Big shout out to whoever left their used oil in a plastic milk carton on the automotive shelf. The hole in the container was a bonus. Runner up award to the person who left their used oil and labeled it. Second runner up to whoever used the red suction hose to extract fluid, then put it on the shelf in such a way that it leaked on the floor next to Big Thunder.
This somehow feels apropos
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Can you elucidate on time-frame? (When did you take these pics, for example?)
I took the pictures when I arrived today about 11:00 AM. I left last night night around 8:30 PM and the fluid was not on the floor, but I didnât notice if the used oil was on the shelf at that time. As always, rather than merely complain, I am willing to watch video to identify the perp.
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I checked the video, its been there since at least 10/28/2019
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We know who left it. I think. @hon1nbo & I talked to him. Someone previously to him left oil/water in the drain. The guy who left the oil jugs went & did an oil change. When he went to collect his oil, he was surprised with water left in it. Oreillyâs wouldnât take it, big I think there.
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the oil+coolant was permitted to stay there since the oâreillys wouldnât take it (wasnât his fault ,was fault of previous catch user).
The red transfer siphon is news to me but I know who it was.
Thanks for response guys. Iâll climb off my high horse. :-)
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When I left this evening, I had some room left in my used oil container, so I took what I could from the gallon milk container of old oil. I believe the level is below the hole in the container.
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So, I have a question, and I put this to the committeeâŚwhat would happen if we said no oil changes at the space. It is a recurring problem, and at the end of the day, an oil change at a quick spot is 20 bucks when you bring your own materials. I know we have a handful of members that have stories of drain plug issues and idiots asking to change air filters that are brand new.
We either need to escalate punishment or just outright ban the activity.
For example, in days of yore, fleeing arrest was a misdemeanor, and was common amongst the motorcycle community. If you got tagged doing 120 in a 65, and you ran, it was just another charge if you were caught. A few years ago, they made it a felony to run and most people decided the risks far outweighed the chance of getting away.
I say we are at a point that we either increase the penalty or outlaw the action.
Am I off base here?
No, we donât. We could just get an oil collection drum and allow people to dispose of their used oil on site.
All these solutions have their own issues, but Iâll vote for the one that expands what we offer over one that restricts simple, beginner friendly skills and removes an easy path into the hobby any day.
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Having messes left from oil changes is a recurring problem but Iâd stop short of saying itâs a frequent problem. Itâs just that we have 10 times as many members as a few years ago and so naturally this happens 10 times as frequently.
So far weâre dealing with it by noticing when it happens, grumbling a bit, and someone volunteering to deal with it (not always in that order). Considering the negative impact to members if we banned oil changes, I think this solution is still effective enough to avoid having to do that.
Thatâs not to say we couldnât look for even more effective solutions though.
I would agree there are other solutions. I wouldnât be opposed to a collection drum as long as they will take whatever nonsense would end up in it.
An oil change is something that is so simple, we should really encourage them at the space. Unfortunately, we have people that canât figure out how to dispose of their fluids properly.
I would agree we can try other methods, but our current one doesnt dissuade people from doing the things they do.
We have a far worse problem with just messes in general around the space. This isnât unique to auto, and prohibiting oil changes wouldnât be a viable solution going forward. Look at the wood shop, the metal shop, etc. They all have problems with less than excellent members leaving messes of things.
Makerspaces will get messy, it comes with the territory. Enforcing the existing rules will be the long term solution for these types of problems. Things like starting a collection drum may help reduce the problem, but it will nearly certainly still exist. Itâs already not hard to simply bottle up the fluids you came in with and haul them out, yet we still have the problem of people not doing it because they arenât being excellent members to begin with.
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If DMS is going to collect fluids for disposal then we need to charge for it because we will have to pay to dispose it. The cost should be calculated based on what a barrel of oil and coolant is mixed together cost to get rid of, since someone will surely mix it up, increasing our cost of disposal. Make it 2X that cost because of all the time it takes to arrange or take to processor plus the cost of the barrel.
If it is $6 gallon, then a 5 quart oil change would be about $7.50, coolant would be about twice that based on volume. Leave oil here or coolant here like they are now - then they owe that. Donât pay it and it is treated like any other cost not paid to DMS.
My guess is people will find it worth their time to dispose of it free themselves. Machine Shop disposes of Haas coolant, fortunately we are able to reduce the volume by heating it and evaporating the water, which by volume is 90%+.
Iâm reminded of a story I hear occasionally about a shopkeep in a small town in days gone by who, like most tenderos of the day, allowed customers âtabsâ, or lines of credit, which were expected to be paid âon timeâ. Said shopkeep discovered that some people âwould never payâ. He further discovered that he had little leverage over them on his own, but it turns out, he found a way to turn âthe communityâ against those who did not âsettle upâ. Cut off ALL âtabsâ until nobody was delinquent. This leveraged the community to figure out who was behind, and get them caught up. Then the credit would become available again.
Despite knowing this, would issuing a restriction (e.g. re-training required, licensed oil changes only) cause enough of a buzz to reach those of us who appear ignorant of those requirements on keeping this community resource working?
Very good point. Abandoned oil gets a lot of press, (itâs my most frequent whine), but probably is no more frequent than messes elsewhere at the Space. Schooling offenders doesât always mean banning them (reminding myself here). A warning from the Chair, as happened here, and highlighting the poor behavior May be called for instead of bans in some cases.
Oil recyclers charge you to place a container and collect oil?
Edit: Wow, I just called one place. To come pick up oil they charge $50 plus 0.30 per gallon. Iâm in the wrong business. These people charge you money to get raw material for their fuel oil business. Amazing and somehow rubs me the wrong way.
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If it is âcleanâ oil your OK, you declare its all motor oil without anything else. If not clean, they generally wonât touch it and you have to pay to dispose of as hazardous waste. As can be seen by the multiple times people mix the stuff and leave it, the odds a barrel of oil or antifreeze wouldnât be contaminated by someone who doesnât give a flip is extremely low.
Also, businesses are treated differently than individuals. As an individual, you can drop off your used oil and coolant at most chain auto parts stores. DMS as a business can not do that.
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Their charge increases to $1.50/gallon if there is antifreeze in it. So one idiot could potentially quintuple the pickup costs. Thatâll never, ever work with the idiots we have in the membership unless we default charge to ~$2 per gallon ($1.50 plus trip charge).