it back up the mountain for next time. This applies equally to O'Reilly's, Napa, etc.....

I recently inherited an old boiler fire box from the mining days and hope to turn it into the gates of hell incinerator.....we'll see.

This is the issue we've had up here too. Only O'Reilly and AutoZone will recycle oil in Woodland Park and both have tanks that are full. Supposedly the EPA tested their tanks and found coolant and other chemicals that people had dumped in there. So, the closest recycle option is in the Springs.

Long story short, my wife got me a smudge pot for Christmas last year and I'm starting to actually use it.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

Douglas out here they make you fill out a sign-in sheet with your name and address, and how much used oil you're bringing... not sure why, or what if anything that data would be used for. Just speculating, but if I were doing something illegal I'd probably not use my actual name there? And yeah they limit it to 5 gallons. At least most stores will put a sign on the door that says "oil drum full" so you can learn that status before you get the oil out of the back of the truck..

I've never filled out anything when dumping used oil at the parts house...

 

[rover67]

Oh yeah and the NAPA on Arapahoe in Boulder just takes jugs of used oil up to 5 max. you just have to give it to them in jugs I use the Windshield washer fluid and old oil jugs. I have also never given my info for used oil drop off

 

[OilHammer]

Hmmm….new nickname handle for Largeone?