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Trekka · 16-01-2010, 00:39

Frankly, I love a woman with a whiff of diesel on her.

A slight scent of kerosene come a close second.

(But maybe I'm weird that way...) :kissy:

Artful Dodger · 16-01-2010, 05:14

For diesel smells or something which one things is diesel smell, usually is from the bilge where there is always odurs of the engine sorts, oils in general, clean the bigle paint it and once finished odur it, by letting a cleaning combination lay in the bilge with a small bucket of coal, which will help to keep smells gone.

zeehag · 17-01-2010, 22:12

clean the bilge with bilge cleaner well and drain bilges
then add bilge cleaner that is diluted into the bilges to slosh around a bit and freshen the bilges and the air!!

worked well on the boat i bought that stunk--oil and cigarettes lol.....

delmarrey · 17-01-2010, 23:45

The problem with diesel fuel is it sticks to every thing. It's like a virus, it'll spread from one thing to another. If someone works on a motor and then travels around the boat, they could be spreading the stuff everywhere.

A leak somewhere will only run down hill or around a bit more at sea. But to get it in your hair has to come from exposure to above foot level. But yeah! Check all the fuel line fittings and around the motors for leaks. And clean the bilges often.

Another product that helps is Windex. Use the commercial absorbent pads for oil. It's the best thing for cleaning and catching diesel fuel.

My boat is 30 years old and doesn't smell of diesel until I uncover the fuel tank and filters. There always seems to be a light film around the fitting hoses so I clean them with Windex when ever I'm in there.

Sorry there hubby! If you got busted.

hugosalt · 18-01-2010, 09:35

"The problem with diesel fuel is it sticks to every thing. It's like a virus, it'll spread from one thing to another. If someone works on a motor and then travels around the boat, they could be spreading the stuff everywhere."

True...If I work on the motor no problem...if someone helps or mech on board...I know
I have a to spread out the old terri bath towels my wife deemed work towels ...if not
it usually takes a few inspections, by you know who, before we are good to go.

svHyLyte · 18-01-2010, 14:24

An effective cleaner for residual fuel film in the bilge is concentrated Lemon Juice that can be obtained in bulk at most commercial or restaurant food suppliers such as "Smart and Final" for those in the US. It is very inexpensive, bio-degradable, and a few gallon dumped in the bilges with some hot (to begin with) water and allowed to slosh around for awhile does an effective job of cleaning the bilge and removing odor.

Another useful material is activated charcoal of the type used in fish tank filters. A few hands full in pouches made from old nylon stockings and hung in inconspicuous places under sinks, around holdng tank hoses, in the backs of lockers and under floorboards can dramatically reduce the presence of offensive odors.

FWIW...

Brent Swain · 18-01-2010, 15:15

Calgon water softener works

CarlF · 18-01-2010, 15:40

I keep a couple of lava rock deodorizing bags on pegs in the bilge. Every few months I put them on deck for a day to "recharge" in the sun. Won't help against a strong odor but helps knock down that hard-to-say-what-it-is bilge smell.

GONZO OEH212 "GONZO" ODOR ELIMINATOR 32Oz.

Also a vote for Orange TKO as a diesel cleaner (but you better like the smell of oranges)

HOME

Carl

Solitude · 20-01-2010, 14:22

Clean the bilge and keep it dry

Bloodhound · 20-01-2010, 17:32

When we moved our boat from the Georgia coast to Oklahoma, a full 40 gallon diesel tank developed a split in transit and we had to deal with a bilge full and all the area under the sole from stem to stern had been coated by the sloshing back and forth while on the truck. This consisted of the boat itself, and all the sundry stuff stored securely beneath the sole such as lots of spare dock lines, exterior of water tanks, and assorted parts. Disposing of the diesel into a waste oil tank was the easy part - getting rid of the smell has been an 18 month job. Vinegar (neat) goes a long way but first I Bio-Bilged everything which renders the diesel water soluble and (supposedly) environmentally harmless, although most was removed via a wet-dry vacuum and not dumped into the water. Lots and lots of vinegar flushes of all surfaces. Ventilation is not the answer as the stench will remain as long as any (pretty low volatility but high sulphur) diesel remains. At this point we still use an air freshener (balsam) and can no longer detect any diesel odor, not even in the engine compartment. One day when the spirit moves me I'll remove the split tank and finish a thorough cleaning of the shelf and surrounding area before installing a new tank. Then replace the port tank as well. But with a 3 to 4 gallon diesel consumption per year, there seems no rush. Given the small current usage I'll probably install a 10 gallon tank as well, and leave the two 40's empty until we return to the sea.

As other posters have said though, if you smell diesel either (a) you have a small leak or (b) there was a spill at one time in the recent past and the remains are still there.

Fessalo · 11-10-2011, 16:56

I totally agree with Randy. After scrubbing the bildge as best as I could and installing two solar vents I had just about given up and my way of adapting boiled down to getting undressed in the garage when I got home and taking a shower. While discussing another situation with Mr. Stanley at Beta Marine in NC (a very knowledgeable gentleman)I casually mentionned the diesel odor issue. He insisted that there should be no diesel odor and strongly suggested that I double check for a leak. Sure enough...the fuel filter dripped one drop every few minutes, enough to nourrish a foul odor. I replaced the Racor filter with a new one...problem solved and I am a happy camper/sailor and so is my mate.

**hpeer** · 11-10-2011, 18:17

Spill a couple of gallons from the jerry jug into the back seat of the car.

After a while you get so used to it you can't smell it at all.

Worked for us.

If that don't work, have someone install a holding tank for you (must be an old one laying around the yard.) Then let it pop when full. That'll get your mind off the diesel smell.

vintageray · 11-10-2011, 20:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

An effective cleaner for residual fuel film in the bilge is concentrated Lemon Juice that can be obtained in bulk at most commercial or restaurant food suppliers such as "Smart and Final" for those in the US. It is very inexpensive, bio-degradable, and a few gallon dumped in the bilges with some hot (to begin with) water and allowed to slosh around for awhile does an effective job of cleaning the bilge and removing odor.

Another useful material is activated charcoal of the type used in fish tank filters. A few hands full in pouches made from old nylon stockings and hung in inconspicuous places under sinks, around holdng tank hoses, in the backs of lockers and under floorboards can dramatically reduce the presence of offensive odors.

FWIW...

One could probably get the concentrated lemon juice, but old, "nylon stockings", could take some time to find.