Oil spill clean up

MJWB

MJWB

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Any ideas welcome please. Unfortunately, whilst re-filling the gearbox with oil, some spilled and ran down into the very limited space under the engine. Hardly any space either side and very tight underneath. Have cleaned up the bit of bilge under the engine that I can reach but around 60 % is out of reach by hand. I reckon I'll have to attach absorbent material to a piece of wood to reach in to mop up the remaining oil, then repeat the process to wash down with degreaser. Has anyone any other ideas please?
Oh yes any ideas on a good degreaser please?
 
Get some bio washing powder or gel. Make a strong solution and put it in the affected bilge/ area and go for a sail. Pump it out after the sail.
Do the same for the next few trips and it will take away all the residue and leave the bilge sweet. The gentle agitation of sailing works really well
 
Mop it up with kitchen roll on a stick.
Then use a cloth soaked in detergent to wipe around.
The advice to let it swill around the bilge is criminally bad.
 
wonkywinch said:
I keep a pack of babies nappies in my toolkit. They are good at absorbing all kinds of crap.
Click to expand...
Having read a similar comment on here 5 years ago, a packet of baby nappies was one of my first purchases upon becoming a boat owner. Perhaps I should not have bought Morrison's own brand, as I have found them only good for absorbing fresh water and absolutely stubbornly refusing to accept saltwater or, I think, diesel.
 
B27 said:
The advice to let it swill around the bilge is criminally bad.
Click to expand...
If you're referring to my suggestion of Bioclean, the bugs eat the oil, and go on eating it until there's nothing left. What's left is bacteria that occur naturally and a bit of detergent, so pumping that over the side is no worse than emptying the sink after doing the washing up.
 
Many people squirt washing up liquid at oil spilt on water - well done ! You've just increased the possible effects on fish and other living creatures ...

The same goes for using it in bilges and then pumping out.

Why ? The detergent breaks down the oil-water barrier and disperses the oil ... plus the detergent itself is not despite Eco brands environmentally good.

Its why oil spills are skimmed off the water and not sprayed with detergents.

Best in the bilges if you do spill anything - are the standard baby nappies - you can of course buy special oil absorbing matts ... which supposedly only take up oil ...
 
MJWB said:
Any ideas welcome please. Unfortunately, whilst re-filling the gearbox with oil, some spilled and ran down into the very limited space under the engine. Hardly any space either side and very tight underneath. Have cleaned up the bit of bilge under the engine that I can reach but around 60 % is out of reach by hand. I reckon I'll have to attach absorbent material to a piece of wood to reach in to mop up the remaining oil, then repeat the process to wash down with degreaser. Has anyone any other ideas please?
Oh yes any ideas on a good degreaser please?
Click to expand...
cat litter in a pair of ladies tights, you can make them any shape you want.
 
A lot of this thread is people still living in the dark ages of manky old boats with permanent bilge water.
You just need to wipe up the oil before it spreads.

The worst thing you can do is add water so it spreads into bilge pumps, bits of the hull etc, it will then keep coming back every time a little water gets in the bilge.
Top tip, clean and dry under the engine before doing any maintenance then anything you drop goes into a dry clean bilge.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Oil absorbent mats do work, really well. They absorb oil or diesel, but not water. They are a key component of commercial spill kits.

Plenty to choose from here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...60.m570.l1313&_nkw=oil+absorant+mats&_sacat=0
Click to expand...

Or grab a small handful next time you refuel. MDL at Port Hamble & Plymouth certainly use them. Also better search returns using "oil absorbant mats" ;)

B27 said:
A lot of this thread is people still living in the dark ages of manky old boats with permanent bilge water.
You just need to wipe up the oil before it spreads.

The worst thing you can do is add water so it spreads into bilge pumps, bits of the hull etc, it will then keep coming back every time a little water gets in the bilge.
Top tip, clean and dry under the engine before doing any maintenance then anything you drop goes into a dry clean
Click to expand...

On our boat (2016 Beneteau Oceanis), the engine bilge is completely isolated from the rest of the boat and would hold quite a large leak if it were to happen.

A few years back, I arrived on a (French built) charter boat but on opening up, the gas alarm was sounding and there was a strong smell of diesel. It turned out the previous hirers had mistaken the "F" on the central emergency tiller plug (embossed with "O" & "F" for Ouvrir & Fermer) for "Fuel" and had unscrewed the cap & pumped a few litres of diesel into the hole before realising their mistake.
 
B27 said:
A lot of this thread is people still living in the dark ages of manky old boats with permanent bilge water.
You just need to wipe up the oil before it spreads.

The worst thing you can do is add water so it spreads into bilge pumps, bits of the hull etc, it will then keep coming back every time a little water gets in the bilge.
Top tip, clean and dry under the engine before doing any maintenance then anything you drop goes into a dry clean bilge.
Click to expand...

I wish you luck trying to clean under my 4-107 .... its only just possible to get to the oil drain plug ... and when that's fully unscrewed - the spanner cannot be removed ... they come out - go back under together !!!
Needless to say - I only used that plug once ... now its a Pela job.
 
We recently discovered oil spill kits - We were exactly the same as OP. had a few l of water under the engine from the stern gland then stupidly managed to spill about a mugful of oil on top of it.

A handful of oil spill kits worked perfectly. They float and are non water absorbent, but they sook up a prodigious volume of oil. A couple of sheets and the bilge was perfectly clear and the remaining water could be disposed off easily enough.

I was amazed. We got ours from amazon
 
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