How do I avoid "discharging oil"?

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by SSgtPitt

Apparently there are a lot of boats out there that dump the sump into the bilge. That seems pretty nasty to me, cleaning the hair and spootem out of the sump is bad enough, I can’t imagine intentionally dumping that into my bilge and then having to pump it overboard.
I have a Perkins 4108, it leaks oil. Research says nothing will stop it no matter how expensive the seals are. Good thing I have a sump under the engine that doesn’t drain to the bilge.

My 4-108 dripped oil too. I replaced it with a Kubota (BetaMarine). Now my bilge is spotless. You should consider getting rid of that antique.

My shower drains into the bilge. It was built that way. I have made attempts to add a sump and had poor results. The shower draining into the bilge keeps it clean. And my 33 Y.O boat is still on the original bilge pump.

[cal40john]

There are also filters being sold

https://www.vetus.com/en/engines-and...9-mm-hose.html

This has to be put on your small dry the bilge pump, it handles up to 6 gallons/minute.

[donradcliffe]

Two-stroke outboards dump oil in the water every time you run them. Are they illegal??

[KadeyKrogen38]

Vetus sells a oil water separator for bildge water

[Cheechako]

Incidental is not a big deal, but You can float a piece of that oil absorbent pad in your bilge. The oil lays on top and the absorbent picks it up. Works quite well. Put one under your engine too.
Or they make a more expensive sock for the bilge purpose.
You are required to employ "best management practices". The sock would qualify.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by SSgtPitt

Apparently there are a lot of boats out there that dump the sump into the bilge. That seems pretty nasty to me, cleaning the hair and spootem out of the sump is bad enough, I can’t imagine intentionally dumping that into my bilge and then having to pump it overboard.
I have a Perkins 4108, it leaks oil. Research says nothing will stop it no matter how expensive the seals are. Good thing I have a sump under the engine that doesn’t drain to the bilge.

I have Perkins 4-154 and you are correct, the mechanics tell me that even if I replacd the rear seal it will leak again after a few hours. Just like all British designs. I had a Triumph TR-350, same thing. Oil pans and shower sumps are nothing new. My boat, built in 1982, also has an oil pan under the engine and grey water gets pumped overboard from a sump.

Previous boat was a Cal29 with Atomic4. It may have had an engine pan but I'm pretty sure the shower in the head just drained into the bilge. Not much room on a smaller boat for niceties. If your shower drains in to the bilge and you cannot install a sump, you must add a very small amount of bleach to your bilge whenever you get that ugly grey water smell on board.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by stormalong

My 4-108 dripped oil too. I replaced it with a Kubota (BetaMarine). Now my bilge is spotless. You should consider getting rid of that antique.

My shower drains into the bilge. It was built that way. I have made attempts to add a sump and had poor results. The shower draining into the bilge keeps it clean. And my 33 Y.O boat is still on the original bilge pump.

I think too much is made of shower going to the bilge as long as you catch the hair etc before it goes down. But I never liked the plastic sump collection/float switch approach for a shower. I did like a simple pump connected to the shower drain that pumped the water out of the shower overboard with no collection box or float switch. Just had a switch on the cabinet you could activate while in the shower.

[jhulmer]

Originally Posted by DotDun

Shower (gray) water does not go in the bilge, if it's below the waterline, it goes to a sump and is pumped out separately from the bilge pumps. Above the waterline, it's plumbed straight out.

And, keep the bilge clean (as possible). There is typically a well under an engine to contain oil so it never gets to the bilge.

jsc7
It can sometimes be a tough crowed here on new folks trying to learn.

But this is my answer also - as I understand it now you are required to keep the engine bilge separate from the boat bilge for just this reason. You are required to prevent any oil from being pumped overboard.

I believe some state or locals are trying/have stopped all discharge, even gray water.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by waterman46

I have Perkins 4-154 and you are correct, the mechanics tell me that even if I replacd the rear seal it will leak again after a few hours. Just like all British designs. I had a Triumph TR-350, same thing. Oil pans and shower sumps are nothing new. My boat, built in 1982, also has an oil pan under the engine and grey water gets pumped overboard from a sump.

Previous boat was a Cal29 with Atomic4. It may have had an engine pan but I'm pretty sure the shower in the head just drained into the bilge. Not much room on a smaller boat for niceties. If your shower drains in to the bilge and you cannot install a sump, you must add a very small amount of bleach to your bilge whenever you get that ugly grey water smell on board.

Amazingly my 1985 4-108 never leaked a drop. None , anywhere. I dont know what they did in that time frame but it always amazes me when people say their 4-108 leaks. I was lucky I guess!

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by jsc7

A naive reading of the boating laws suggests that it is "illegal" to discharge oil into US waterways, but simple logic dictates that every single boat over about 25 feet in length discharges oil.

For example, residual oil and other chemicals used on a boat will collect in the bilge, then as soon as somebody takes a shower, the bilge will fill with soapy water and discharge. Therefore, the boat will be pouring soapy water mixed with oil and other chemicals into the water.

What is the story on this? Everybody just knows this and ignores the law and it goes unenforced unless the oil discharge is large?

Awesome question!👍‼️
Refreshing to hear a potential boat owner asking questions on how to NOT be a polluter.
Since there are separate answers to those problems, it requires some research on how to effectively resolve them.

Generally, oily residue in your bilge is due to mechanical issues or maintainance.
First, ABSORBANT PADS, for oil,in the engine pan, in the bilge area, rolled up or laid flat absorb heavy oils, be sure to change them, don't wait till they are soaked thru.

Second, INSPECT, mechanical apparatus needs frequent inspection to catch problems before they become bigger problems.

Third, PLANNING, Have a plan, for oil changes, filter changes, hoses, antifreeze, ect. This involves catching residues before they get to the bilge.
Funnels, small containers, rags (lots of them), vacume hand pumps to pump from small containers into bigger containers, as it can be extremely difficult to get under or around things. Soon you'll have found a combination of items that work best on your vessel.

Fourth, divert or catch all other liquids not legal for OB ejection, this is up to you to decide how to retain for disposal at a PUMPOUT or into containers for off loading to disposal sites.
Greywater tanks, shower sumps, direct discharge thru hulls, are regulated by local and state/federal laws.
NO DISCHARGE ZONES are exactly what they say they are❗️
In most cases, being truly eco friendly is a real PITA❗️Not easy!!!
You'll find that it's not impossible to do these enviroment friendly things.

THANKS SO MUCH for asking the question, I hope this post generates lots of answers & helpful comments to all.

Cheers,
SVCloud Duster

[Olddan1943]

It is difficult to stop gray water discharge in an commercially active sea port or the Great Lakes. The GL has trouble with the dumping of ballast water from freighter from the ocean.

[wrwakefield]

JSC7,

One way to prevent the primary bilge pump [e.g., the one responsible for keeping the bilge as dry as possible] from pumping a small amount of fuel or oil overboard is to keep oil absorbent material [e.g., pads and/or mats, etc.] in the bilge, and monitor/change them as necessary.

For larger spills [e.g., unknown fuel leak to engine... think gallons...] some electronic [solid state] bilge pump switches will not activate the pump if the liquid is not conducting [e.g., impure water] Since water is heavier than oil, water would be pumped out first and the pump would shut off when the thicker oil layer is reached.

As many have mentioned, grey water from shower, sinks, etc. is best discharged separately from the bilge. There are several reasons for this:

-Some already mentioned are the extra cleaning required of the bilge and unnecessarily keeping the bilge wet...

-Another reason is that any soap or detergent in the water with the oil absorbent pads/mats will cause the pads to saturate with water- ruining their ability to absorb oil. A shower sump [or IC pump from Whale, etc.] is cheap compared to unnecessarily replacing oil absorbent pads over time...

Best wishes with your search!

Cheers! Bill

[zeehag]

oilsorb didies for dripping and vinegar for body scuzz. my ericson had bilge shower drainage, vinegar post shower kept odor to zilch. vinegar neutralizes much that ails us. try it. donot like smell of vinegar/?? is clean smell. follow the vinegar with bilge soap. flush. no issue.
your odor issues are due solely to your cleanliness habits.

[Maka]

Put an oil / fuel absorbent "Diaper" in the bilge under your engine.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-...06_186_007_506

I keep a deep inventory of these and one is always under the engine. I pay $1.00 ea for them
You can tell by looking at it if it has absorbed any oil or fuel. Then remove it into an appropriate container on board to be disposed of properly on shore.

I like Simple Green for keeping my bilges clean. Leave a little in the bilge / shower sump and it will slosh around while underway cleaning as it does

[Howler]

Technically, anything that causes a sheen on the water surface is an oil spill. One practical suggestion is when taking on fuel, stop short of full. Diesel is pumped out of underground tanks that are colder than the air in the summer. When the fuel is pumped it expands and can overflow through the air vent. The sound of the fueling process changes when approaching full. As soon as the sound changes, stop fueling.