Re-using oil contaminated with water

[SR5]

I would buy fresh oil just to be safe.

But for the sake of argument, I tend to agree, if the oil & water wasn't turned into an emulsion, you would expect it to separate out with time. But I'm guessing, I have never done the experiment to test this out, and it's not pure oil so the detergents present may have an effect. Also don't car engines get water condensation due to short tripping, and isn't the solution a long drive to warm up the oil and evaporate the water?

When I drain water from some old air compressors, from the bottom of the chamber. The water comes out first, then the oil second, then the air. So I would drain off the water from below, until fresh oil was coming out.

Except I probably wouldn't risk it, except maybe on an old beater I just didn't care about.

I'm not saying do it……I'm just saying I can see where you are coming from.

 

[LubeLuke]

Have you never heard of a ventilated lid?
You must not be aware that using oil is a common occurrence in a kitchen. Not to mention it is only 100c. A relatively cool temperature considering ovens are usually around 200c, and frying pans too are well above 100c. Have you never used oil in a frying pan? It's really not as dangerous as you make it out to be. If you cannot perform this task you likely need specialised home care assistance to perform your daily duties.

 

[Garak]

Anyone who tries to fry or boil motor oil in a kitchen needs a different kind of specialized care.

 

[Brad_C]

Originally Posted By: LubeLuke
Have you never heard of a ventilated lid?
You must not be aware that using oil is a common occurrence in a kitchen. Not to mention it is only 100c. A relatively cool temperature considering ovens are usually around 200c, and frying pans too are well above 100c. Have you never used oil in a frying pan? It's really not as dangerous as you make it out to be. If you cannot perform this task you likely need specialised home care assistance to perform your daily duties.


I can tell you from experience that heating oil is completely different to heating oil that is contaminated with water, but hey give it a go and let us know how it goes for you.

When I do it, I do it outside in a rapidly stirred beaker with filter paper weighted on the top. The explosions of boiling water pushing its way up through the oil makes a very hot _mess_. By keeping it rapidly stirred it helps keep the water broken up and keeps the spitting down. You'll only try it in a pot on the stove once!

 

[NormanBuntz]

I'd either save it for my chain saw bar oil or take it to the recycling center.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
Originally Posted By: packerlover
No! Oil has detergents designed to keep everything in suspension, including water.

Go ahead and pour water in any motor oil and see how long it stays in suspension, ain't happnin'...


If the oil is just sitting, the water will eventually separate from the oil, but it takes time. Or if you just pour water into sitting oil, they will separate very quickly. However motor oil does have emulsifiers and all it takes is oil being moved, shaken or pumped for the water to emulsify into the oil and stay in suspension for a quite some time. There is, of course, a limit to this. The more water in the oil, the harder it will be for it to mix with oil and it will separate from the oil quicker.

 

[WobblyElvis]

I'm so cheap, I'd just pour off what water I could see and put the rest right back in the engine. Drive the car for an hour or two to get it good and hot.

 

[meborder]

Originally Posted By: LubeLuke
Have you never heard of a ventilated lid?
You must not be aware that using oil is a common occurrence in a kitchen. Not to mention it is only 100c. A relatively cool temperature considering ovens are usually around 200c, and frying pans too are well above 100c. Have you never used oil in a frying pan? It's really not as dangerous as you make it out to be. If you cannot perform this task you likely need specialised home care assistance to perform your daily duties.


Go ahead and show me how its done then. I obviously did it wrong with the candle wax, so show me how it is done with oil.

I use oil for cooking all the time. And one way I test the oil to see if its hot is to place a drop of water in the oil. I don't hold mu hand very close though

You are obviously smarter than the rest of us, so make us a tutorial video.

I'd kinda like to see how you put out an oil fire, too.

If I were going to try this, it would be in a big pot in an oven less than 200f and just slowly evaporate it out. Do NOT try to boil it out.

 

[kmrcstintn]

my thinking...nope

 

[LubeLuke]

I have boiled oil before. The ventilated lid stops the oil from going everywhere.

I'm not sure how you would start a fire. The flash point on most engine oils is over 200c So unless you are using a cook's torch or something similar to heat it then the chances of a flame from underneath the pot from igniting fumes from the oil above it are very small.

You people obviously have very little experience with cooking. How about when frozen goods go into a frying pan or deep fryer, like happens in virtually every fast food restaurant. Frozen goods often have ice attached. There are no problems. Just don't hold your hand directly over it.

You people probably wear gloves when cooking so you don't cut your fingers....

 

[IndyIan]

If you've got an old pot kicking around, it would be interesting to slowly boil the water out on a BBQ outside. If you don't overheat the oil I bet it wouldn't be significantly different than uncontaminated oil.
Given the price of oil there and if the car is fairly old, it would be an acceptable risk IMO.

 

[DoubleWasp]

The boil-off theories assume that they water itself in no way harms the makeup of the oil. I'd investigate this before considering doing such a thing.

 

[packerlover]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
Originally Posted By: packerlover
No! Oil has detergents designed to keep everything in suspension, including water.

Go ahead and pour water in any motor oil and see how long it stays in suspension, ain't happnin'...


If it has been run a while in the engine and has turned a chocolate milk color, it will not separate. And seriously, would you risk damaging an engine rather than just changing the oil?