How to dispose of brake fluid...

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down the drain. It's biodegradable (DOT3 and 4, but not 5), like antifreeze. Brake fluid and antifreeze are contaminants if you want to recycle used oil.

http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=2718

"When items such as water, gasoline, antifreeze, paint thinner, solvents, and other automobile fluids (brake fluid, degreasers, and cleaners) are mixed with used motor oil, it can contaminate the oil and eliminate its potential for recycling."
 
Originally Posted By: oilyriser
down the drain. It's biodegradable (DOT3 and 4, but not 5), like antifreeze. Brake fluid and antifreeze are contaminants if you want to recycle used oil.

http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=2718

"When items such as water, gasoline, antifreeze, paint thinner, solvents, and other automobile fluids (brake fluid, degreasers, and cleaners) are mixed with used motor oil, it can contaminate the oil and eliminate its potential for recycling."


Ahh. That makes sense now.

Last year I took my 5 gal jug of used oil to the recycle pickup and they asked me if it was just oil - I forgot that it had about a quart of M1 synthetic ATF in there. They took it anyway, but I've made a point to collect pristine used oil (oxymoron).
 
My local independent oil change place will take any mixture of fluids, oil, atf, gear lube, brake fluid, but not anti-freeze or water.
 
Mineral spirits can be recycled along with oil, but there's a flammability problem. ATF should be fine, along with any petroleum distillate or synthetic oil (not sure about esters, though).
 
ATF and motor oil are the same thing, ATF is just dyed red and has different addtives and is like a 5W motor oil.
Mixing brake fluid in with the oil does not set off a flag if the oil is tested. sames goes for gear oils.
antifreeze can actually be mixed in as well, however most places won't take oil mixed with antifreeze/water because they believe it would contaminate the used oil. In reality, it's filtered out at the recycle plant. The oil collection company I used to use said he'd take the antifreeze and told me it's a no-no because it takes longer to separate vs. just straight oil.
 
There's a company selling cans of glycol with a wick, to use as a heat source for camp cooking. It might be from waste coolant, but I'm not sure.
 
In all the repair shops I have worked in, putting old brake fluid in the waste oil tank was standard procedure. The oil disposal companies always accepted the waste oil.

However, I have been to auto parts stores where brake fluid is not accepted at all.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
In all the repair shops I have worked in, putting old brake fluid in the waste oil tank was standard procedure. The oil disposal companies always accepted the waste oil.

However, I have been to auto parts stores where brake fluid is not accepted at all.


yes but when brake fluid, tranny fluid, gear oil, etc is mixed into the used oil; they never know or care. It is only antifreeze that is the big "no-no".

Most of the above mentioned are accepted but it is funny how if they know you have tranny fluid they say they can't accept it when all it is is 10wt oil with red dye LOL. I used to be a parts guy so parts people who are stupid tend to especially annoy me.
 
Pour the used brake fluid into a box of powdered Tide Detergent.


Seriously don't do that...it autoignites.

Mix it in used oil and recycle it. It will burn fine for heat and it will refine out in the rerefining process.
 
Originally Posted By: FastSUV
Originally Posted By: artificialist
In all the repair shops I have worked in, putting old brake fluid in the waste oil tank was standard procedure. The oil disposal companies always accepted the waste oil.

However, I have been to auto parts stores where brake fluid is not accepted at all.


yes but when brake fluid, tranny fluid, gear oil, etc is mixed into the used oil; they never know or care. It is only antifreeze that is the big "no-no".

Most of the above mentioned are accepted but it is funny how if they know you have tranny fluid they say they can't accept it when all it is is 10wt oil with red dye LOL. I used to be a parts guy so parts people who are stupid tend to especially annoy me.

I have been told that ATF additives would be the problem, not ATF itself.

However, it is another item that oil recyclers gladly take and convert into home heating oil.
 
Originally Posted By: oilyriser
There's a company selling cans of glycol with a wick, to use as a heat source for camp cooking. It might be from waste coolant, but I'm not sure.


hehe that makes me think of sterno's
 
I mix it in with used oil and take it to the auto parts store. I was told in a thread I posted a while back that the process they use to re-refine used oil gets everything out. To a degree I believe that, but still would never pour re-refined oil into my car.
 
for me, motor oil, atf, gear lube and brake fluid all get mixed and taken to the local auto parts store for disposal. antifreeze goes down the drain at the house (non-septic system).
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I mix it in with used oil and take it to the auto parts store. I was told in a thread I posted a while back that the process they use to re-refine used oil gets everything out. To a degree I believe that, but still would never pour re-refined oil into my car.


Crude oil pumped out of the ground has worse things in it than brake fluid.
 
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