Oily rag disposal

[JDgreen227]

Every time I am done changing the oil in one of our numerous engines, I ALWAYS clean up any spilled oil or excess left in the drain pan after transferring the used oil to a container, and then immediately incinerate any oil soaked rags or paper towels in my burn pit. I know used motor oil isn't prone to spontaneous combustion, but for some reason I am really worried it MIGHT happen...and I don't know why...:laughing: I am just as much concerned about leaving rags soaked with gasoline or paint thinner lying abound...they get burnt immediately when I am done.

 

[RoyJackson]

I think that's a wise action...

 

[JDgreen227]

I think that's a wise action...

Even the 30-40 gallons of gas and diesel fuel I keep around here is pretty much stored in a metal cabinet well away from the house and main building. I have always been very careful with any possible causes of fire, perhaps because of my last name...Burns...:laughing:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Might want to also look into getting an oily waste container so you don't need to burn them all the time. :thumbsup:

 

[RoyJackson]

Might want to also look into getting an oily waste container so you don't need to burn them all the time. :thumbsup:

That's a good idea, CTF...
Pretty sure McMaster-Carr carries them.

 

[grsthegreat]

I keep any empty 1 gal paint can and use them to store old rags that have been soaked in anything that might be flammable. You can reuse them if needed, or after the can is full, my landfill will take it in hazardous section for free.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

That's a good idea, CTF...
Pretty sure McMaster-Carr carries them.

Pretty much every industrial supplier carries them. LSS, Grainger, MSC, etc...

 

[5030]

I do it differently from all of you.

I generate a lot of oily rags, oily rags and rags with coolant on them plus grease.

The really soaked ones get roasted however, the ones that can be cleaned go in a covered 5 gallon plastic pail that's about 1/3 full of a water/Aiken Purple Power (available at TSC) solution. That way I pre-treat/soak the dirty rags in a solution so they are wet and it gets them ready for my Maytag wringer washer treatment in the driveway when I accumulate a full 5 gallon bucket.

Why burn or landfill the reuseable ones when the Maytag can churn away for as long as it takes to get them clean.

After the Naytag treatment, I clothesline them and let them dry in the sun, put them in a 15 gallon plastic barrell and use again.

Spontaneous combustion can only occur with rags or cotton waste that's oily but dry and in a warm place conducive to containing the heat of degradation. Water/solution soaked rags can't combust.

Been doing it for years.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I am absolutely not passing judgement but I wonder what does more damage. Oil in the air or oil in the water.

I would guess burning would be better but then you have lost a good rag that needs to be manufactured so maybe making more pollution.

Carl

 

[JDgreen227]

Might want to also look into getting an oily waste container so you don't need to burn them all the time. :thumbsup:

I have a recreational firepit that I use also for burning oil soaked materials, I should have mentioned that the majority of them are paper towels and not cloth rags. My wife would have a FIT if she saw me putting oily or greasy rags in the washer. In the past I have tried soaking oily rags in a strong soap solution and then power washing them, with middling success, so I basically just use cheapo paper towels most of the time.

 

[chopped]

[QUOTE, I should have mentioned that the majority of them are paper towels and not cloth rags. My wife would have a FIT if she saw me putting oily or greasy rags in the washer.
The trick is to do it when she is at the mall :thumbsup:and be sure to use lots of lestoil..Seriously, I have two washers. And I use one for all the 'rags' and also my work cloths and jacket..Run them through several times ,and then hang them on the cloths line.
I can do that because in my house I am the Domestic Chore Boss
I do belive that the gassy ones would be more prone to ignite.
http://doe.wyo.gov/ProductionDocuments/OSHA/Tool Tips/oilyrags.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=3i7BMdVf7i8


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0ujMpOOzU4

 

[Qapla]

... My wife would have a FIT if she saw me putting oily or greasy rags in the washer...

Since one of the things I do is recycle metal, I have people give me perfectly good washing machines when they replace their old one.

Let me clarify that ... sometimes they are a bit rusty looking or beat up with dents ... but they still do what they were built to do, wash clothes.

We use one of the old ones to clean the rags that are washable and the wife doesn't care - she would never do laundry in the shop washer, especially since it is on the other side of the property from the house.

If the washer dies, I just replace it the next time I "acquire" another one.

I am absolutely not passing judgement but I wonder what does more damage. Oil in the air or oil in the water.

When washed with laundry detergent, the oil breaks down. If you need more breaking down - use dish soap - it breaks grease down. (You will have to rinse them several times if you use the dish soap). The discharge water is run onto the ground some distance from the shop and there has never been an "oil slick" in this area. In fact, the grass grows quite vigorous in this area. I think that burning would produce more VOC's into the air then washing puts into the ground - but that is a guess.

I might also mention that, on occasion, if we have a fire burning, we have been known to burn some of the rags.

 

[KML]

I store my rags in a metal oily rag can. The garage is attached to the house so I take the fire risk thing pretty seriously. Losing a shop full of tools is one thing, the family another. I figure it was $50 well spent.

When the can is full I put them in a trash bag and bring it to the county recycle center with the rest of our stuff (we recycle or compost nearly everything, we go 2 months usually between trips to the actual dump). The recycle center has an "amnesty area" where you can put any and everything that they don't have a specific spot for with no questions asked. I guess they figure it's better than them ending up who knows where.

 

[NevadaMOGuy]

Burn Right Burn Barrel.

Man, that thing gets hot fast. Nothing but ashes left.

Replace Your Burn Barrel With The Best Outdoor Burning Technology Available

 

[RoyJackson]

Burn Right Burn Barrel.

Man, that thing gets hot fast. Nothing but ashes left.

Replace Your Burn Barrel With The Best Outdoor Burning Technology Available

That barrel is kind of nice...but they cost close to $400!!!
Definitely check your state and locality laws first...even in my rural area, use of burn barrels is getting restricted.

 

[NevadaMOGuy]

Yeah, a bit on the pricey side but it is made out of stainless steel so my thinking was it is the last burn barrel I'll ever need. Cost base it to 10, 20etc years.

I was surprised it came in a box. You have to assemble the 4 curved sides and base ring.

I had that thing loaded up with carboard, shredded papers, grease rags and misc packing material. Everything going in less than half an hour, just white ash left.

Almost acts like an incinerator.

Now that was a fire! :shocked:

 

[JDgreen227]

That barrel is kind of nice...but they cost close to $400!!!
Definitely check your state and locality laws first...even in my rural area, use of burn barrels is getting restricted.

Same here, rural area, but restrictions on burn barrels are increasing. BTW, despite having to service my truck, tractor, 3 cars, numerous mowers and other lawn care equipment, I figure two rolls of premium, heavy duty paper towels a year is about all I need to dispose of. Hard to justify washing and reusing cloth towels when my outlay for disposables is only $4 a year.

Just serviced my GMC truck, it is messier than my other vehicles when I do an oil change and the lube job requires a lot of cleanup of grease, yet I only used a dozen paper towels. The others are less messy and the cars do not require greasing.

 

[Bird]

Now I've been told by a fellow who knows a great deal more than I about fires and fire fighting that petroleum products will not spontaneously combust; however . . . many years ago, we had an unusual metal "rack" that held our garbage bags. It then had a hinged plastic lid; not airtight by any means. But one very hot summer Saturday afternoon, I changed oil and filters and greased 2 of our vehicles. I used one of my old discarded white t-shirts for a grease rag. When I finished, I threw that rag in that garbage bag, took a shower, and we went out to eat.

When we returned, I parked in the driveway and went in the house through the garage. As soon as I entered the garage, I smelled fire and ran through the house looking for the source, only to realize the strongest odor was in the garage, and was coming from that garbage bag. The bag had been about half full when I threw the t-shirt in it, but then while I was showering, my wife had thrown another little bag of trash in it on top of the t-shirt. I nearly burned my hand lifting that little sack of trash out of the garbage bag and my old t-shirt had not yet burst into flames, but was soiidly charred dark brown and too hot for me to touch.

I do believe if we'd been gone another hour or less, our house would have been burned. Needless to say, I've been very careful ever since. When I was working on air tools, I put such rags in a small metal garbage can with metal lid sitting on concrete in the shop out away from the wall until I was ready to burn them in the burn barrel. Otherwise, I carefully spread such rags somewhere that they get plenty of air.

 

[JDgreen227]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Bird. I cannot help but wonder what was in that small bag of trash your wife put atop your greasy t-shirt...could there possibly have been something in that bag that caused a chemical reaction with the grease on the shirt? When I initially began this thread, I was wondering if anyone would report something like your story.

 

[Bird]

could there possibly have been something in that bag that caused a chemical reaction with the grease on the shirt?

I don't think so, primarily because nothing showed signs of burning or about to burn except the t-shirt, but I don't guess I could swear there wasn't something else that helped it along.