Oily Waste Management

[markpj23]

IMHO it's a travesty that most boat manufacturers ignore the issue of handling oily waste from crankcase oil changes and fuel filter cleaning. Having spent more than a few minutes holding a drip pan beneath a RACOR and/or using those empty plastic gallon water jugs to take the discharge from my oil drain pump, I have to believe there's a BETTER way.

I'm considering installing a low-profile poly tank in the engine room to handle oily waste. 3 to 5 gallons capacity would be all I'd need. It would of course have a carrying handle on it and be removable. I would run flex tubing from the RACOR bowls and probably install a ball valve so that draining the filters would be quick & painless. Oil change pump discharge would also be routed to the tank.

Wondering if anyone has created a similar setup? And why the heck don't pleasure boat manufacturers have an oily waste handling system as standard equipment?? Don't they realize us pleasure boaters change oil too? If you're lucky enough to get an oil change pump as standard equipment, they still don't address where you're supposed to put the stuff...

[hellosailor]

Oil? Whaddayamean, there's someplace on the boat that needs oil?

Remember, you are dealing with the pleasure boat market. Your solution takes up space, costs more to install, reduces shop labor fees on repairs and maintenance. A bad bad thing, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Even the placement of the oil filter (which should be open-end up so it can't drip out oil when it is unspun) gets determined by accountants, not engineers, so it is cheapest to build.

Since I don't keep waste oil on hand for any length of time I don't think I'd want to commit to tankage for it. The suction pump (worth every penny)can be carried to a waste tank and dumped, or a conventional drain (illegal on boats?) and a blivet work fine to get it out the bottom. Buy a box of wine, keep the bladder, use it for waste oil and dump the whole thing in the recycling tank.

[delmarrey]

I've delevoped my own system for changes. All the manufactures care about is selling the boats.
If you have a filter that spills all over? Make a special scoop and keep it on board. And buy or make the most efficient oil drain system yourself. It pays off in the frustration department.

Keep plenty of absorbent pads onboard. And keep a couple under the motor/trany yearound, if they tend to drip. Clean bilges are happy bilges!

[NoTies]

Jabsco bring out a very handy container (about 15 litre) with a 12V pump & tubing mounted on it. I've only just started using it but it's great for emptying sumps, gearboxes, fuel filter housings and getting to awkward places in the bilges. Everything stays in the container until it can be emptied ashore. I've done 5 engine oil changes, 3 gearbox oil changes and 10 fuel filter changes without spilling a single drop.

[Vasco]

This year I re-evaluated my oil carrying. I normally have 6 to ten gallons aboard. In the past I left it in the 4 quart jugs but the stuff they put Shell Rotella in must be paper thin because I have had leaks in three or four of them over the past few years. It sure makes a mess in the lazarette. Now when I buy oil I decant it into jerry jugs meant for gasoline. I bought a bunch of two gallon ones. Similarly I put the old oil in jerry jugs and only pour it into the original jugs when I'm someplace I can dispose of it.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I've delevoped my own system for changes.

"Delevoped" Does that mean "Developed by Delmarrey"?

[delmarrey]

Sorry for the mis-spell. I type my name so many times it's habit. I'm DELirious and deliberately delinquent delivering delicious delicatesen's

Del........................_/)

[Alan Wheeler]

Jabsco bring out a very handy container (about 15 litre)

Obviously it wasn't you that paid for it Pete. I too thought what a wonderful idea till I found out the price. Holy Moly.

[NoTies]

You're right, good ideas always begin with someone else's money. Still, if I was flush I would certainly look at getting one myself. (Need a bigger boat, bigger engine & more motoring hours to justify it though)

[Alan Wheeler]

I made a poor-mans version of it. I first started out with a 20ltr oil container and fitted a drill pump. Using my battery drill, I could suck the oil out really quickly. It worked well.
Then a guy I worked with had a proper 12V oil pump device. So I mounted that to the container instead. It doesn't work as fast as the drill pump, but will most likely work longer. I doubt the drill pump impellor is going to like oil for too long.
I didn't want to spend the big bucks for the real deal as I only use it once every 6 months. I am about to change to full synthetic and hopefully that will take changes out to once every 2 years. (@200hrs/year max)

[GordMay]

C&C fitted a Par (Jabsco) “Oil Buddy” hand pump on “Southbound”. It worked ok, and was used when cruising. (top photo)

I tried their C7000 pump, which “sucked” (errr, actually it didn’t)

Finally sprang for the “Porta-Quick” 12VDC Pump/Pail unit #17800-2000. Couldn’t beat it, but didn’t take it cruising (too big). (bottom photo)

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

Obviously it wasn't you that paid for it Pete. I too thought what a wonderful idea till I found out the price. Holy Moly.

I no longer am actively cruising, so I use a cheapo small shop vac, (the ones which hold about a gallon). The oil goes thru plastic tubing which can be attached to the dipstick or stuck into the tranny etc. This goes into a threaded hose barb on one edge of the lid of a 5 gallon bucket. The shop vac is attached to the other side of the lid. This arrangement keeps the contents from being sucked into the vacuum.

It cost me almost nothing.

While cruising my previous boat, I had a T fitting on my oil pressure sender with a ball valve and a short hose which dumped the warmed up oil (at idle speed) into a container. When the air bubbles started to show, I killed the engine. Worked great. No spills.

Steve B.

[Capct]

I get to go for a quick rip over to Maple Bay and I get them to suck it out....no muss no fuss....yeah its a few more bucks but hell I was going that way for fuel anyway.No mess in the bilge.Why be so stinkin cheap~ if you have a 1/4 million dollar boat wtf are you doing changing the oil manually ?....making a big mess then having to hand bomb the sludge off the boat and then off the dock...drive to some disposal place somewhere

No thanks.
Sometimes you just have to pay the pumper!....

[Alan Wheeler]

if you have a 1/4 million dollar boat wtf are you doing changing the oil manually ?....

Because I don't have a 1/4 mill boat :-)