Well. cold weather has settled in again, and you can bet
your bottom dollar that quite a few folks are scratching
for an effective, inexpensive way to heat their
homes this winter season. Many such people have turned to
wood as a source of warmth for their abodes … but, of
course, not all of us have the kind of access to low-cost
Happily, though, MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ crew of researchers came up with
a dandy little furnace last winter that uses waste motor oil–drained from cars, trucks,
buses, etc.–as a source of (for the most part)
free fuel! Better yet, the stove is so simple in
design that just about anyone can build it in a day’s time
… for a total cost of less than $40!
Of course, the used
lubricant taken from an automobile’s crankcase is bound to
be dirty, so it must be filtered before use …
and–unless you want to spend a lot of time and money
(not to mention energy) on a complicated system of hoses,
pumps, and filters–we think the best way to go about
tidying up your “motor squeezin’s” is to fashion a waste oil filter. Give it a try … and happy heating!