How to clean the bilge?

[Pete7]

I would start with using disposable nappies to soak up as much of the gloop off the water and sides of the bilge as possible. Those absorbent clothes are good, but expensive, use them latter on. I have also used dhobi dust (washing powder) and a pressure wash which was very effective but the boat was out of the water at the time so draining onto my drive way was easy.

Pete

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Cruisingscotts

Little thread drift... but you should look into Abanaki bilge skimmers, oleofelic (sp?) belt. We have finally convinced them to buy us a Alfa laval Pure bilge about $100,000......

Are you really recommending a $100,000 device to solve an oily bilge problem


Pete

[seajester]

[QUOTE=Ann T. Cate;2158116]It's a little hard to say, not having any idea what kind of boat you're talking about, and therefore not knowing the bilge configuration. We don't even know if it is a

Another way is to spray the whole lot with engine degreaser, Hose down with hot water using the sprayer, rinse and let dry. Still may have to scrub, and finish with

Please be careful about engine degreaser in tight quarters. My slip neighbour used several cans and a spark found the fumes. The roof of his pilot house separated from the walls and his wooden hull had many cracks. He was burned, but not severely.

Sandy

[Cruisingscotts]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Are you really recommending a $100,000 device to solve an oily bilge problem


Pete

On a ship absolutely no substitute for a centrifigal OWS, on the trawler with the detroits i was replying to no, the $100 Abanaki skimmer.

Back to the original topic, it should be understood that soaps like joy and dawn sink the oil and although you may have clean looking soapy water in your bilge the oil and fuel is still there and will be pumped over if you run the bilge pumps.

[Midnight Son]

Use oil absorbent pads, clean, dispose. Then

Abanaki PetroPuck, as a follow on to deal with the little leaks that do happen on older boats.

PetroPuck, Trace Oil Remover | Abanaki Corporation

P.S. Not affiliated with them, the mining co. I work for, uses a number of their systems/products.

[FilBrown]

There is a product called Bilgex which I've used before and it did have the affect of reducing the smell.
Just pour some into the bilge and go sailing wash it out later.

[jmschmidt]

Simple Green and a good day of sailing will do the job. Then use a wet/dry shop vac and suck the bilges dry. Properly dispose of the suckings.

[Markhunter1097]

Not sure if it will work in the bilge, but I watched a mechanic spray 'brake clean' over the engine to clean up diesel after a messy filter change. Diesel just disappeared, smell and residue, I now use it whenever I spill diesel during engine bleeding.


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[SeaSon]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

It's a little hard to say, not having any idea what kind of boat you're talking about, and therefore not knowing the bilge configuration. We don't even know if it is a sailboat!

Okay, get hold of a garden sprayer, and fill it with boiling water, and add tsp (trisodiumphosphate) to it according to the pkg. instructions for deep grime. Carefully spray the diesel and dirt trail to the sump. Carefully wash down the walls of the sump.
Use a toilet brush to scrub the bottom of the bilge. Pump out with a wet or dry shop vac. This you can empty in any drain to a sewer. Then rinse down with fresh hot water, and pump out again to remove any residue. After that, use rags.

Another way is to spray the whole lot with engine degreaser, Hose down with hot water using the sprayer, rinse and let dry. Still may have to scrub, and finish with rags.

Ann

PS. If the interior cushions have picked up the diesel smell, take off the cushion covers and clean them separately, and air the cushions. If the smell is not gone from the foam, it will have to be replaced, ditto, the covers, if they do not smell clean. Do not use hot water on the covers, they likely will shrink.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.

Ann

Ann, you have real world experience. I've followed these processes myself with great success. After using oil zorb cloths to get the 98pct, then degreaser, toilet brush, rinse with garden sprayer, shop vac residue.

For others, the garden sprayer works great for a couple reasons: good pressure, and not too much water like a hose. You could use paper towels to dry up the water as it's not a flood.

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[zeehag]

first step is oil absorbing engine diapers.
then go to soap and water with elbow grease and a long handled scrubbing brush.
then use hose and bilge pump to remove it, unless you prefer hand removal which is a bitch if you have deep bilges like mine.
my hose nozzle shuts off totally and has different spray patterns. i use various ones. the tsp is a wonderful idea--i dont use it as i have pump fail readily .
i had to clean bilges completely 5 times in 8 months... oops.. but the oil absorbing pads which i call engine diapers, work well.

[Sea Q]

I had a hydraulic line rupture under the deck plates --80 liters
1) First thing stop the problem turn it off
2) Turn off bilge pump
3) Remove bilge pump--this is a just in case (there were other bilge pumps in different sections of boat)
4) Suck as much as you can up with a shop vac and dispose of
5) Wipe all coated areas down with oil absorbent pads I alway carry a few on board and a bundle on the dock. Really rub the areas down the more you can get off the better
6) Use a spray degreaser that is not solvent base and paper towels and wipe down the area.
I make quick release marine cleaners for oily water separators and had some on board but in this application you don't have to get fancy.
But it did get ride of all the smells because it is orange oil based
7) Fix the leak we replaced all of the hoses (a few bucks but piece of mind)
8) Place several oil absorbent pads in the bilge well.
9) Get the scrub brush out and a bucket of soapy water use a high quality dish detergent
10) Use fresh water to rinse just a very "little"
11) Throw oil pads out and suck up the water in well
12) Replace pump and put everything back into service after checking hydraulics

Surprising the stuff you will find in the bilge nuts bolts
a box end wrench that looked new but crumbled in my hands

[redsky49]

Remember that all these caustic/alkaline/solvent chemicals you are pumping out of the bilge are fatal to sea life, as well as potentially damaging to the impeller of your bilge pump.

[pcmm]

While I was replacing my engine/ rebuilding my engine room I generated a lot of sawdust which to my amazement just sucked the decades old oil and gunk right out of the fiberglass in the bilge. The bilge under my engine went from oil sludge black to looking like new. So I bought some natural sawdust cat litter and spread it in my bilge and just waited for it to clean it for me! Then a good soak down with simple green and the result was just amazing!

[Scott Berg]

Best product I've ever used is DeOilIt


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