Cleaning The Bilge

[Seafarer]

The previous owner of Starquest drained the engine oil into the bilge. Despite using the "giant tampons" to absorb as much as possible, there is still a considerable amount floating around, clinging to things, and stinking up the boat.

I want it gone, all gone! What do I need to do to get the oil off everything and out of my boat?

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Seafarer

The previous owner of Starquest drained the engine oil into the bilge. Despite using the "giant tampons" to absorb as much as possible, there is still a considerable amount floating around, clinging to things, and stinking up the boat.

I want it gone, all gone! What do I need to do to get the oil off everything and out of my boat?

Detergent, Elbow Grease and a cool day.

[JeanneP]

Lestoil. For removing oil, grease, hardened paint on brushes, tar from your topsides, Lestoil is my favorite product. It's so thick that you can apply it full strength with a brush, which is what I recommend for the first round of washing. Let it sit to penetrate and soften the congealed oil, then wipe away the first time before scrubbing with water and a brush. You might have to do this a second time, and for a final, deodorizing wash, wash the entire place with any brand of dishwashing liquid (again, for its grease-dispersing qualities). A good powdered laundry detergent should also work for the final washdown.

Lestoil has an overwhelming petroleum smell, which is the reason it works so well on fuel and motor oil and paint. It can be hard to find.

[Aquaria]

I was sucessfully cleaning an oily bilge with Â*Cold Cleaner. Â* Just google "Cold Cleaner" or Â*"Solvent Degreasing". I used this liquid based on mineral oil out of a spray bottle and sprayed the bilge over and over again as long as it washed down traces of oil and until the surfaces where again of original colour. Â*It creeps into all the hard to reach corners and washes the oil out of the smallest cracks. Â*

At the end I washed down the bilge a couple of times with really hot water together with dish washing detergend and finally with plain hot water, let it dry and took a deep breath out of the bilge and... it smelled clean and it was shiny again!Â*

Uwe

SY Aquaria

[JeanneP]

I've never heard of Cold Cleaner, but a mineral oil-based cleaner makes sense to clean an oily bilge. Thanks.

Is this IT?

[SCUBAKiwi]

While not on a boat, since I don't have one yet, still learning and hoping. I have used engine degreasers from Auto stores on cleaning oil out of the back of a van when a motor I was transporting tipped over and drained out on the rear carpet!, the guy selling the motor never drained it prior to my picking it up.

I use a product called "Aussie Export" again like Aquria an Hydrocarbon based cleaner. spray on and rinse off, It's basicly liquid butane like petroleum based solvents and a lot of detergents and disperants, the solvents act like the pentrating oils they are related to and carry the detergents into any and all little cracks and mix and dilute the oil, then when water hits them the detergents grab any oil and water and binds them so they wash away.

If you're using those sort of petroleum and detergent degreasers, always make sure the area being cleaned is dry beforehand, spraying them onto wet surfaces and into puddles just releases the detergents immediately on contact with the water, before they can get around and contact the oil.

[Aquaria]

Originally Posted by JeanneP

I've never heard of Cold Cleaner, but a mineral oil-based cleaner makes sense to clean an oily bilge.Â*Â*Thanks.

Is this IT?

Yes! And hereÂ*is some more info on cold cleaners.

4.6 Solvent Degreasing

4.6.1 General1,2

Solvent degreasing (or solvent cleaning) is the physical process of using organic solvents to

remove grease, fats, oils, wax or soil from various metal, glass, or plastic items. The types of

equipment used in this method are categorized as cold cleaners, open top vapor degreasers, or

conveyorized degreasers. Nonaqueous solvents such as petroleum distillates, chlorinated hydrocarbons,

ketones, and alcohols are used. Solvent selection is based on the solubility of the substance to be

removed and on the toxicity, flammability, flash point, evaporation rate, boiling point, cost, and

several other properties of the solvent.

The metalworking industries are the major users of solvent degreasing, i. e., automotive,

electronics, plumbing, aircraft, refrigeration, and business machine industries. Solvent cleaning is also

used in industries such as printing, chemicals, plastics, rubber, textiles, glass, paper, and electric

power. Most repair stations for transportation vehicles and electric tools use solvent cleaning at least

part of the time. Many industries use water-based alkaline wash systems for degreasing, and since

these systems emit no solvent vapors to the atmosphere, they are not included in this discussion.

4.6.1.1 Cold Cleaners -

The 2 basic types of cold cleaners are maintenance and manufacturing. Cold cleaners are

batch loaded, nonboiling solvent degreasers, usually providing the simplest and least expensive method

of metal cleaning. Maintenance cold cleaners are smaller, more numerous, and generally use

petroleum solvents as mineral spirits (petroleum distillates and Stoddard solvents). Manufacturing cold

cleaners use a wide variety of solvents, which perform more specialized and higher quality cleaning

with about twice the average emission rate of maintenance cold cleaners. Some cold cleaners can

serve both purposes.

Cold cleaner operations include spraying, brushing, flushing, and immersion. In a typical

maintenance cleaner (Figure 4.6-1), dirty parts are cleaned manually by spraying and then soaking in (...).

source: Â* Â*AP-42, Vol. I, CH 4.6: Solvent Degreasing, found under Â* "http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ap42/ch04/final/c4s06.pdf ".

And here an example from Â*a company (Iso Electra - Elektrochemische Fabrik GMBH) in Germany:

More Â*info Â*here .

And an excerpt of Â*theÂ*

Product Data Sheet

ISO-Cold Cleaner HP 89/5 and HP 90/1

Description:

ISO-Cold Cleaner are halogen-free, water clear solvents for technical cleaning purposes. These products

show good solving properties towards greases and oils. The evaporation of ISO-Cold cleaner HP 90/1 is

comparable with those of solvents like methylene chloride or trichloroethylene.

In contrast to halogenated solvents the products are biodegradable and practical non-toxic.

Type HP 89/5 und HP 90/1 are different in polarity and therefore in their capability to dissolve impurities.

The right cold cleaner can be found by pilot tests.

Processing:

ISO-Cold Cleaner clean grease and oil polluted metal, plastic and ceramic parts. The cleaner are applied

undiluted by dipping, spraying or wiping with a cloth.

source: "http://www.iso-elektra.de/en/files/PD_ISO-Coldcleaner_HP89-5_HP90-1.pdf"

(I set the quotation marks so that they do not convert to links, because for some weird reason the links do not open both pdf's correct.) Â*

Uwe

SY Aquaria

[Seafarer]

So what is a fiberglass-safe brand name of solvent degreaser for sale in the US?

[JeanneP]

Lestoil is a GRP safe solvent degreaser, perhaps I wasn't so clear about that. It has a detergent base as well, but it still doesn't smell very nice, which is one reason I suggested the final wash with dishwashing liquid.