Cleaning very oily bilge

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SimonA

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My engine has been away for a rebuild and I'm currently cleaning up the mess left behind over 35 years.

The gearbox had a very bad oil leak and has left it's mark in the bilges. I have spent several hours already, firstly with oil absorbent pads, then warm water and lots of bilgex. I have scrubbed and scrubbed, more bilgex, more water, more scrubbing.

I still have smeary oil stains over my bilges.

Any ideas on what is best to use? Boat is out of the water, so I won't be contaminating the marina if I use something harsher. Someone suggested washing powder, has anyone tired that?
 
SimonA said:
My engine has been away for a rebuild and I'm currently cleaning up the mess left behind over 35 years.

The gearbox had a very bad oil leak and has left it's mark in the bilges. I have spent several hours already, firstly with oil absorbent pads, then warm water and lots of bilgex. I have scrubbed and scrubbed, more bilgex, more water, more scrubbing.

I still have smeary oil stains over my bilges.

Any ideas on what is best to use? Boat is out of the water, so I won't be contaminating the marina if I use something harsher. Someone suggested washing powder, has anyone tired that?
Click to expand...
Bilge paint, duck egg blue!! should do the trick!
Stu
 
I think you should also be thinking of how you are going to get rid of the contaminated oily waste water after cleaning the bilges.

Oiltechnics (http://www.oiltechnics.co.uk/Default.htm) have an excellent range of products, some of which are biologically innocuous and used by e.g. RN, cruise lines, oil companies).

They are very helpful on the phone too.

(Very satisfied customer, ex bilge full of diesel, only)
 
markdj said:
All the suggestions above are good after you have got rid of the black oily gunge but if you want to get rid of the thick black stuff there is nothing works better than WD-40.

Mark
www.boatdoctorni.com
Click to expand...

Apart from the fact that if theres a great deal of it...... it's pretty expensive. What you need is an oil based solvent though I agree. Paraffin works well to lift the worst. You could also try white spirit. Then when you have got it clean use bilgex to get rid of the paraffin!
 
On very dirty surfaces an emulsifying solvent used neat and in the absence of water will be more effective than adding to the bilge water.
Then add water throughly mix and pump out. I assume Bilgex could be used in that way.
Using diluted with paraffin may also be a possiblity.
 
orbister said:
I'm pretty sure that's mostly washing soda with a bit of detergent added. Happy to be corrected.
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I wouldn't know but Wikepedia says:-

Sugar soap is a cleaning material, commonly composed of sodium carbonate, sodium phosphate, and sometimes sodium silicate as an abrasive; other chemicals might be added to modify the performance or preserve the product. The dry powder looks like table sugar, which gives it its name. The term is used mainly in Commonwealth countries.

The solution is alkaline and its uses include cleaning paintwork in preparation for repainting.

The similar compound trisodium phosphate is sometimes described as sugar soap in the USA..

I expect VicS will be along in a minute to give the definitive answer (didn't he used to be a chemist?)
 
Bilge clean

Best thing I found was spray on oven cleaner. Maked sure you use rubbber gloves. Spray it, let it work, then wipe round with paper towel or rag , then wash thourghly. It removed the bilge paint at the same time but left mint fibreglass.
Martin
 
sorry, chaps, to spoil these wonderful scenes of domestic nautical bilge idyll.

WHERE do you get rid of all these chemicals ? WHERE do the detergents, the phosphates, the solvents, the hydrocarbons, all go when you pump or bucket them out ?
If I do this on the farm, or if any one does this in a factory, we are in deep official ****, and yet it seems to be acceptable practice on board. :mad:

Which is why I suggest talking to Oil Techncis or other suppliers to find a biologically (maximally) harmless cleaner.
 
WHERE do you get rid of all these chemicals ? WHERE do the detergents, the phosphates, the solvents, the hydrocarbons, all go when you pump or bucket them out
Click to expand...
the boat in question is out of the water so the waste can go to the same place(s) you would normally dispose of
sugar soap when decorating,
oven cleaner when cleaning the oven,
acetone when using acetone for what ever you use it for (removing nail varnish?)
biological washing powder when doing the washing
Jizer when the garage has degreased your engine
etc etc​


Or under cover of darkness .... :(
 
VicS, sorry, I do feel very strongly about this cleaning chemicals business, and believe we turn the blind eye too often.

Especially if it goes straight overboard and frightens the seahorses. :)
 
An old mechanics trick for clearing grease off the hands is to wet them and then rub with detergent powder. The granules work wonders and a quick rinse leaves the hands perfectly clean. This is because the enzymes act on grease very efficiently when applied like this. They do not act efficiently when dissolved in water hot or cold for the purpose of cleaning oily bilges and only create rings, like a dirty tide falling would do..:eek:
 
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